I am kicking off the 2026 podcast with a new series where I'm exploring what it really takes to communicate well in 2026.  Attention, Algorithms & Formats is a three-episode series and your guide to crafting messages that cut through the noise, land with clarity, and actually get seen.

These three episodes will shape your thinking in the first quarter of the year ahead. Why? Because 2025 was a year defined by AI-shaped attention, personalised content ecosystems, fragile trust, and audiences who decide in seconds whether something is worth their time. 

And I strongly believe that communication isn't just a skill, it's a competitive advantage. The ability to craft messages that cut through noise, land with clarity, and actually stick is becoming essential for leaders, teams, brands, and creators alike.

And while the tools and channels around us have evolved at lightning speed, the foundation of powerful communication hasn't changed. Storytelling is a craft as old as time, at the core of how humans have always connected, and great communication and skilled messaging sit at the heart of what I do today.

I'm starting the series with a book review: Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.
It's one of the most practical, timeless books on communication I've ever read, and its insights have only become more relevant as the world around us grows noisier and more algorithmically filtered.

In this book review, I'm breaking it down the way I always do:

1. Why I loved this book

2. What makes it so interesting

3. Five key takeaways you can use today

So, let's dive in.

Hey everyone, it's good to be back. Welcome to the refreshed version of the podcast: new rhythm, same depth, and a lot more inspiration.

We've taken a little time to reset and rethink what this show could be. And from this month, we're moving to one episode every three weeks - slower, more intentional, and packed with real takeaways.

You can expect a mix of in-depth insights and learnings, the kind of thoughtful, reflective conversations we've always had along with reviews and recommendations of things I've seen, read, or listened to that I think you'll love too.

And for our first episode in this new chapter, we're talking about something that sits right at the heart of great business, great creativity, and great campaigns: Collaboration.

So, let's dive in!

 

As a new year approaches, there's no better time to start something fresh and exciting. 2025 is the year to take that idea you've been mulling over and turn it into something meaningful — something that connects, inspires, and resonates. Podcasts are a powerful way to do just that, and I created the Start and Launch Your Audio Podcast Coached Programme to guide you through every step of the process, from concept to launch.

In this podcast episode, I dive deeper into my bespoke Start Your Audio Podcast Masterclass giving you all the information you need to get started. 

So, let's dive in.

 

This is a VERY exciting time as the UK Census is published in earnest this week, which means up to date baseline data on the UK's population and habits over the last ten years.

Creating campaigns with insights and data at their heart can really help left-brain thinkers get behind a campaign, so internal sponsors, for example, it also means, more importantly, that your campaign is more likely to hit the mark with your audience.

One of my passions is data and insight. And the Census is about as interesting as it gets! It is a treasure trove of information about the nation's population and can be used in many ways.

The Census is the most extensive survey globally, in fact, carried out across many countries every ten years.

Importantly, this data also helps to better understand the demographics of the population, which is critical for marketing and communication purposes. And, it informs how we can talk to our audience better based on their habits and demographics.

Today you will learn; what demographic data is, why it's useful in campaigns and where to start.

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in this episode:

The UK Census release schedule

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

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Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? Then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

This week's podcast is inspired by my two days at a vast built environment event in Leeds, UK.  

 

I ran the Beyond Net Zero pavilion for a client of mine UKBCSD (UK Business Council for Sustainable Development)

 

It was an inspiring two days of 15 talks covering everything from how we create a world for everyone to materials and data in buildings and thinking about building less so we can catch up on our carbon challenges as a sector.   Communication was a strong point as well not just in our tent but across the conference and it made me think that we have a job to do to support this epic challenge for businesses and places.

 

This episode was originally published after COP26 around six months ago last year, where I reflected on the communication challenge and responsibility we have as communicators to help with this topic.

 

We can't keep having the same conversations; we need action, and communicators have a role to play in enabling businesses to do that.

Links mentioned in this episode:

First published on LinkedIn live event 'It's a B2B comms thing' watch it here:  https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6860905845253779456/

https://greenclaims.campaign.gov.uk/

https://www.cpicode.org.uk/news/code-for-construction-product-information-and-guidance-published/

Further listening: Episode 43. 6 steps to manage potential reputation issues

Grab your FREE 6-step guide to reputation issues management (also here: https://bit.ly/6StepGuideIssuesNoTissues)

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? Then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

 

Another podcast about a podcast I hear you cry? Latest research carried out by a number of organisations, including Guardian Newspapers, The Literacy Trust and Buzzsprout, indicates that not only does podcast advertising command the highest levels of attention of any media channel, but podcast listens are up, people are more engaged in brands that have podcasts, and young people are also turning to podcasts.

The Guardian study found 65% of listeners paid attention to podcast adverts - more than adverts on TV at 39% and adverts on the radio at 38%.

And by all accounts, if it's worth spending money on, then the medium is worth exploring, whether paid or unpaid?

Aside from this, I am a huge advocate, and I am even imparting this info to you on a podcast as I know you are more likely to engage with the content.

And whilst there is lots of research out there on podcasts, it is a fairly new medium in that it's different to radio, for example, so all research is taken with a little bit of caution.

So, today I run over some of the reasons why it's essential to explore audio as part of your communication mix, as it is growing much-needed, whether that's in-house or external communication.

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in this episode

The Guardian research on podcast advertising April 2022

BuzzSprout research May 2022

Statistica forecast UK listeners

Get 5 lessons from a podcast host Audio Book and Downloadable book + my 15 things to think about before starting

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Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? Then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

The aim is to get your brand, products, and services in front of as many potential customers as possible, right? The more people you reach, the more chances you have to make a great first impression and turn a one-time buyer into a loyal fan.

But in our digital world, where we are exposed to an almost infinite number of ads and offers, it's getting harder and harder to cut through the noise and get noticed. One of the best ways to get noticed is by using a few key messages repeatedly in your content, so that customers start to associate your brand, product or service with those messages.

This is also why it's important to sell the sizzle and not the sausage, especially in B2B.

So today is a reminder of how important it is to remember who's buying or benefitting and why they should even bother listening, for every campaign you are working on. I cover my insights and tips on how and throw some examples for you too.

Let's dive in!

