The UnNoticed Entrepreneur

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Are you an Award winner? 10 tips on how to leverage Awards for PR. Jul 14, 2020

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On this episode of SPEAK|PR I recommend finding 10 awards to enter each year and give you some ideas on which ones to enter, where to find them, and 10 ways to leverage exposure which include:

Sponsor an Award to raise your profile
Connect your Award to a broader story e.g. this industry is doing well
Promote it to own circles, in-store, to staff, customers
Write and issue a press release
Include it on your website
Offer a ‘We’re so proud we’d like to make a special offer’
Write to the judges, the organization, other winners to build connections
Include "Winner" on business cards and in email auto signatures.
Take your staff to the Awards and get plenty of photos and post on social
Pitch for speaking engagements because now you are an authority

Claiming to be the 'world's first and largest award entry consultancy' Boost offers a great website with over 4,000 industry awards listed.
My experiences include being the Founder of the British Business Awards in China (2008) winner of the 2017 Global Business Innovations Award (China), British Entrepreneur of the Year in Singapore and SME of the Year in Singapore (in the 1990's)
What to do if there isn't an Award? Could you organize one yourself like I did with the BBA? It's a lot of work but massively rewarding.

If you like this podcast, then subscribe to our newsletter here
Please visit our blog post on PR for business please visit our site:
https://www.eastwestpr.com/blogs/
I also talk about SPEAK|pr - our 5 Step Methodology for entrepreneurs to manage their own PR. Do please come and download a free copy along with our Technology Applications Director with over 100 free marketing apps listed.
http://www.eastwestpr.com/speakpr
Find us on Twitter @eastwestpr
Jim James is the Founder and Managing Director of the EASTWEST Public Relations Group. He recently returned to the UK after 25 years in Asia where he was an entrepreneur. Whilst running EASTWEST PR, he was the Vice-Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, he also he introduced Morgan sports cars to China, WAKE Drinks, founded the British Business Awards, The British Motorsport Festival, EO Beijing, and was the interim CEO of Lotus cars in China. He kept a diary here.

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It's free to publish your own magazine and it's great for your PR. Sharing 3 platforms for e-publishing you can use today. Jul 13, 2020

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Let's not forget magazine publishing for our business; it used to be that we printed in-house newsletters and publications specifically for a product launch or a trade show.
The brand audience across platforms for magazine media continues to grow, up 6.6% in 2019 versus the prior year to 1.5 billion. The average audience of the top three magazine publishers is competitive with the average audience for Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple according to the MPA Factbook. It's just that these are moving from the newsstand to the dedicated reader App and Kindles.

What's also good is that according to the 2020 Edelman trust barometer - 61% trust in traditional print….due to editorial integrity.

So I share here tools that you can explore to publish your own e-magazines.
I used ISSUU for my publications to launch Morgan cars in China, and you can even charge for subscriptions.
You can also listen to services offered by Yunpu of Switzerland
The 3rd one I introduce is Uniflip
If you like this podcast, then subscribe to our newsletter here
Please visit our blog post on PR for business please visit our site:
https://www.eastwestpr.com/blogs/
I also talk about SPEAK|pr - our 5 Step Methodology for entrepreneurs to manage their own PR. Do please come and download a free copy along with our Technology Applications Director with over 100 free marketing apps listed.
http://www.eastwestpr.com/speakpr
Find us on Twitter @eastwestpr
Jim James is the Founder and Managing Director of the EASTWEST Public Relations Group. He recently returned to the UK after 25 years in Asia where he was an entrepreneur. Whilst running EASTWEST PR, he was the Vice-Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, he also he introduced Morgan sports cars to China, WAKE Drinks, founded the British Business Awards, The British Motorsport Festival, EO Beijing, and was the interim CEO of Lotus cars in China. He kept a diary here.

