Your 2017 Survival Guide

This is going to be a tough year. We don’t really know what’s going on. We don’t know what the future holds; in fact, we don’t even know what tomorrow holds.

We have put together your essential guide to shoring up your PR and marketing armoury to deal with some of the scenarios you might face this year.

Problem:           How’s your sense of reality? Are you blinkered and assume it’s all going to be fine?

Solution:           Take a long, deep breath and do an audit of how well you’re doing in terms of communicating your key messages to your target audiences.

Problem:           You don’t know your key messages and your target audiences.

Solution:           Don’t worry, we can help. We’ll come in, learn about your business and guide you through who your customer really is, how best to communicate with them, and what messages you need to tell them.

Problem:           Your sales are stagnating or decreasing.

Solution:           Check your competitors’ activity. Check your pricing. Check your products are what people actually want or need. Are you over-stocking? Are you under-stocking? Know what makes your customers buy from you. We can help you with all of this and work with you to turn the situation round so you sell more and make more profit.

Problem:           You need help communicating to your customers that they need to pay you quicker.

Solution:           A good cash flow is vital. We can help write those difficult emails and put together a bad debt process for you.

Problem:           You need to iron out those seasonal peaks and troughs, more so this year than ever.

Solution:           We can help you by planning your PR and marketing activities through the year so you can beef up in readiness for the lean times.

Problem:           You think sending out one tweet or post a week is enough.

Solution:           We can help by managing your social media accounts for you. We look at your objectives and how to persuade and influence people who matter through effective and regular social media messaging. We’re on top of your accounts in real time so help manage your business’s reputation if someone’s saying something less than positive about you too.

Problem:           You don’t think you can afford a PR and marketing consultancy to work with you.

Solution:           You’d be surprised. Talk to us. Think of the potential cost if you don’t.

Chimera Communications to the rescue!

If you need expert help to survive this year and beyond, get in touch now. We’ll take an independent, honest and straightforward look at your PR, marketing and communications, put on our combats and use our skills, knowledge and expertise to cut through the wood to see the trees!

Email info@chimeracomms.co.uk or call 01903 812275.

14 years and counting!

We’re feeling the love this month, especially as it’s Chimera Communications’ 14^th birthday.

Not bad for something I didn’t originally intend to do. Now, though, I have to thank all those people who were instrumental in Chimera’s birth.

What have I learnt from running my own PR and marketing consultancy in that time? Here’s a quick run-down, from the obvious to the not so obvious:

• Always have a plan but be nimble, flexible and adaptable
• Don’t say ‘yes’ to everything without thinking things through
• Don’t take business issues personally
• There will always be those who are jealous, lazy or downright incapable, who copy your ideas and how you do stuff – remember they’re simply incompetent or unable to come up with their own ideas. Mainly they come and go with monotonous regularity
• Life throws you curve balls. It’s how you bat and bowl that matter
• Always look for the opportunity, not the down side
• Trust your gut instinct, it’s nearly always right
• Work hard but work smarter
• The old adage “Keep it simple” is spot on
• Tell things how they are, no matter whether people don’t want to hear it. They’ll usually appreciate it in the end
• The customer is not always right, in fact quite rarely but they’re paying for your best advice and be true to that
• Value your skills, experience and qualifications; be confident
• Be nice, be loyal, be ethical, be above reproach
• Treat others well and with respect, but stand your ground when justified
• Always be ready to learn new things and keep your mind open
• Run with new technology where it makes life easier or better; but don’t get carried away with every new development; be discerning
• If you're wrong, say so and apologise. We're all human and make mistakes but blaming others is just not on
• Don’t try to do your own tax returns if you don’t know what you’re doing! In other words, get experts on your support team so you can concentrate on what you do best
• Don’t be afraid to try something new; it’s rarely as scary as you think
• Be aware of your cash flow situation and plan ahead
• Sometimes you do have to look back to go forward; that’s ok
• Life’s too short to work with people you just don’t get on with; say goodbye and move on
• Above all, be your own person and put your head on your pillow at night with a clean conscience and a grateful heart

For some people though, running a business just isn’t your thing and you need to find that out sooner rather than later. It's ok to have tried. After all, life's too short not to give it a go. Just don't waste too much time, effort and money. Do something else and don't dwell on it. Not everything will be a success and it's important to realise this.

Thank you to all our clients over the years. You’ve been, on the whole, a wonderful bunch of people and it’s been a pleasure getting to know you and your businesses. There are some fantastic companies out there, truly worthwhile innovations and projects, charities who do so much for others. 

Finally, I’d like to say thank you to each and every one of the Chimera team over the years. It’s been, and will continue to be, heart-warming to work with such a bunch of talented, funny, loyal and professional consultants. 

This is what makes Chimera Communications different, and I love it.