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

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Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? Then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

You may not think you have stakeholders or that it's for huge corporates of public sector bodies to think about? I think it's overlooked in PR programmes, as running alongside campaign activity it can really underpin a campaign.

I advocate stakeholder planning as part of an overall communication or PR strategy, not just as a business development tool or an add-on.

The main reason is that what motivates people to participate or not is an important part of helping us understand what problems to solve, who will buy your product or service, and, in turn, understand our audience better. This means we can create messages that resonate with them and talk to them in ways they can understand the benefits.

So today I share what stakeholders are, and how to build them into your communication strategy and some of the most important questions to ask yourself when trying to understand your customers' needs as well as how to prioritise who to talk to first.

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in tis episode:

How to craft messages that resonate

Kahootz for stakeholder engagement

Tracktivity for stakeholder engagement

Download my free guide to effective stakeholder planning

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? Then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

Using the media is a great way to get your message across.  Press releases are one of the most common ways to do this.

They're an excellent way to get your news out to journalists quickly and easily. They're also a great way to provide journalists with information about your company, product or service quickly and easily. This makes the

Press releases are, however, just one tool in the media toolkit.  Today I share seven ways you can utilise the media as part of your strategy and some of my personal experiences of using them too.

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Every picture tells a story

Using newsjacking successfully

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

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Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

 

This has been such a popular episode I just had to re-share it with you this week! 

You might have already had a bit of PR success.

Perhaps you wrote a post which got a lot of engagement on LinkedIn, or an article on your blog which brought traffic into your website. You might even have got some press coverage. But when the chatter died down, you might have been left wondering what to do next?

One press release will give you that kudos in the moment, but it won't support or grow a business over time.

A programme of activity really is the best way forward if you're starting out. You want this to support a particular business goal otherwise it can be a little bit scattergun and have mixed results. What does success look like for you and how would the activity you are planning support it?

I'm going to walk you through today how to start using public relations in your business, so you create content which makes the right impact.

Let's dive in!

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

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Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

Webinars and live events allow you to make a personal connection with your audience. Whether you're trying to reach existing customers about a product or service or build up your brand awareness, these online platforms can be a great way to get your message in front of the right people.

Live webinars and events allow you to speak directly to people and respond to their questions. This format provides the opportunity to build a personal connection with an audience, which is vital in today's age of impersonal marketing.

Today I share how to utilise this for your B2B content, talk a bit about my experience of LinkedIn Lives as a platform for doing this in B2B, and look at some of how you can use pre-recorded content.

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in today's episode:

How to reach your audience online with Hybrid events 'Deep Dive'

It's A B2B Comms Thing youtube channel

If you liked this episode please share it with one person!

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

ESG reporting is emerging as the most effective way for companies to build a positive reputation. This potentially means that PR and comms professionals are now being asked to become experts in environmental policy and other fields.

While this may sound like a huge challenge, it actually opens up a wealth of new opportunities for PR and comms pros in smaller businesses.

I haven't worked in the corporate world for some time, so I wanted to find out more on this topic, particularly how it relates to diversity and inclusion, not just the external factors that a company's operations may entail.

So today, I explore what this new lens through which reputations are being managed and judged means for PRs and reputation management and help PRs and comms pros in smaller businesses be aware of how this could affect day to day campaign planning.

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in this episode: Grab my 'No tissues' reputation issues management guide

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

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Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me in a group of like-minded peers to develop your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

 

Trade shows are not just about turning up and networking, they are an essential part of any B2B strategy.   There are so many touchpoints where you can have a 'moment' at trade shows, however big or small.  So today I cover how to create the right strategy for you.

 

Why? Because we are all time-poor, so as marketing and comms pros and business leaders we need to make sure that the time spent away from 'the office' is worthwhile.  

If you're hosting a stand and/or speaking or both, this is true.   

This was the subject of the latest It's B2B Comms Thing Live over on LinkedIn - so I also cover some of my co-hosts' insights as well Ayo Abbas and Stacey Meadwell.   You can watch the replay of that podcast HERE

I will cover;

• What actions should you take now before your trade show? 
• What's the most important activities to prioritise during the event itself?  
• Mopping-up – most important tasks post-event

Let's dive in!

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

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Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me in a group of like-minded peers to develop your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

If there's one thing I'm truly passionate about, it's the built environment. I believe that developments aren't just about bricks and mortar—they're about creating spaces where people feel at home, where communities grow, and where memories are made.

That's why I love what I do. Some of you who listen may know that Placemaking Communications is my passion, and it's all about helping developers and communities connect through meaningful, thoughtful communication. It's not just about promoting a development; it's about crafting a story and building a sense of identity that turns a project into a place people love.

In this episode I speak about what it is, why it matters, and why you need a strategy. 

So, let's dive in! 

Newsjacking can be one of the most effective ways to get your message in front of the right people without having to invest a lot of money. It has been used by brands, politicians, and even charities to make a big impact. The premise being that you don't need to be the news—you just need to be related to it. It is a term that refers to the process of using current news to generate interest, including media interest, and reach a wide audience. In this episode, I'll share some of the tips and tricks you can use to undertake newsjacking and some examples of newsjacking campaigns from other organisations so you can get an idea of the impact that this form of public relations can have. Keep in mind that newsjacking should be a strategic part of your overall public relations plan, not a standalone tactic you use when the timing is right.

Let's dive in!

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

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Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me in a group of like-minded peers to develop your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page

I wanted to do something a little different this week to mark International Women's day so at the end of the podcast I feature some women's voices sharing their experiences.  Thank you so much to Stacey, Jo and Abi who shared their stories with me.  I feel honoured.

International Women's Day this year was all about breaking the bias which is a campaign to change how people think about and act toward women by celebrating women's achievements and galvinishg strength and support from men and women around unconscious and conscious bias against women.  Women in the workplace, in our communities and in sport.

It's a good example of a behaviour change campaign so I thought I'd cover behaviour change today I have been so inspired by today's topic, and it is such a big one, that I am planning a 'deep dive' episode with an expert later in Spring so look out for that one.

I also dedicate this episode to my daughter.  A woman in the making, champion swimmer, resilient, studious and kind.  She is already tackling bias in sport.  Fingers crossed her workplace experiences will be different.

Love you Bea x

Let's dive in!