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https://www.theunnoticedentrepreneur.com/

Are you missing out on 47% of all audio listeners? Find out 3 top platforms to create and automate audiogram distribution. Jul 11, 2020

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Even though YouTube isn’t a music platform, more people listen to audio content on YouTube than anywhere else. YouTube attracts 47% of all music streaming listening time around the world, according to the Music Consumer Insight Report. So we need to find ways to have audio files shared on video platforms for media interviews, product reviews, conference summaries, and of course podcasts.
Luckily this can be automated and we don’t need video on YouTube to be successful, we can create audiograms; audio which is converted to video with a static image.
On this podcast I will talk about the different ways of doing this, from the manual upload at the most basic, to podcast hosting services of Castos and Headliner, and the syndication services of Repurpose.
Ultimately we want to be able to convert audio to video, video to audio, or video to video in horizontal, square, or vertical format with captions. Then we want to be able to Connect to platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest.
If you like this podcast, then subscribe to our newsletter here
Please visit our blog post on PR for business please visit our site:
https://www.eastwestpr.com/blogs/
I also talk about SPEAK|pr - our 5 Step Methodology for entrepreneurs to manage their own PR. Do please come and download a free copy along with our Technology Applications Director with over 100 free marketing apps listed.
http://www.eastwestpr.com/speakpr
Find us on Twitter @eastwestpr
Jim James is the Founder and Managing Director of the EASTWEST Public Relations Group. He recently returned to the UK after 25 years in Asia where he was an entrepreneur. Whilst running EASTWEST PR, he was the Vice-Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, he also he introduced Morgan sports cars to China, WAKE Drinks, founded the British Business Awards, The British Motorsport Festival, EO Beijing, and was the interim CEO of Lotus cars in China. He kept a diary here.

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Why PR support in COVID times is going to be cheaper and easier to find for business owners, and where to find it. Jul 10, 2020

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It's about to get cheaper and easier to hire a freelance PR person just about anywhere in the world and this is great news for business owners.
Francis Ingham, Director General of the PRCA, many of the 10% of the furloughed agency staff won't get back to work which in the UK could be as many as 5,000 (PR Moment Podcast)
This means an opportunity for business owners to pick up trained, connected freelance talent or to hire them inhouse.
For those that don't want that commitment, there are a number of sites where freelancers can be found which specialise in PR e.g. The Work Crowd which claims some 2,246 PR professionals on the register. In Asia Sortlist has a dedicated directory for pr agencies and freelancers for example at a country level. At the other end of the scale is the Peopleperhour website which boasts 2.9m freelancers if you like to be spoilt for choice!
Personally I have signed up the UK Digital Marketing apprenticeship which funded by the UK Government which will allow me to mentor a young person in the industry and to build out the SPEAK|pr PR for Business program.
Finally, I discuss signing up for the Outsource School program as it has a 12-month program including templates for delegation of work. I've just engaged a UK trained Philippino entrepreneur who has started a virtual assistant business to help us to manage our content distribution processes.
PR in Covid times means then potentially a once in a lifetime opportunity to build the brand of your business with expert help and remarkably flexible cost.
If you like this podcast, then subscribe to our newsletter here
Please visit our blog post on PR for business please visit our site:
https://www.eastwestpr.com/blogs/
I also talk about SPEAK|pr - our 5 Step Methodology for entrepreneurs to manage their own PR. Do please come and download a free copy along with our Technology Applications Director with over 100 free marketing apps listed.
http://www.eastwestpr.com/speakpr
Find us on Twitter @eastwestpr
Jim James is the Founder and Managing Director of the EASTWEST Public Relations Group. He recently returned to the UK after 25 years in Asia where he was an entrepreneur. Whilst running EASTWEST PR, he was the Vice-Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, he also he introduced Morgan sports cars to China, WAKE Drinks, founded the British Business Awards, The British Motorsport Festival, EO Beijing, and was the interim CEO of Lotus cars in China. He kept a diary here.

