Welcome to Waves PR

Waves PR offers PR (Public Relations) services, primarily to owner managed businesses and start-ups in three main sectors:

• Online businesses
• Technology driven businesses
• Telecoms

Waves is run by freelance PR consultant Claire Thompson has two decades of PR experience kept up to date working on campaigns for both clients and agencies, both consumer and B2B (business to business).

Having had experience of agencies, today she chooses to freelance as a lifestyle preference, which allows her to ‘do’ PR rather than simply manage an agency with all that entails. She has a network of freelance contacts who can co-deliver on larger projects, and if she doesn’t fit the brief can often recommend another trusted freelance.

If you’d like to know which organisations Claire has worked with and references, do contact her here.

See you in Birmingham?

Warming up to speaking at the BFA (British Franchise Association) specialist forum, a talk on “PR Crisis Management’ – Claire Thompson, Waves PR

This Thursday I shall be speaking at the BFA (British Franchise Association) specialist forum on “PR Crisis Management – imperative for protecting any brand.”

Crisis management – and crisis preparedness – are an essential tool in any business’ armoury, but particularly for franchises, where the business someone operates in is their own, but their behaviour and actions affect your brand, explains Roger from BestForTheKids. It can be stormy, uncomfortable waters until someone offers you a lifeline- and it’s often only someone external, not caught up in the emotion of events, who can offer the insight to help you through.

In a crisis, things escalate fast. In a crisis in a franchise, there’s a lot more complexity, and often a lot more at stake – franchisor, franchisee, customers, staff, partners all stand to lose a lot unless a crisis is well managed. And a well managed crisis can often turn around to create a better relationship with all of the above.

Whilst working last year for a franchisor, an apparently lovely franchisee did something dumb. Her version of events made the actions and reactions sound like a storm in a teacup – until it became apparent that she was perhaps not telling the whole truth. Police involvement, third party witnesses and a video that went viral (social media) very quickly demanded a lot of work on the franchisors side to protect their brand and hold steady the other franchisees – some of whom were directly targeted by an angry public as a result of the rogue franchisee’s actions and subsequent lies.

I loved working with them (Thanks for the nice kayak ride, btw). We had to establish a lot of trust in each other very quickly, and working together we turned things around. It wasn’t a comfortable experience for anyone concerned, but – on the face of things at least –  they came out better for the experience at the other end.

It’s a pattern I’ve seen across numerous crises that I’ve been called in to help manage. So I’m really looking forward to sharing some experiences and helpful tips at the BFA panel, which includes talks on:

• Encouraging franchisees to take their business to the next level
• How to utilise franchise councils as an effective communication tool within your network
• Increasing your network profitability without increasing your network
• Top 10 data protection issues you need to know

If you’re coming along, don’t forget to pop by and say hello in person- my mobile number is 07771 817015 if you’re there and would like to prearrange a chat over a coffee.

Start Up Bus 2016

Waves PR will be supporting The Start Up Britain Bus again this year in association with showerhacks as it arrives in Reading as part of its flagship summer tour – and I’m really excited.

Last year I was roped in last minute as a volunteer to help some people with their social media as the original team had left early. The two start ups I remember most clearly are a lady setting up a religious philosophy site, which in the current climate would be fascinating reading; and an event management company, just setting up. I hope they’ve done brilliantly.

I got a lot from participating, including enthusiastic support for my own business and some amazing contacts (some of whom have since gone on to become good friends).

As the bus is headed to Reading again this year, it was a no-brainer to join again as an adviser. My primary role on the day this time will be advising on all things PR, as there are others there also advising on social media – I’m always happy to talk about either (as social media is usually a necessary part of PR strategy anyway). (Feel free to contact me in advance, and I’ll prepare something a little more tailored to you ahead of time and/or keep an eye out for you.)

The StartUp Britain bus tour (a fabulous old 1966 Routemaster bus, adapted for the occasion) will visit 30 towns and cities over six weeks. It aims to promote entrepreneurship by offering free, impartial advice, celebrating entrepreneurial communities across Britain and inspiring people to turn their business ideas into reality. At each stop, energetic entrepreneurs are recruited to get on board and give advice.

The Start Up Britain Bus will in Broad Street, Reading on Thursday July 28, 10am-4pm

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The Twitter autoresponder

I’ve been having a conversations on Twitter. Yeah! I know. It’s what you’re meant to do. Don’t stop the presses.

But this conversation was notable because it was with Digital Marketer Ed Leake.  Ed’s trialling auto responders.  His begins “Let’s be honest, this is an automated message …” Which has a degree of authenticity to it. Full marks to Ed for experimenting- and for making me think more deeply about their use.

Now, I feel a little mean because I’ve named Ed, because I’ll declare up front that for the most part I hate Twitter autoresponders.  Too few serve a useful purpose. Most are trying to get me to do something I don’t want to do.

Someone has just followed or contacted you. This may be your first direct communication with them. Too often the technology is misused, resulting in a massive #fail.

My personal pet peeves are:

• sending me to another social media platform. I’m on Twitter. I’ve chosen to engage with you here. Why be here at all if you don’t want to engage?
• “thanks for the follow”. Not going to make me scream with rage, but my phone alerted me for this? Not warming me to you.
• learn more about our program, product, service….I’m on Twitter – engage and delight me here and I’ll take a look with more purpose AND be more likely to ‘convert’.
• overdone marketing tone. An example: “Thank you for following [name removed]! We are very excited about this project and love that you want to be a part of it. [hashtag removed] Join UP…” Had this commercial organisation been a little less rara/marketing and a bit more inclusive, it could have worked. Try making me feel special, that you want and need me (even on an autoresponder!)
• the instant demand. “Please can you Re-tweet our pinned post? ” I don’t know you yet, I only just followed you. Straight to bed with no foreplay. May work for some I suppose…

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Trust, Communications and the Brexit campaign

The Yes/No In/Out EU vote looms in the UK – two weeks today, June 24 2016 – affecting whether we stay part of the EU or leave. Major figures are coming out on either side, and misinformation regarding data is rife, and opinion rather than fact seems to hold sway.

Against this backdrop, I was interested to have stumbled back across the Edelman Trust Barometer, published in January (2016).

Edelman is one of the leading global communications – PR – companies, and is notable for it’s size in being an independent. The Edelman Trust Barometer is its annual trust and credibility survey – this year its 16th. It measures trust in four institutions: governments; business; media; and NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations.)

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