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

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Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely in my Communication Strategy Lab 

If you'd like to work with me in a group of like-minded peers to develop your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

On World Book Day I thought I'd focus on how business books can be a rich source of content worth investing in.  Books have the ability to captivate our imagination. They can transport us to another place and time. They can change our view on something entirely. This is why so many authors turn to books as a way of conveying their message.

World Book Day was created by Unesco in April 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. It's marked in more than 100 countries around the globe.

The day aims to promote reading for pleasure while offering "every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own.

But as well as children reading and enjoying reading, over the years, books have been used by businesses and organizations as a means of storytelling. The advantages of using books as part of a content strategy are numerous.

So today I cover my own personal reflections and share 3 ways I have used business books for my business, my personal PR and my clients.

So let's dive in!

Links in this episode

About World Book Day

Shaping Future Places case study

Shaping Future Places initiative

Promoting Property and Insight

How to use Audio in your B2B Strategy

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

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Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  emma@henbe.co.uk

Work with me closely in my Communication Strategy Lab 

If you'd like to work with me in a group of like-minded peers to develop your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Steven Bartlett inspires this week's podcast. And it's all about personal PR. This phrase resonated with me, so I wanted to share my thoughts with you on this subject. 

 

You can have the best communication strategy, but you reach no one with your message if no one is listening.  

 

I learned the hard way. I was young, ambitious, and didn't have many great role models when I started work. Women role models were dominant boardroom archetypes, or I had male role models. I realised that I needed to create an excellent profile to get on in life. But building credibility in your job is hard.

 

If you work in-house, you need credibility to be heard to get your point across in meetings. If you are running a small business, you also need to do these two things. Personal credibility is the difference between getting referred for work or not as a freelance consultant. So these are hugely overlooked components of creating an effective strategy for your business.

 

I decided for me this podcast has three parts;

 

• Staff as your biggest ambassadors
• Building personal credibility
• How credibility can help you build external brand ambassadors

 

Let's dive in!

 

Links mentioned in the episode today;

 

Steven Barlett's LinkedIn post

HR Director article / research

 

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

Explore how I can help you, there are 3 main ways you can do this:

1. Listen to more episodes, download a resource or enrol in a mini-course: Find out more here.

2. Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  emma@henbe.co.uk

​3. Work with me closely in my Communication Strategy Lab 

If you'd like to work with me in a group of like-minded peers to develop your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

I recently missed out on attending 'it's a B2B Thing' over on LinkedIn with Stacey Meadwell and Ayo Abbas where, along with special guest Susie Lober, they talked all about repurposing content. So I thought I would re-release this episode all about why I think long-form content is your best friend right now and why it can help hugely with repurposing, and also tell you where you can catch up on it's a B2B Comms Thing podcast too.

 

I am going to cover today;

 

• What long-form content is
• How it helps you gain authority

 

We do It's a B2B Comms Thing live on the first Friday of every month, over on LinkedIn, then you can watch the podcast afterwards. Just follow me on LinkedIn to get a notification and sign up to watch the next one on 1st March.

 

Let's dive in!

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Watch the B2B Comms Thing Podcast

 

Follow me on LinkedIn 

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://bit.ly/SevenSteps2Success )

Want to explore how I can help you? there are 3 main ways you can do this:

1. Listen to more episodes, download a resource or enrol in a mini-course: Find out more here.

2. Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  emma@henbe.co.uk

​3. Work with me closely in my Communication Strategy Lab 

If you'd like to work with me in a group of like-minded peers to develop your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

 

PR can help the sales process along through the 'know, like, trust' aspect of the customer journey with you.

The more someone hears about your business and the better informed they are, the warmer they are as a potential lead. In plain terms, this means your customer is closer to working with you or buying from you than they were when they first heard of you. Customers have to travel along the 'know, like, trust' pathway with you to know your products, like them, and work out if they will work for them. They also need to trust you so they will choose you over the other options that might be available out there.

Using PR this way can influence your lead generation and become an essential cog in your sales wheel.

Now I say this is for B2B, but it can easily translate into B2C it's just B2B is my genius zone, so I am focussing here today.

Let's dive in!

Liked Listening today?  What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://bit.ly/SevenSteps2Success )

Want to explore how i can help you? there's 3 main ways you can do this:

1. Listen to more episodes, download a resource or enrol in a mini course: Find out more here.

2. Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further.  emma@henbe.co.uk

​3. Work with me closely in my Communication Strategy Lab 

If you'd like to work with me in a group of like-minded peers to develop your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks and lots of accountability and up-skilling, testing and learning as we go? then email me emma@henbe.co.uk to register your interest for you or your entire team.

 

When was the last time you updated your about page on your website? This week, which is National Storytelling Week, is an excellent opportunity to think about how to incorporate storytelling into your business strategy.

Storytelling is an essential part of modern business strategy. The human brain processes stories much deeper than facts and figures, making them a powerful tool for communicating complex ideas and building customer trust.

The businesses winning right now are using storytelling to build their brand reputations to provide helpful information and build a human connection with their customers.

Today I share how you can restart your about page during National Storytelling Week by sharing some tips and insights and examples of how it's well-executed in B2B.

Let's dive in!

Resources and links from this episode:

https://henbe.co.uk/2021/06/10/ep-27-telling-your-story-when-you-work-in-a-technical-industry/

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/storytelling

https://extance.co.uk/

My consulting business About page

https://henbe.co.uk/about-henbe/

What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://bit.ly/SevenSteps2Success )

 

And,

 

Follow me on LinkedIn

 

Full Transcript (unedited):

When was the last time you updated your about page on your website? This week, which is National Storytelling Week, is a great opportunity to think about how to incorporate storytelling into your business strategy.

Storytelling is an essential part of modern business strategy. The human brain processes stories in a much deeper way than facts and figures, making them a powerful tool for communicating complex ideas and building customer trust. The best businesses are using storytelling to build their brand reputations, not only to provide helpful information but also to build a human connection with their customers. 

Today I share how you can restart your about page during National Storytelling Week by sharing some tips and insights and also some examples of how it's well-executed in B2B.

Let's dive in

Intro

People often think of storytelling as a way to capture the attention of an audience, but the benefits of storytelling go far beyond the punchline.

It's a proven method for humanizing your brand and establishing a trustworthy reputation that makes customers feel good about doing business with you. When you tell a story, your customers can feel like they know you better, and that makes them more comfortable in doing business with you. That's why it's so important to use storytelling in your business.

