If Leicester City Can Do It Then So Can You!

As a Southampton FC supporter I can’t help look at the phenomenal achievement of Leicester City this season, without despondently asking why it couldn’t have been my team. However, it has also given me and supporters of teams the hope and belief that actually it could be us. What is more, this optimism is infectious. 

Leicester has shown that with a combination of great team spirit, strong leadership, talent, hard-work, the right strategy and tactics, and a touch of luck, the seemingly impossible is possible.

The world of PR and media relations may be far removed from the glamorous world of premier league football (despite what some would have you believe), but many PR professionals, whether working in-house, or agency, should look at what Leicester City has done and ask themselves, what seemingly impossible goal can I try to reach. For many it will be hitting the front-page of a broadsheet newspaper, an interview on Newsnight, or a stint on the BBC Breakfast sofa. For others the aspiration may not be so bold but similarly challenging, whether it be to get a prized customer to agree to a case study, or winning a top industry award.

Often the greatest challenge is being brave enough to challenge yourself. Have the courage to build a compelling story and then pitch it to a forward-planning team, producer, editor or reporter. Yes, you will get knocked back, but Leicester didn’t win every game they played! However, every time they were beaten they learned from their mistakes, prepared and played again.

Often, PR professionals can become a little too battle weary, cynical and sceptical. Put us in a room together and we are often own worst enemies, discussing why certain things simply won’t work (why won’t the client understand!) before even giving them a go.

Leicester couldn’t win the Premier League but they did. Think about what you want to achieve and start working towards it. You will learn more, enjoy more and hopefully win more. 

Author: Graham Thatcher, Director at Chief PR Ltd

Raise your company profile by the power of one

Get into conversation with a PR or marketing professional about content and you may find yourself wishing you never asked.  

The mantra rolled out is along the lines of “content is king, you need to create and curate great stories that resonate with your market if you want to get noticed.” They are right (yes, I am a PR professional so you might expect me to say that!) but what if you simply don’t have the time or resources available to fill a library? Harness the power of one.

Most entrepreneurs/small business owner managers do not have time to sit down and write story after story, there are already too few hours in the day. But raising the profile of your fledgling company, whether to attract investment, a buyer, new talent, customer or business partners is an essential. The great news is that with the web and social channels there are a plethora of platforms that you take advantage of to do this. So, let’s focus on doing just one thing and leveraging it to its fullest potential.

The first step it to write a piece of content. Easier said than done you might say but it really is simple once you have done it the first time. Give yourself an hour limit (schedule it in your calendar) and think of a hot topic, or emerging issue in your market right now and just start writing your perspective on it. Aim for no more than 600 words. You will be surprised just how quickly you get there. There you have it a piece of content. The next step is to pass it over to a colleague for a quick sanity check!

Now, you need to capitalise on the time you have invested. The first step is put it somewhere people can see it and the obvious place is your website. What is more if you are using a tool such as WordPress to manage your site it will offer some guidance for your search engine optimisation.

Once your story exists in the digital world you need as many people as possible to read it. Log on to LinkedIn and share an update from you company and personal pages, being sure to include a link to the article. Next, log in to Twitter and post a tweet, again linking back to the article (a good tip is to highlight several key points from your article and create around half a dozen Tweets and keep linking back). For many, Facebook has fallen out of favour but if it works for your business then be sure to do the same here.

Next, send a message to everyone in the company asking them to share it across their own LinkedIn and Twitter profiles to expand the network of potential readers. All of this can be done in a matter of minutes. The final step takes a little more work, but just a little and the rewards can be huge.

Go online and look at the publications and blogs relating to your market (or those you are targeting). Grab their contact details (save them in a list for next time) and send them your article, along with a good quality portrait photo of yourself, inviting them to publish it on their website. If they do, then be sure to share the links.

Discipline yourself (or task another) to do this once a month and you will have the early foundations of a great content programme from which to build upon. For example, each quarter you can take your three pieces of content and use them to create an e-zine to share with customers and partners.

One hour, one piece of content, once a month!

This article was first published by Growth Business in April 2016.

Author: Graham Thatcher, Director at Chief PR Ltd

Why the 2018 GDPR deadline is a red herring

Author: Adam Williams, Managing Director of DBS Data

On 14th April the European Parliament approved the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) text.  For many organisations that are already on the path to ensuring adherence to the new ruling, this announcement will not be a cause for concern. However, for those that are behind schedule, or are yet to begin preparations, then I suggest sounding the alarm.

The aim of the GDPR is to support consumer rights and at the same time provide clarity for businesses, by establishing a single law across the EU.

What worries me is that there is a misunderstanding in the industry that just because the GDPR does not become enforceable until July 2018, it means they are safe from being penalised between now and then. This is not the case, even if there is a Brexit! Organisations need to be aware that If a significant number of complaints are lodged then a company is likely to find itself on the receiving end of a substantial fine from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and in the firing line from the national media, bringing with it further reputational damage.   

The truth is, all the 2018 date really means is that a company could be singled out if they fail to comply, even if they have not received any complaints. But let’s be realistic, are companies really going to be flagged for investigation if they have not been complained about?  The 2018 enforcement date is a misnomer and organisations dragging their heels need to pick up the pace and focus.

The GDPR warrants close inspection but some of the key questions you need to ask yourself are…

·         You have the appropriate consent for each data subject

·         You have an adequate retention policy

·         Your suppression processes are timely and robust

·         Your database records consent and engagement dates and location, consented categories and channels

It is important to note that brands and agencies alike must take responsibility for conducting their own adequate due diligence.