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https://www.theunnoticedentrepreneur.com/

Who keeps your digital assets safe? There are companies who can help keep your Pr assets safe and ready to restore in the event of a loss. Jul 09, 2020

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Without a key document, I am going to lose the Weibo audience I have worked so hard to curate in China under my Beijing offices of EASTWEST Public Relations. So what happens when all the hard work of building the platforms for PR for your business are disrupted by incompetence as in my case, or by malicious forces as I suspect was being inflicted on Zoom.
The Ponemon Institute’s 2019 Cost of a Data Breach report gives some staggering figures on the cost of data loss. It quantifies the latest stats around data breaches:

Average cost of a data breach—$3.92 million
Each lost record represents a cost of $150
Average time to identify and contain a breach—279 days
The loss of consumer trust is the biggest contributor to breach costs

Sometimes these are attacks, but sometimes it is incompetence which means we can lose access to our own digital files central to business continuity. Luckily there are some services to help us to keep snapshots of our digital assets so that they can be posted back online without delay, or used in the case of litigation.

Preservica, for example, is changing the way organizations around the world future-proof and access critical long-term digital information – enabling companies to confidently meet compliance and legal requirements and safeguard digital content of unique cultural and brand importance.

Governments and education institutions have their own initiatives too, such as the UK Government Web Archive (UKGWA) hosted by MirrorWeb, and the Stanford University Library.
[Nb. I mention the WaybackMachine which is still listed and I have used in the past but today doesn't appear to be loading and so I am not linking it here.]
The point is that keeping records is important for your brand story and your reputation management, especially in the case of litigation. Create and keep safe all that you do both online and offline.
If you like this podcast, then subscribe to our newsletter here
Please visit our blog post on PR for business please visit our site:
https://www.eastwestpr.com/blogs/
I also talk about SPEAK|pr - our 5 Step Methodology for entrepreneurs to manage their own PR. Do please come and download a free copy along with our Technology Applications Director with over 100 free marketing apps listed.
http://www.eastwestpr.com/speakpr
Find us on Twitter @eastwestpr
Jim James is the Founder and Managing Director of the EASTWEST Public Relations Group. He recently returned to the UK after 25 years in Asia where he was an entrepreneur. Whilst running EASTWEST PR, he was the Vice-Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, he also he introduced Morgan sports cars to China, WAKE Drinks, founded the British Business Awards, The British Motorsport Festival, EO Beijing, and was the interim CEO of Lotus cars in China.

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Subscribe to my free newsletter

https://www.theunnoticedentrepreneur.com/

Learn how Rolls Royce are driving their PR with video in Asia, should you film with a green screen and how to not make boring videos! Jul 08, 2020

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In this episode, I have the pleasure to interview Andrew Clark, a partner in Asia Works and former journalist at the BBC and CNN who now makes award-winning videos for clients including Rolls Royce and Unicef from their offices in in Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok and Beijing. We met on a plane ride in 1997 from Singapore to Phuket - he had so much kit with him it started a conversation and a life long friendship.

We discuss how his clients are using video for their public relations and education programs, the impact of handheld camera clips, if we should be using a green screen when we make our own videos, and some professional accessories any budding producer should have.
Remember that video can be very powerful, but doesn't have to cost a lot.
Some case studies which worked:
JetBlue came up with a video idea to make such a baby-crying flight a win-win for everyone involved. JetBlue’s promotion of the video on their Facebook page has garnered over 1.3 millions, and it’s been seen over 1.6 million times on YouTube
I mention our work with AsiaWorks for Brompton Bicycles. The Overnight Brompton 100KM Ride around Singapore, on 20 January 2018, is a community event held by local owners with the support of the local retail agent. The Brompton UK company contracted EASTWEST Public Relations to make a video of the event and to share that on social channels including our own and the local clubs promoted the video via their social channels including Facebook and Twitter. See the Ride video here
Video can be low cost, self-made, and impactful for PR; but Andy's key advice - be authentic, keep it simple, and have fun.
If you like this podcast, then subscribe to our newsletter here
Please visit our blog post on PR for business please visit our site:
https://www.eastwestpr.com/blogs/
I also talk about SPEAK|pr - our 5 Step Methodology for entrepreneurs to manage their own PR. Do please come and download a free copy along with our Technology Applications Director with over 100 free marketing apps listed.
http://www.eastwestpr.com/speakpr
Find us on Twitter @eastwestpr
Jim James is the Founder and Managing Director of the EASTWEST Public Relations Group. He recently returned to the UK after 25 years in Asia where he was an entrepreneur. Whilst running EASTWEST PR, he was the Vice-Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, he also he introduced Morgan sports cars to China, WAKE Drinks, founded the British Business Awards, The British Motorsport Festival, EO Beijing, and was the interim CEO of Lotus cars in China.

