Don’t Let Your Guard Down – A Week In Review

Written on September 16, 2010 – 5:09 pm | by Michael Harris

Most established companies these days have PR teams that ensure that every communication is “on message”. Even though big business get it wrong occasionally and we can learn a lot from the mistakes companies such as BP, it’s the indiscretions as a small company than can come back and haunt you. Take Mark Zukerberg for example. The public face and CEO of Facebook made derogatory comments about early Facebook users according to Silicon Alley Insider and republished by New Yorker. This may have occurred some seven years ago but the indiscretion has surfaced as the debate about Facebook’s attitude to privacy hots up.

But what can entrepreneurs learn from Zuckerberg? Other than “crushing it“, it is that all conversations, both public and private, can come back and haunt you. If you’re determined that your business idea will become a success you should expect some sort of publicity. That may not be to the level of the Facebook CEO, but at least a great deal of attention in your own niche. If you were lucky enough to succeed would you want a throw away comment to damage your company’s reputation and goodwill?

Simply: be professional, focus on your objectives and don’t let your guard down.

The greatest PR disasters can often be large, successful companies such as IBM “not keeping up with the programme”. Last week we had Apple socialising iTunes far too late, and now we’ve got ‘Big Blue’ too. This week saw them launch their social media tools for business – about two years too late. But the interseting aspect of this launch was how they did it. Just compare their launch video:

with that of Google:

Spot the difference? I’ll point it out to you: production quality, engagement, enthusiasm, testimonials, examples. The IBM video, no offence, is dull. The guy is reading from a sheet in the dark with no infographics to distil the information and no passion at all. And, why the heck is “AwesomeBobcatVideos” uploading their product videos?

PR goes beyond what you say. How you say it is important too.

So how can we say “check out our latest SpeedFunding and Free Funding Clinics” in an engaging way? Well, let’s just get to the point. If your business needs funding to grow, attending one of our events could be the best decision you’ll ever make. Don’t believe us? Check out what all these lovely people have said about us.

Enthused? We’ve got SpeedFunding events in London during October, November and December. Scotland on 30th September in Glasgow and in Leeds in October and November. And if there’s any reason why you don’t feel enthused by the funding events and how we offer our service. Then let us know.

Perfect Business!