Member Article

New service promises ‘profile with profits’ for businesses

New service promises ‘profile with profits’ for small business

26 April 2012 -A new service promises to fill the gap in the market left by PR and marketing agencies who have always struggled to meet the needs of start-ups and small businesses.

Making Headlines offers a bespoke service at a commodity price, according to its founder, entrepreneur and former PR agency boss Rebecca Gunn.

“Making Headlines addresses the problems all small businesses face in promoting themselves effectively: lack of resources, lack of time and lack of expertise,” Gunn says.

Gunn argues that small businesses have different priorities to established ones. “Big companies need to spend money to protect their market share or to make inroads to new audiences. Small businesses trading in a tough economic climate need a more direct return on investment. For them, there is no point in raising your profile if you don’t also raise your profits.”

For a monthly subscription starting at £69, members of Making Headlines get access to a mix of online resources, face-to-face training and personal coaching. The package includes a marketing health check, support for message development, help identifying promotional channels and regular press alerts.

Making Headlines claims to provide the three things that conventional services don’t do.

• Value for money – small businesses have always been second-class citizens in the agency world. They can’t afford retainers running into thousands of pounds a month or hidden costs
• Clear evidence of results – small businesses can’t afford any marketing activity that doesn’t bring in business. Everything they do should help build and qualify the customer database. Traditional PR can help get the customer’s attention, but Making Headlines also focuses on RP, the return path which allows the customer to get in touch with you and buy your products
• Control – marketing is too important to farm out to someone else when you’re a small business. At a certain point the business owner will delegate marketing and in bigger firms there may be a case for outsourcing, but Making Headlines provides the core curriculum for business owners during the crucial early phase of development of the business.

The monthly subscription is another twist on the traditional service model, and reflects the fact that small businesses are typically self-funding or on a tight budget. Gunn says: “In the past, it was standard practice to warn clients that the first few months of the relationship would be spent learning their business. That’s a luxury no one can afford any more. Anyone who signs up to our service will find it useful from day one – and they’re not locked in, they can cancel at any time.”

Visit www.making-headlines.co.uk for a 30-day free, no obligation trial of Making Headlines

Press contact:

Maria Ward, 01296 568190

maria@making-headlines.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rebecca Gunn .