Support the show

Subscribe to my free newsletter

https://www.theunnoticedentrepreneur.com/

You can increase your leads by 15% simply by telling people what you do, learn how to use auto signatures. Jul 07, 2020

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Your auto signature is free and if you are sending 125 emails per day (the ave) for 181 days per year (ave # worked days) you are sending 22,625 emails. It's a great opportunity and I'll share some simple ways to take advantage of this free PR.
According to WiseStamp we can increase the number of replies to our emails by 32%, 15% increase in leads and gain 22% more clients all by using memorable auto signatures.
Personally, I find it frustrating when I receive emails and there aren't complete details as I can't follow up. Imagine if you were a journalist or a customer - you just wouldn't bother to chase down the details.
I mention here how to create fully functioning signatures as they are an extension of your public relations activities. I include a mention to these sites: YesWare, newoldstamp, and HTMLSIG
I will also talk to the kind of end notes you may or may not want to include.

Legal and Confidentiality footers
GDPR Compliant Footers
Security or Virus Disclaimer
Green Email Footers
Social Media Buttons
Unsubscribe Links
Marketing Email Footers

Finally, I mention the need to ensure that your email is both SSL and TLS encryption.
Check yours here.
If you like this podcast, then subscribe to our newsletter here
Please visit our blog post on PR for business please visit our site:
https://www.eastwestpr.com/blogs/
I also talk about SPEAK|pr - our 5 Step Methodology for entrepreneurs to manage their own PR. Do please come and download a free copy along with our Technology Applications Director with over 100 free marketing apps listed.
http://www.eastwestpr.com/speakpr
Find us on Twitter @eastwestpr
Jim James is the Founder and Managing Director of the EASTWEST Public Relations Group. He recently returned to the UK after 25 years in Asia where he was an entrepreneur. Whilst running EASTWEST PR, he was the Vice-Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, he also he introduced Morgan sports cars to China, WAKE Drinks, founded the British Business Awards, The British Motorsport Festival, EO Beijing, and was the interim CEO of Lotus cars in China.

Support the show

Subscribe to my free newsletter

https://www.theunnoticedentrepreneur.com/

Does your PR start at the back of the queue? 8 ways you can win over customers while they wait for you. Jul 06, 2020

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How can you improve your business by giving 5 smiles to your customer from waiting to making a purchase?
Listen to David Maister's law of service explained and his 8 aspects of waiting which give clues to how we can win over our customers; which is really free and effective public relations.
Satisfaction = Perception - Expectation.
1. Unoccupied time feels longer than occupied time.

2. People want to get started.

3. Anxiety makes waits seem longer,

4. Uncertain waits are longer than known, finite waits.

5. Unexplained waits are longer than explained waits.

6. Unfair waits are longer than equitable waits.

7. The more valuable the service, the longer the customer will wait.

8. Solo waits feel longer than group waits.

Public relations is not just about media relations, it's about how we treat our customers. The reason for this is because people who deal with our companies now can share their experiences not just with the company but via their own social channels.
If you like this podcast, then subscribe to our newsletter here
Please visit our blog post on PR for business please visit our site:
https://www.eastwestpr.com/blogs/
I also talk about SPEAK|pr - our 5 Step Methodology for entrepreneurs to manage their own PR. Do please come and download a free copy along with our Technology Applications Director with over 100 free marketing apps listed.
http://www.eastwestpr.com/speakpr
Find us on Twitter @eastwestpr
Jim James is the Founder and Managing Director of the EASTWEST Public Relations Group. He recently returned to the UK after 25 years in Asia where he was an entrepreneur. Whilst running EASTWEST PR, he was the Vice-Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, he also he introduced Morgan sports cars to China, WAKE Drinks, founded the British Business Awards, The British Motorsport Festival, EO Beijing, and was the interim CEO of Lotus cars in China.

