Hamsters are just rats with positive PR
by Startacus Admin
"Hamsters are just rats with positive PR” or so says President Putin
Spin, PR, hype or just the old concept of the emperor’s new clothes, business positioning is and always has been massively important to a 
successful enterprise.
From the start of any venture and throughout its existence, maintaining a positive image is all important but it's also essential to recognise the fragility of such promotion.
Positive image can be destroyed so much more easily than it is created. One bad restaurant review, one negative theatre critique can more often than not destroy the enterprise despite the numerous contrary opinions.
Service and product buyers can be fickle and in this economy price is often still a deciding factor when faced with a like for like choice.
When I started my business I was told that I would only ever be as good as my last deal, that advice still resonates today. For me this has meant I am constantly striving for improvements and aware I need to shout about such successes.
The British mentality is one of the most reserved in the world when it comes to shouting about our success; by and large we are naturally self-deprecating. Frankly if this is you, you just need to change your mind set. It’s tough out there and if you are great at something then start to shout about it, it’s not a sin to be successful.
My word of caution is to stay grounded because if you have a fall from favour, be it for a justified reason or not, it’s always a long way to fall.
Positive PR is not hard to garnish, engage with the local press, they are always desperate for column inches. Social media is free and brilliant when used correctly for spinning out messages but be careful though about over hyping it all up and then not delivering. It is always best to under promise and then get the PR on the over delivery.
The key to promotion is always a hook that looks not like self-promotion but information and education. Make it look less like a direct complement and more like a bask in reflected glory. It's worked for me for many years.
I don't think I have ever paid for any PR and have had 1000’s of pages of it over the years. Although I would add it’s not free in every sense, you may not need actual cash to secure a good media presence but you do need to devote personal time and energy into the creation of the information.
Jo Haigh is a Partner at fds Corporate Finance and Cracking Boards
Email: Jo.haigh@fdscfs.com
Telephone: 01924 376784 / 01484 860501
She is the winner of the Sunday Times NED of the year award, Claridge’s 14th March 2013. Her latest book: The Keys to the Boardroom, how to get there and how to stay there, due for release October 2013.
If you like what you see here on Startacus, why not become a member of our growing community? It's free! And you'll get all this - exclusive access to our Business Toolkit, discounts and offers galore for your business via our member only business deals, the chance to network and connect with loads of fellow self-starters, and maybe even become our celebrated 'Self-Starter of the Week' and tell the world your startup tale! Join right here for free
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Insurtech startup DeadHappy officially launched this week, bringing the UK’s first fully digital pay-as-you-go life insurance to consumers.
1 in 10 UK kids spending more than 50 hours per week watching TV, playing video games or interacting with a smartphone according to the findings of a report conducted by Care.com
“Free-from” food-to-go startup Pollen + Grace to launch into national supermarkets Tesco and Co-Op, continuing its mission to bring exciting healthy meals to the high street.
Skyports - The drone focused startup that is creating end to end cargo and passenger drone delivery solutions
Bristol and Bath based early-stage startups and entrepreneurs take note - here's the lowdown on key startup support and help available where you are...
Artificial intelligence platform Ricochet is on an AI mission to find new business leads that fit the needs of your company.
From understanding more about how a business can invoice effectively to avoid late payments, to what debt recovery means, to how to take legal action against overdue debt.
For businesses, where getting maximum return on their investment is the name of the game, detecting the next big thing in its infancy is crucial.
If you’re counting on receiving a payment, days or even months after the due date, it’s time to take action. Here's some handy tips for dealing with late payments.
Published on: 9th September 2013
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- 1 in 10 UK kids spend more than 50 hours a week in front of a screen 20th Feb 2019 1 in 10 UK kids spending more than 50 hours per week watching TV, playing video games or interacting with a smartphone according to the findings of a report conducted by Care.com
- Startup Weekend Dublin immigration aims to builds ideas not borders 7th Feb 2019 Migrants are gonna surround us, With ideas! We take a look at Startup Weekend Dublin immigration...
- Sports facility management platform Pitchbooking nets £250k investment 6th Feb 2019 SportTech Belfast startup Pitchbooking, secures £250k investment to help become the market leader in sports facility management.
- Too Good To Go raises further €6m to keep fighting food waste everywhere 6th Feb 2019 Fast growing tech for good app Too Good To Go raises a further €6 million to accelerate its mission to eliminate food waste globally, taking its total investment to €16m.