We like to think that storytelling has been with us since time began, but the truth is that it has evolved and changed over time. In many ways, today's modern style of storytelling is a far cry from the way tales were told by our ancestors. For example, our oral traditions and the art of storytelling have evolved significantly since the days when storytellers would weave tales around campfires. Today, we tend to be far more concerned with the content of our storytelling, rather than the style and delivery.

And for good reason.

We've all heard the saying, "Don't tell me the facts, tell me a story." Today, we're surrounded by facts and figures, data and statistics – but these aren't the best way to communicate complex ideas and help people understand the world around them. In fact, storytelling is one of the most powerful tools to help people understand the world and the people and places within it, and to build a sense of trust and rapport with your brand and customers.

But when it comes to building a brand reputation, most business owners focus on the big, flashy marketing campaigns. But there's a whole world of communication out there that doesn't require a single dollar. It's called storytelling. The beauty of storytelling is that it's an opportunity to connect with your customers on a deeper level.

However, stuffy copywriting often cripples B2B brands in particular and they seem remote and impersonal, too corporate.

When looking to learn more about a company, we often head straight to the "About" page.

A good About page should contain the following information:

• The story of how you got started and why the business exists in the first place
• Your company's mission, and what you want to achieve
• Information on your team, what they do and perhaps their interests
• How they can get involved and join your cause

If you have a story of why and how you started your business, then the About page is the place to share it. It humanises your brand, providing context and meaning around why it exists.

But how do you actually go about telling a story? especially if you work in B2B

Here are a few simple tips you can take to get started telling your business story, whether it's your personal story or the story of your business.

The first step is to set a clear, actionable goal. What do you want your business to look like in the future? What do you want your customers to think of you?

Next ask yourself why you think your customers care about your story?

This helps to develop the right story and one that your customers will want to hear

Be open and honest about the story you want to tell.

What do you hope to communicate to your customers? Do you believe your story reflects the real you? Are you proud of your company, its products and services?

Make sure your story is true.

Don't embellish, or just make it up. Make sure it's relatable to your customers and that it feels real and authentic.

What's your core purpose in business?

What are your values, beliefs, and values? What are your customers values and beliefs? make sure your story rings true with all these things.

 

Start by telling the story as you would if you were telling a friend.

 

And, reiterate your story and purpose often, pepper it into what you say on social media and in your communication, its not a campaign, it should be embedded so remind customers why they should buy from you and that you have deph and meaning to your brand and why yo are on the planet.

 

Microsoft do this really well on a large corporate scale in B2B thier https://news.microsoft.com/stories/ StoryLabs showcase examples of how their people's skills are helping the world.

On a smaller scale UK architecture Practice Stride Treglown do a similar thing with their people stories and showcasing the people that live in the buildings they create, demonstrating a depth of understanding of end customer need and how important it is for them. I'd love to hear your example.

Case-study led examples of practising what you preach as a brand works really well. Rather than talking about yourself. Google Ads does this well too showcasing smaller businesses and how google ads have helped them become successful.

Formats are a really important tool so a mix of video and words can help communicate how you feel, and your outlook by combining some of these elements.

Finally, when we start to tell our story as a business, it's really, really easy to jump into the technical speak. We've all done it. If you work in a very technical area, you might need to explain quite a lot of the technical issues associated with your product or service.

However, to the person who's not really working in your business, including your customers, the technical aspect is not the most compelling part of your story.

Being too technical with your content can also mean that there's no really compelling reason for people to engage with that content or connect with your product, service or business, and more importantly, to take action from reading it or hearing about it.

Now there are exceptions to this of course, say you work in medical device R&D and your customers are highly informed, for example. But your story then needs to still communicate trust and track record and you need to stand out from the competition. Regardless, we need to be telling people the why behind what we do and why does it matter to them. So we need to dig a little deeper. We need to give them that thing that they really need. Why should they buy from you? Why should they invest in you? Or why should they work with you and not another company?

Find a way this week and revisit that About page. I have this week, I'd love to know what you think?

 

We talk a lot about 'goals' especially at this time of the year, but often we are not clear on why we have chosen them, or how we will arrive at the outcome we want. Here are a few reasons why it's important.

Setting a clear, actionable goal is the first step towards achieving success. It signals to yourself and others what you want to achieve, and mobilizes your resources towards making it happen. Without a goal, you might be working towards something that isn't quite what you really want, or you might not be working at all. You might think you're making progress when in reality you're nowhere near your goal.

When you set a goal, you're committing to working towards a result. This can be as simple as 'I will complete this project by the deadline

So I am sharing with you why I think it's important to set strategic goals regardless of what time of year it is and how you can go about it in a simple way.

 

Episodes mentioned in this podcast; Ep. 04 How to measure your comms impact

Let's dive in!

What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://bit.ly/SevenSteps2Success )

 

Follow me on LinkedIn

 

The world we live in is changing at an unprecedented rate: Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things are transforming our economy and society; renewable energy is gaining momentum; and millions of people are calling for a better way of doing business.

All of this means that businesses have a number of communications challenges. This episode highlights the unique opportunities and challenges faced by communicators in terms of skills and how communications professionals can help businesses with their internal and external comms in 2022 and beyond.

What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://bit.ly/SevenSteps2Success )

 

Follow me on LinkedIn

 

This one is a corker. I enjoyed talking to Helen Reynolds so much!

Helen is a social media trainer, and her company comms creatives help a lot of professional communicators and freelancers navigate the world of social media, have more personality, and have more impact with their social media.

Helen and I first met on a training session many years ago, and she has since built a successful online training business Comms Creatives. She is also well known for her comms cartoons which make us all laugh.

Helen and I have a really engaging and conversational discussion covering some important topics such as;

- How do you promote yourself on social media?

- Why and when to use social media - what's your purpose?

- Authenticity and tone of voice - how hard is this? Is it easy to get wrong/right?

- Balance and content - we hear a lot of opinion around this, how much is too much etc

- what's hot and what's not right now? What should people look for in 2022?

And as always, I throw in some personal reflections and insight.

I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I have enjoyed making this one.

Let's dive in.

You can also read the transcript attached to this episode.