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Subscribe to my free newsletter

https://www.theunnoticedentrepreneur.com/

“Too Much and Never Enough,” what can we learn from Trump about reputation management? Jul 04, 2020

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What can business owners learn from the President of America about building a reputation for a country, and an organization? A 25-nation Pew survey in 2018 found, overall, that 70% of respondents had no confidence in Trump’s leadership. What we take away from these reports is that countries, as well as companies, have a reputation and that these need management too. I talk about how one man can make a reputation, and how stereotypes will bring bias to situations which will need to be addressed in any communications.

Bruce Stokes, then director of global economic attitudes for Pew Research and principal author of an earlier survey (2015), said some views expressed in the survey may reflect stereotypes, but they are important nonetheless.

"Stereotypes such as honesty or inventiveness or aggression, are emotions — not rational views backed by data. (But) these emotions matter. Such stereotypes help drive broader attitudes about policy," Stokes said.

I am using the 4th of July as a prompt to discuss the role of leadership in public relations, as there are many parallels between the reputation management of a country and of a company.
Former Senator John McCain gives us some clues as to what could be a guide to the qualities true leaders display in public. Ask yourself how you can illustrate how you display these in your public relations.
I mention the new book by Mary J Trump, “Too much and never enough.”
If you like this podcast, then subscribe to our newsletter here
Please visit our blog post on PR for business please visit our site:
https://www.eastwestpr.com/blogs/
I also talk about SPEAK|pr - our 5 Step Methodology for entrepreneurs to manage their own PR. Do please come and download a free copy along with our Technology Applications Director with over 100 free marketing apps listed.
http://www.eastwestpr.com/speakpr
Find us on Twitter @eastwestpr
Jim James recently returned to the UK after 25 years in Asia where he was an entrepreneur. Among his businesses he introduced Morgan sports cars to China, WAKE Drinks, founded the British Business Awards, The British Motorsport Festival, EO Beijing, and was the interim CEO of Lotus cars.

Support the show

Subscribe to my free newsletter

https://www.theunnoticedentrepreneur.com/

What to do when your release flops? Learn how a 4X4 pulled us out of a ditch and how you can lift your story by reframing the narrative. Jul 03, 2020

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My press release about my own 25th anniversary of setting EASTWEST PR in Asia in 1995 pretty much failed which is a bit embarrassing, but listen to how a week turned from disappointment to elation thanks to a Grenadier car launch.
Thanks to a generous client and some pretty swift thinking by Pradnyesh Kotharé of the EASTWEST PR Singapore team, we turned our work for the client into an article which highlighted our company in leading industry portal Everything PR.
I share how we reframed the narrative from us to the clients, and then how we got noticed as a result, and how you can do so for your own business.
If you like this podcast, then subscribe to our newsletter here
Please visit our blog post on PR for business please visit our site:
https://www.eastwestpr.com/blogs/
I also talk about SPEAK|pr - our 5 Step Methodology for entrepreneurs to manage their own PR. Do please come and download a free copy along with our Technology Applications Director with over 100 free marketing apps listed.
http://www.eastwestpr.com/speakpr
Find us on Twitter @eastwestpr
Jim James recently returned to the UK after 25 years in Asia where he was an entrepreneur. Among his businesses he introduced Morgan sports cars to China, WAKE Drinks, founded the British Business Awards, The British Motorsport Festival, EO Beijing, and was the interim CEO of Lotus cars.

Support the show

Subscribe to my free newsletter

https://www.theunnoticedentrepreneur.com/

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