My advice to all that will be impacted by the GDPR (and that is every EU organisation with customers!) is to focus on the here and now, don’t think of it as a two-year grace period (it isn’t) get compliant as soon as possible.  

Selling a Password – Not a Victimless Crime

If one of your employees were approached and asked to sell their keys to your office, I suspect the vast majority would flat-out refuse. But what if they were asked for their password in exchange for cash?

They might think to themselves: “It is only a password, what harm could come from it. After all, I am always forgetting it and needing to reset the darn thing.”

Of course, those of us working in the security industry know that the difference between a key and a password is simply that one exists physically and one doesn’t – although you could argue this for passwords, given that most are written on pieces of paper. What is more, for many businesses today a data breach is likely to be far costlier than an ‘old school’ break-in.

What a lock & key and password also have in common is that they are a deterrent to the opportunist. If someone is determined to get in they will find a way, whether it is by brute force, through an open back-door or window. They will look for the weak point and in the digital world that point is the fragility of passwords and those who are in possession of them.

Worryingly, a new survey commissioned by SailPoint and reported on TechRadar, suggests that 16% of employees would be willing to sell a password to an unknown third party and more than half of those would want £700 or less. Not a bad investment when you consider the return from gaining access to company systems and valuable data.

The trouble with this type of transaction is that it is so simple and quick, the seller never meets the buyer and it can feel like a victimless crime. That is until they feel the impact – whether their involvement is found out, or their company is compromised to the point at which they lose their job and the company folds (a real risk for smaller organisations that are breached).

Thankfully, the results from the SailPoint survey show that selling passwords is something only the small minority would consider, but it also is important to remember that this is only one route used to ‘attack’ organisations using password-based systems.

For years’ security experts have stressed the need for better password management education. However, the message has not got through. People still see passwords as a pain in the neck and not as something valuable that they are the trusted custodian of.  Perhaps if they knew the real value the 16% of respondent would demand a far higher price!

The time has come for organisations of all shapes and sizes to re-evaluate their use of passwords to remove temptation from those who could be swayed and to make lives easier for those who use and administer them. A move away from passwords altogether would certainly achieve this and much more.

For more information about replacing passwords visit www.authlogics.com

Next week the Chief PR team is looking forward to its annual pilgrimage to the B-APCO conference and exhibition. As Europe's leading public safety communications event it is the ideal place for us to here from senior representatives from blue light organisations about the challenges they are facing and what they are doing to address them.

The exhibition is also great for learning about new technologies that public safety organisations will be adopting in the near future such as those from NICE Systems and Multitone.

B-APCO 2016 is a  two-day event and taking place on 22nd and 23rd March at The International Centre, Telford. What is more it is free to attend by registering at: http://www.bapco-show.co.uk/

We hope to see you  there.

Graham

Multitone to Present Fire Crew Mobilisation and Management Solutions at British APCO 2016

Latest solutions and future trends at British APCO 2016, The International Centre, Telford, 22^nd-23^rd March 2016

Multitone Electronics plc, a specialist in the design, manufacture and implementation of integrated communication systems, announces its forthcoming appearance at the British APCO 2016 conference and exhibition – which is being held at The International Centre in Telford, from 22^nd-23^rd March 2016.

Amongst the highlights, Multitone will be showcasing its powerful but intuitive i-Console fire station management and communications offering. The company will also be displaying its Crew View service, as well as asking visitors for feedback on a new Multitone fire services app.

Multitone’s exhibition team at British APCO 2016 will be led by is Emergency Services Major  Accounts Manager, Peter Eborall. Reflecting upon the upcoming appearance at the show, Peter commented, “We have an exciting line up of products on the stand, with i-Console being the undoubted centerpiece.”

Peter continued, “As part of a flexible, station-end based system, i-Console works with our FireCoder to offer a managerial overview and provides a continuously visual status of the station and its equipment. This enables crews to manage all the station functions from one place and is a highly convenient way to monitor mobilisation activities. Complementing this is Crew View, which gives crews a visual countdown as they mobilise, ensuring they keep up to speed during this most vital of actions.” 

For more information about B-APCO 2016 visit: http://www.bapco-show.co.uk/.

To arrange an on-stand media briefing with Multitone Electronics during the event please contact simon.hewitt@prbychief.com

NICE to Showcase Leading Digital Evidence Management and Incident Investigation Solutions at B-APCO 2016

NICE to Showcase Leading Digital Evidence Management and Incident Investigation Solutions at B-APCO 2016

NICE Systems will demonstrate why over 3,000 police forces worldwide rely on its digital policing solutions at Europe's leading public safety communications exhibition & conference - B-APCO 2016.

B-APCO 2016 takes place from 22nd until 23rd March at The International Centre, Telford, UK and on Stand C7, NICE will showcase NICE Inform and NICE Investigate. NICE Inform is the industry-leading digital evidence management solution, giving emergency communications centres better insight into how to continuously improve their operations. NICE Investigate is the leading open, digital policing solution that automates and expedites the entire digital investigation process, helping to increase case clearance rates.

Public Safety Marketing Manager at NICE Systems, Jamie Wilson, comments:

“At B-APCO 2016 we will showcase how NICE Inform and NICE Investigate enable police forces to better handle new evidence and information sources, speed up the investigation process and reduce the requirement for officers to be desk-bound. Additionally, we will demonstrate how the majority of forces already have the necessary technology foundations in place from which to build their digital policing operations.”

For more information about B-APCO 2016 visit: http://www.bapco-show.co.uk/.

To arrange an on-stand media briefing with NICE Systems during the event please contact graham.thatcher@prbychief.com