Check out Helen's social media courses at Comms Creatives

What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://bit.ly/SevenSteps2Success )

 

Follow me on LinkedIn

 

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

Why Reading Business Books Matters: Kicking Off a Monthly Book Review episode

In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to feel like there's never enough time to step back and invest in learning. But here's the thing: staying sharp and innovative in any field, especially communications, requires fresh ideas and new perspectives. And one of the best ways to get those? Reading business books.

Sure, some might argue that we can pick up tips from blogs, podcasts obviously, or even social media. But there's something different about diving into a well-researched book. It's like having an in-depth conversation with an expert—a chance to explore their ideas fully, understand the stories behind their strategies, and learn lessons that stick.  So I am mixing up podcast learning with a book review a 'pook' review?

Anyway, that's why I've decided to review a book on this blog once in a while. It's a way to hold myself accountable for making time to read, but also to share the insights I discover with you. Whether you're looking for practical tips, big-picture inspiration, or just a spark of curiosity, I hope these reviews will bring you something valuable.

This month, I'm kicking things off with Jonah Berger's "Contagious: Why Things Catch On." It's one of the top 2024 books for anyone interested in marketing, communication, or understanding why some ideas and products take off while others don't. So, let's dive in and explore what makes "Contagious" such a must-read—and how it can help us all create messages that stick.

A new year is often a time for a fresh start. It's a great time to audit how effective your business communication is.

Most businesses will undertake financial audits and expenses claims audits, but how often do you audit how you communicate with customers and other stakeholders?

Some businesses I've worked with are really good at this.

However, I am always amazed at the number of businesses that don't do this. This could be a big factor in why some of those messages are not getting through to customers.

Effective communication leads to better marketing and more traction, which ultimately helps with more sales, right? So measuring how it's going and starting with a desktop audit it a good idea if you've not done it before.

So this episode is a re-run, a refresh and a New Year reminder to audit your communication. It covers four reasons why I think you should undertake a communication audit of your business now and gives you some tips on getting started.

Let's dive in!

Episode mentioned is: Episode 4.

Before you go;

 

You can download my FREE activity tracker if you're thinking of doing an audit, this is a good first step.

 

Want to learn more with me? visit my learning platform Comms That Works

 

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

I am a big fan of testing and learning. I started my career in a credit card company in corporate comms and marketing, and they 'invented' the balance transfer (yeah, it was that long ago!). One of the many things I learned from the amazing people I worked with there and taken forward into my career from that is the 'test and learn' philosophy. This approach is probably why I love working with growing businesses and startups so much.

A blended channel mix and trying new things should be part of every great comms plan. So I will give you three content types to try on 2022 if you haven't tried them already.

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Invideo.com ; https://invideo.io/blog/video-marketing-statistics/

YouTube stats Think With Google https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-ca/advertising-channels/video/self-directed-learning-youtube/

Video stats HubSpot: https://research.hubspot.com/content-trends-global-preferences

Content Marketing Institute content to try in 2022: https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2021/11/fresh-content-types-marketer-consider/

What to do next:

Get my FREE 5 Lessons on how to use Audio as part of your B2B strategy https://bit.ly/B2BAudioLessons

OR grab my FREE 7 steps to success roadmap for strategic communication

Follow/DM me on LinkedIn : https://bit.ly/FollowMeLinkedIn

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

 

Social media will always be a staple of your comms plan, but it's easy to get wrong. And hard work to get right, it seems.

This episode is a teaser for a great 'Deep Dive' episode I have coming up with the wonderful Helen Reynolds from the Comms Creatives in January so look out for that one.

Let's dive in!

Links in this episode:

Sue, You're shouting at tea: https://twitter.com/yorkshiretea/status/1232293516862218240?lang=en

What to do next:

Get my FREE 5 Lessons on how to use Audio as part of your B2B strategy https://bit.ly/B2BAudioLessons

Follow/DM me on LinkedIn : https://bit.ly/FollowMeLinkedIn

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

Afer the success of the 'summer hacks' series, I thought I would do another one to give you some quick hacks to help you at this busy end of year period.

This is episode one of three and focuses on reviewing and assessing your success from 2021 in order to plan 2022. Reviewing and measuring your impact means you can hire an effective team, you can focus your budget and effort where it's needed, and you will start to see better results.

The great thing about this episode is it can be used for your personal life goals as well as work. What do you need to do to hit your goals in 2022?

let's dive in!

Download my free resource to help you start recording your activity to effectively plan for 2022 nd beyond!:

My Activity Tracker: https://bit.ly/TrackActivity

Get in touch

Follow/DM me on LinkedIn : https://bit.ly/FollowMeLinkedIn

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

Continuing celebrations for the podcast's one year birthday, I reflect on what's been popular and successful for marketers in B2B in terms of content and where your focus should be in 2022.

I cover,

Understanding your audience's preferences or 'audience-led content' what to focus on and how to engage your audience effectively, how to prioritise and when to say; no, it's not working let's move on.

Let's dive in!

This episode content was first featured in It's a B2B Content Thing on LinkedIn live WATCH IT HERE:  https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/652904803

What to do next?

Treat yourself to my strategic planning resource bundle of templates and guides to help you plan 2022 HERE: https://bit.ly/CTW_Resources

I am thrilled to have Jenni Field on the podcast, especially as it's the podcast's birthday month! I usually talk about external communication. But, today I wanted to open up the conversation around internal communication as a strategic function within your businesses. And Jenni Field has worked in communications for almost 20 years, and she now specialises in helping teams and leaders use communication to take people and organisations from chaos to calm. She helps business leaders understand how to get teams to work better and work more efficiently with a focus on internal communications.

 

We cover a lot in this 'Deep Dive' episode! you'll learn;

 

• when is the best time to think about internal communication support as part of your team
• where it sits in a growing business
• how to recognise 'chaos' in your business
• what soft skills to look for in a great internal communicator
• what's changing/has changed in internal communications post-pandemic

 

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in this episode:

 

Jenni's book:  https://redefiningcomms.com/influential-internal-communication-book-jenni-field/

 

The Field Model podcast episode:  https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/chaos-to-calm-the-field-model-s1-e7/id1588233391?i=1000541284904

Redefining Communications

 

Podcast:  https://redefiningcomms.com/podcast-redefining-communications-with-jenni-field/

 

Get my strategic download bundle of templates HERE: https://bit.ly/CTW_Resources

 

Oh my, we are on episode 50! I can't believe it. How do I celebrate this epic milestone? I can't possibly give you 50 things - that's a challenge even for me, and you have my back catalogue to work through for that already...:) So I thought I would summarise the heart of this show, which is about creating the right approach for your B2B comms.

