Encouraging people to like and/or respect what you do – thereby gaining competitive advantage, driving sales, building ‘favourable relationships’ and growing your business – means making sure that your story is broadcast, loud and clear.

We do that for you using individual, or a combination of several, communications tools – which we’ve explained here. We also offer a Sense Check Service as a quick and convenient way of jump starting your communications programme.

Print, broadcast and electronic media relations

If you’ve got something to shout about, we’ll take your story and use our experience to ensure that it’s written and presented in the way that is most likely to get noticed by journalists.

If you haven’t got any news, we’ll work with you to identify stories in your business that are – from our experience – likely to be of interest to the media.

We won’t just send out press releases to huge lists of journalists who may, or may not, be interested in what you have to say, in the hope that some of them will use your story.

We’d rather choose, carefully, a smaller list of media that is suited to what you want to say, and who you want to say it to. We will contact them before we send your story. If appropriate, we’ll follow them up afterwards.

We consider one piece of coverage in a publication, or on a website, or a mention in a programme, that is really relevant to your business and your goals, to be better than a handful of mentions and snippets that no-one notices.

News photography

Newspapers and magazines are always on the look out for good pictures – sometimes a good picture can make the difference between your story being featured, or being put in the bin. Sometimes a good picture can get you media coverage when you haven’t actually got a story.

We work with some of the best news photographers in the country to come up with ideas for pictures – and pictures themselves - that will work for you.

Media sponsorship and promotions

There are times when you’ve nothing new to say, but you want to communicate your messages in a controlled manner. At the same time, you want the credibility that a direct link with a newspaper, magazine, website or radio/TV station will bring your company and your story.

Don’t kid yourself, this will probably cost you money, but maybe not as much as you think.

We’ll put your logo on a newspaper or magazine column that we write on your behalf, run a competition to win either some of your product or service or something linked with your business, or simply buy some space and fill it with your story and your pictures.

This is a great way of guaranteeing media exposure AND, where appropriate, encouraging people to sample your product or service.

Company magazines, videos, CDs, newsletters and mailers

Really need no explanation. You want to send your customers something that isn’t just an A4 flyer describing your products and services – why not tell them a story? We’ll produce a printed item, to your specifications, telling your story, with pictures – something that grabs the recipient’s attention and prompts them to give you a call.

You want to do a similar thing for existing or potential business partners, suppliers or vendors. Don’t bore them to death – give them something that’s good to look at, reflects who you are and how you want to be seen, and tells them your story. With pictures.

You want to do something for your people, but it’s difficult to get them all together to talk to them face to face – don’t write them a memo, whatever you do. We’ll produce a CD that they can play in the car or at home. Tell them the story and make them feel positive about themselves and the company. Even better, why not do it on video?

Website content and design

If you’ve got a website, look upon it as a shopfront – a selling opportunity. If you haven’t got one, then you’re missing out on an increasingly important sales tool.

We’ll review your existing website, or create a new one for you. We work with experienced and creative web designers, overseeing every aspect of the process. We ensure that visitors to your site get your messages quickly, clearly and easily and – most importantly – that they want to contact you to find out more.

Sponsorship, exhibitions, events, launches and stunts

All these are ways of communicating with people without (necessarily) involving the media, or using mailshots or advertising.

A sponsorship allows you to associate your name with something that people value, admire and/or enjoy. Of course, the most high profile sponsorships are the most expensive – the rugby union Guinness Premiership, Cadbury’s sponsorship of Coronation Street and the Red Bull formula one racing team. But a local, low-cost sponsorship can be very effective – shirt sponsor of a local ladies rugby team, for example, or a pub darts team, or a five-a-side football league. We can find opportunities for you and make sure you get the most out of what you choose to do.

Attending a trade or consumer exhibition, or staging your own event, can be a great way of meeting new suppliers, vendors, business partners and customers. We can find the exhibitions, or suggest an event format, and organise everything for you. We’ll deal with the media, capture data and even attend the event on your behalf.

If you’ve a new product, process, service or concept, you should consider launching it. Not all launches have to be – as the launch of Virgin Mobile – topless models on a lorry driven through the centre of London. A conference for local media may do the trick, or a specially staged photograph, or a celebrity seen to be endorsing your company – there are a lot of options and we will recommend, organise and stage the right one for you.

A stunt is often the last resort of PR and communications people – almost as if to say that there’s no other way of getting noticed. At The Wordmonger we don’t do stunts unless as part of a programme of communications – unless there’s a reason. That being said, there can be a lot of mileage in the creative use of giant inflatables, giant chicken costumes, nuns, snails and performing artists. Ask us and we’ll explain.

Speeches and presentations

We work with you to put together speeches and presentations on your behalf, so that you don’t have to. Then we find opportunities for you to give them.

If this makes you nervous, we train you to make sure you’re happy doing it.

Company policies, position statements and question and answer documents

All businesses should have their own views on general issues such as the environment, ethical behaviour, work/life balance, diversity and equal opportunities and the specific issues that affect that particular business – for example, if you run a pub or a restaurant, smoking and binge drinking are two big issues at present.

We work with you to put those views in words as company policies, so that everyone knows where you stand. We then summarise those policies as position statements, so everyone knows how to explain them. Finally, we think of all the questions that might be asked of your business and answer them in advance, so that you’re never caught on the hop.

Issues, crisis and reputation management plans and programmes

Would you know how to handle the immediate fall out from something going badly wrong in your business? How would you deal with the news that your product is in some way dangerous and, heaven forbid, has injured someone?

What if there are scare stories in the media that, while nothing to do with you, mean that your customers, suppliers and business partners are all trying to get through to ask your opinions and advice? What if local, national or European government legislation is seen to be threatening the way you work? What if your premises catch fire?

We work with you to identify potential issues and crises and develop your responses to them. Together we build a programme that acts as a map, timeplanner, guide and phrasebook should the worst happen.

It’s best to be prepared.

Media Training

As your profile begins to rise, the media will approach you more frequently for expert commentary on a range of subjects and issues. Presenting your messages through the media in the best way is a particular skill and The Wordmonger can prepare you for even the toughest of interviews through its media training expertise.

Social responsibility plans and programmes

Social responsibility simply refers to the act of giving something back to the communities in which you operate – being a good citizen, if you like.

One way of doing this, obviously, is by donating to charity – but there are other ways which allow you to build your profile and add value to your business while fulfilling your social obligations.

We look at the needs and the opportunities and put together a programme which will help build relationships – on a social level and on a commercial one.

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