So today, I share 5, not 50, things to create a B2B comms impact.

You see, a good comms plan involves a number of elements working together as part of a strategy.

You don't want to set off and say, 'we're going to hold an event' without thinking about who that is for and what you want the end result to be for your business.

When I put a strategy together I follow a process. I look at your purpose, what success looks like, who your customers are, how to get in front of them, what to say to them, and what tactics to use.

Let's dive in!

Further listening - my entire back catalogue of 50 episodes!

But in particular, this one: Ep 02. Are you a goal digger? https://henbe.co.uk/2020/12/01/ep-02-are-you-a-goal-digger-why-you-need-to-set-communication-goals/

Join my learning community and unlock my resource pack of 4 amazing resources https://bit.ly/CTW_Resources

Get in touch

Follow/DM me on LinkedIn : https://bit.ly/FollowMeLinkedIn

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

 

A recent report from Muckrack on PR measurement stated that more than 94% of PR Pros agree that media placements were a top priority in 2021—and that will remain largely unchanged in 2022

The report from the global media platform unveils how PR pros measured success in 2021, plus their plans and predictions for 2022. Disappointingly, for me, there is a huge focus on media placements. Those of you that have listened to the podcast before will know this, but PR is not all about media placements!

So today I wanted to share with you how you can measure the success, or failure, of your PR plan so you can invest in the right team, activities and resources to reach your business goals and not be fixed in the groove of placing media stories. Spoiler alert - it's not all about getting in the press.

You will learn:

Three reasons why you should measure your PR activity, top tips for getting started and why quality, not quantity, should be your driver.

Links mentioned in the episode:

My Activity Tracker: https://bit.ly/TrackActivity

MucRack's report: https://info.muckrack.com/state-of-pr-measurement-2021-research

Further listening:  Episode 05 https://henbe.co.uk/2020/12/17/ep-05-how-and-when-to-use-public-relations-in-your-business/

Get in touch

Follow/DM me on LinkedIn : https://bit.ly/FollowMeLinkedIn

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

As COP26 draws to a close this week, I'm reflecting today on what this means for you as communicators. Clearly, there is a big stick as well as carrot coming down the line and planning for supporting reputation issues around greenwashing, having difficult conversations with people and working out who's culpable for information shared should be high on the list for all businesses, large or small in the wake of COP26.

Today I share some insights into what I think companies need to think about and what communicators need to think about. I cover 3 big questions in this podcast episode and share some further thoughts, next steps you can adopt, and things to look out for. 

Let's dive in!

Useful links from this episode:

First published on LinkedIn live event 'It's a B2B comms thing' watch it here:  https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6860905845253779456/

https://greenclaims.campaign.gov.uk/

https://www.cpicode.org.uk/news/code-for-construction-product-information-and-guidance-published/

Further listening: Episode 43. 6 steps to manage potential reputation issues

Grab your FREE 6-step guide to reputation issues management (also here: https://bit.ly/6StepGuideIssuesNoTissues)

You can also:

Follow me on LinkedIn

 

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

Attracting investors can be a challenging, time consuming and often relentless task. Moreover, It can be tricky to know what to say and how. Today, I explore what to look for in this deep dive episode when pitching to investors as an audience. This fundamentally takes a strategic communication approach and a very specialist one. However, at its heart, it's still about connecting with an audience and making them act.

I wanted to bring someone onto the podcast who knows all about this, so I am thrilled to be joined by Andrea Cockerton, award-winning social entrepreneur, founder of DIUO (the new Smart TV platform for musicians just closing its first investment round), and - under her Mudhut brand - a pitch consultant for more than 15 years to a staggering 2000 plus entrepreneurs & CEOs delivering investor & business-critical pitches, including Dragon's Den record breakers The Wand Company, and direct pitches to Bill Gates.

We cover what to say, how to create 'magic moments' and what investors are now looking for post-pandemic.

So let's dive in!

Useful links:

Discover more about Andrea:

• www.mudhut-communications.com
• www.diuo.info
• www.linkedin.com/in/andreacockerton

  Fundraising links:  

• No warm intro list: https://airtable.com/shrsDIW1FMuA5cI9P/tblaahhCCc2v0065Q/viwdm9nLc4Aj3sHJO?blocks=hide
• Useful London lists: https://medium.com/@jennyjudova/list-of-seed-investors-in-london-3da42d7de9f4
• Massive, slightly overwhelming list: https://airtable.com/shrd9SJKaophxf6Tm/tblpObRZstC5uBDhs?backgroundColor=cyan&viewControls=on
• Most active EIS funds in the UK: https://seedlegals.com/resources/17-most-active-eis-investment-funds-in-the-uk/
• Best 100 early stage investors: https://www.businessinsider.com/seed-100-top-early-stage-vc-investors-2021-4?r=US&IR=T
• The 25 best early stage female investors: https://www.businessinsider.com/seed-25-best-female-early-stage-investors-2021-4?r=US&IR=T
• Diverse investors list: https://www.foundersforchange.org/diverse-investors-list/
• Impact investment directory: https://techforgood.global/impact-investing

What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://bit.ly/SevenSteps2Success )

 

If you're new to marketing your business or need a refresher on audience insight, checkout How to find customers and help them buy from you'

 

Follow me on LinkedIn

 

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

Recently I gave a talk at a communications conference with a colleague, a filmmaker, on how film can change the narrative for a topic or issue and highlight your brand in a new and unusual way- in this case, the housing agenda in the UK. 

As some of you who listen regularly will know, my consulting business focuses on providing communication strategies for built environment projects and firms.  Our big area of expertise is placemaking communications and this means simply, telling the story of places where people live, in particular, new and emerging places that may not have an established identity, like an existing town or city.

So today I give an overview of how film can be used as part of your communication strategy, using a case study from my work, bringing places and communities to life and changing a negative narrative into a positive one.

So, let's dive in!

 

Making a strategic choice in terms of who you put forward as a spokesperson is really important if you are going to be engaging with the media of making B2B content of any kind.

Today I cover 5 key things to look for in a topic expert for your campaign.

We all want to raise the visibility of our businesses, products or services, and one way to do that is by choosing a topic expert or influencer to sell your story for you. This can be an excellent strategy, I've used it myself, but you might be wondering what to look for.

There's lots of talk of influencers these days. You might know exactly who is influential in your industry right now, especially if you are in B2B or you might be trying to figure out who really is an influencer and who is giving an impression of being one.

Let's dive in!

What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://bit.ly/SevenSteps2Success )

 

If you're new to marketing your business or need a refresher on audience insight, checkout How to find customers and help them buy from you'

 

Follow me on LinkedIn

 

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

I recently spoke at an event for property marketers where I joined two other experts to discuss what has changed for property marketing in a post-pandemic world.  I thought I would share these insights with you today as the points around audience, community cohesion and the use of technology are relevant to any industry and provide some food for thought around where your communication strategy is now, and what you could do to improve it.

Let's dive in!

You can watch the webinar event that was the inspiration for this episode HERE

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/n8xnx5bjj3 )

 

If you're new to marketing your business or need a refresher on audience insight, checkout How to find customers and help them buy from you'

 

Follow me on LinkedIn

 

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

 

This week in the UK is national Work-life week promoted by Working Families - the UK's work-life balance charity. Work-life balance is a tricky subject, right? I think it is a modern dilemma where we need to balance life and work as more parents have working households, not just one person bringing in a salary. The 'life' part doesn't have to include kids. It can also mean creating a balance and space from a job.

I wanted to raise some awareness of this today for communications people out there and share my thoughts and experiences on this topic spurred on by this charity's work and some recent feedback from my network about how they create work-life balance. I wanted to raise the topic from a certain angle, mine, and provide you with some tips and advice based on getting it wrong over many years!

I have also created a 'productivity stack' for you.

Let's dive in!

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/n8xnx5bjj3 )

 

If you're new to marketing your business or need a refresher, checkout my bite-sized digital course on my learning platform 'Comms That Works'; How to find customers and help them buy from you'

 

Follow me on LinkedIn

 

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

 

I wanted to talk to you today about how to manage potential reputation issues without being overwhelmed, and how this can quickly form part of your daily or monthly planning.

The recent Facebook outage had some online businesses shifting in their seats uncomfortably whilst secretly panicking about when it would come back on. I have also seen more and more 'automation gone wrong' and businesses creak and groan that rely heavily on automation, software and Facebook.

So building on a recent episode around making sure your marketing promise meets your customer experience, I am sharing six simple steps you can follow to make this part of your regular comms planning.

So let's dive in!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Why customer service is your biggest PR tool

(also here https://henbe.co.uk/2021/09/23/ep-41-why-customer-service-is-your-biggest-pr-tool/)

Grab my 'No tissues' reputation issues management guide : 

(also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/6gveu61kn5)

You can also;

 

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/n8xnx5bjj3 )

 

Checkout my bite-sized digital course on my learning platform 'Comms That Works'; How to find customers and help them buy from you'

 

Follow my Facebook page for daily tips.

 

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

 

Things have changed since the phrase 'Content is King' was coined and I have also recently reflected on my own content strategy as I am a consumer and a business owner.

Things have changed since that phrase 'Content is King' was coined by Bill Gates in the mid nineties, and I have reflected recently on my own content strategy as I am a consumer as well as a business owner.

I think it's important to make sure we share enough content to please the algorithms and account for the fact that not everyone is on social media ALL the time..:) and make sure it's relevant, timely and rich with what your audience wants to hear.

So here are some tips on content development approaches you could take.  So let's dive in!

Links in this episode:

Repurposing: https://henbe.co.uk/2021/05/13/ep-23-why-investing-in-the-right-content-once-is-a-good-strategy/ 

5 Whys : https://henbe.co.uk/2020/12/30/ep-06-whats-your-story-how-to-create-messages-with-impact/ 

Today's episode was inspired by brand strategy agency, Mobas's article 'content makes for a rubbish king: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/content-makes-rubbish-king-adam-tuckwell/?trackingId=DiTdigjeQYKqghc2vvfGvw%3D%3D 

You can also;

 

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/n8xnx5bjj3 )

 

Checkout my bite-sized digital course; How to find customers and help them buy from you'

 

Follow my Facebook page for daily tips.

 

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

 

If you follow me on social media, you will know that I have recently had a bad customer service experience. It got me thinking about how brands can easily get it wrong if the back-office function is not connected to the brand message.

 

Public relations is about managing and protecting your reputation as a business, and how you handle customers is a huge part of that. It can make or break a customer's experience of your business or brand.

 

More and more brands are turning to a digital customer experience, and that's great, and some are nailing it. But it's not all plain sailing right? When we buy into a 'brand promise', we don't expect it to break as soon as you start interacting with the back-office functions.

 

So today I will cover a few things to think about how digital customer service can affect your hard-earned reputation if not managed as part of your public relations plan.

Links in this episode:

Top Customer Service Expectations and How To Succeed Them

You can also;

 

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/n8xnx5bjj3 )

 

Checkout my bite-sized digital course; How to find customers and help them buy from you'

 

Follow my Facebook page for daily tips.

 

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

 

Context is everything in terms of making sure your message lands; how often do you review what you are doing and what I call the 'operating context' in which you are doing it? If 2020 has taught us anything, customers have a higher expectation for information exchange and show loyalty to businesses that deliver this to a high level through their customer experience with them.

The days of 'set it and forget it' have long gone for communication planning, and as communicators, we need to be responsive and adaptable. Exhausting, though, right? Today I cover why you should review your operating context for a modern approach to communication planning and tips on integrating this into your comms strategy.

Let's dive in!

Links in this episode:

The One-Page Marketing Plan on Amazon

You can also;

 

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/n8xnx5bjj3 )

 

Follow my Facebook page for daily tips.

 

Checkout my bite-sized digital course; How to find customers and help them buy from you'

 

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

 

Events are back with a vengeance, people! As are speaking opportunities, I thought I would re-release this episode as it was so popular in February as a reminder of how to nail your first or next opportunity and make the most out of that content.  

 

You can create a lot of authenticity and credibility by speaking at events. But it's essential, especially as we are all time-poor right now, to plan to make sure that the time spent away from the office is worthwhile.

 

This episode is for you if you are a seasoned pro or starting out as it acts as a helpful reminder of all the things to think about when speaking at an event to make it worthwhile for you, your biz or your brand, product or service.

 

I'd love it if you would please leave me a review and subscribe to be the first to listen each week.

 

You can also;

 

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/n8xnx5bjj3 )

 

Follow my Facebook page for daily tips and advice and to find out first about my new digital course; How to find customers and help them buy from you'

 

Also here:https://www.facebook.com/commsthatworks

 

PS – Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

 

In the last of the summer hacks series, I share with you how audio can help you with your content creation. Audio transcriptions services AI and automation for recording your voice have changed unrecognisably over the last ten years. You no longer need to write a blog. That's right, you heard me!

I am going to talk to you today about why voice notes and audio can help you create quick and easy content for your business by sharing my own experiences of why I started my podcast.

Let's dive in!

Links metioned in this episode:

How To Find Customers and Help Them Buy - New online resource now available, also here: https://commsthatworks.mykajabi.com/find-customers+help-them-buy

Before you go;

 

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/n8xnx5bjj3 )

 

OR

 

Follow my Facebook page for daily tips and advice and to find out first about my new digital course; How to find customers and help them buy from you'

Also here:https://www.facebook.com/commsthatworks

 

PS - Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

In this third episode in the summer hacks series, I will cover some hacks around making social media content easier for you, whether you work in-house as part of a team or a solopreneur who needs to carve out more time for running your biz.

Do you find social media is taking up a lot of your time? You're busy writing posts, creating graphics, possibly recording videos, and then you think posting would be quick but somehow you emerge 30 minutes later and think, 'where did the time go?'

You might also find you're posting for the sake of it. You're not being intentional about what you are writing about.

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in this episode:

My new learning platform Comms 'That Works' (also here: https://commsthatworks.mykajabi.com/

Social media scheduling tools I mentioned in this episode:

SEMrush is an all-in-one digital marketing platform. It's best known for its SEO and PPC toolkits, but it also has a Social Media toolkit, which includes the Social Media Poster tool.

SocialBee is a powerful social media scheduling platform that goes beyond scheduling and includes features like competitor research.

Sendible is an all-in-one social media management tool designed to help solopreneurs and agencies manage and amplify their brands.

MeetEdgar is a purpose-built social media scheduling and automation tool that makes it easy to publish your content on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Buffer is a software application for web and mobile that lets you schedule content to Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Linkedin from one dashboard.

Before you go;

 

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/n8xnx5bjj3 )

 

Follow my Facebook page for daily tips and advice and to find out first about my new digital course; How to find customers and help them buy from you'

Also here:https://www.facebook.com/commsthatworks

 

PS - Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

 

I've worked with a number of startups both inside and out of the built environment sector.  One thing they have in common is an infatuation with media coverage.  Don't get me wrong this is essential for a startup, but it's not the only tool in the toolkit.  But, public relations isn't just about media coverage—it's about building credibility and trust. For a startup, positive profile-raising activities can boost your visibility, attract investors, increase customer confidence, and open doors for partnerships. The challenge? As a newcomer without a well-known brand, breaking through the noise requires creativity and persistence.

The good news is that even on a tight budget, you can build a PR strategy that maximises your resources. Today I share 6 tips for success.

Let's dive in!

 

In this second episode of the summer hacks series, I talk about how Public relations is often seen as something you do if you have something to launch or some good news to talk about. But PR is not all about the media - it's so much more than that. One aspect of PR is nurturing relationships that are already strong—reaching out to people who you already work with and who know your business and nurture those relationships.

Often underused as a strategic tool, PR is one of the simplest - and most effective - activities you can do to help your business.

I am going to talk to you today about how to utilise these relationships to your advantage.

Let's dive in!

Links in this episode:

That Weetabix example:also here: shorturl.at/bkJ18 

How To Find Customers and Help Them Buy - New online resource now available, also here: https://commsthatworks.mykajabi.com/find-customers+help-them-buy

Before you go;

 

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/n8xnx5bjj3 )

 

Follow my Facebook page for daily tips and advice and to find out first about my new digital course; How to find customers and help them buy from you'

Also here:https://www.facebook.com/commsthatworks

 

PS - Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

 

I wanted to do a few short episodes during August that were super-short that you could binge on and save you some time and effort over the summer months. I am calling this a 'summer hacks series'. Today's episode is all about repurposing your content.

How do you make an impact when you don't have time to create content or run a campaign?

There's a simple action you can take which won't take long at all but will keep you top of mind – repurposing your resources.

I will cover today;

What is repurposing?
Where to start with repurposed content?

Links in this episode:

How To Find Customers and Help Them Buy - New online resource now available, also here: https://commsthatworks.mykajabi.com/find-customers+help-them-buy

Before you go;

 

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/n8xnx5bjj3 )

 

Follow my Facebook page for daily tips and advice and to find out first about my new digital course; How to find customers and help them buy from you'

Also here:https://www.facebook.com/commsthatworks

 

PS - Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.

 

Today I am keeping it super simple for you. Maybe you are a smaller business or startup that needs some help putting together ideas on how to promote your business using PR or thinking of entering the PR world and wondering what a simple PR plan could include?

PR is an effective tool for building brand awareness. I'm one of only a few hundred chartered PR practitioners in the UK, and in this article, I'm going to walk you through how to start using public relations in your business, so you create content that makes the right impact.

I am covering some of the 'big buckets' in terms of activities and some of the strategic steps you need to consider to have a plan that hits the mark and achieves results.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Bitesize course! How To Find Customers And Help Them Buy

Ep 04. Is the comms working?

Before you go;

 

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business (also here: https://mailchi.mp/henbe.co.uk/n8xnx5bjj3 )

 

Follow my Facebook page for daily tips and advice and to find out first about my new digital course; How to find customers and help them buy from you'

Also here:https://www.facebook.com/commsthatworks

 

PS - Did you know? Communication Strategy That Works is in the top 90 UK Small Business Podcasts you must listen to in 2021, by Feedspot.