Writing a publicity campaign for small businesses on a tight budget during a recession has its challenges and pitfalls as anyone involved in PR will know.
It's not unlike trying to sell your home when many similar properties in the area are also on the market.
As I step gingerly into the real world of cut-throat media, I find obstacles appearing which would test Super Mario experts chasing glittering coins in their virtual worlds.
First the client brief - what do they want? Often, a double-page spread in their preferred newspaper/magazine/journal, a television interview on a regional BBC/ITV news programme and a web site bombarded by interested parties. Expectations are high.
Having explained the chances of these events happening lies somewhere between unlikely and impossible, (unless you're a billionaire or listed in the FTSE 100), I suggest a more realistic scenario.
But even lowering expectations to less elevated media such as local papers, local radio and Facebook can be demanding. What benefit will they derive? How will their readership/audience be increased? Where will they find their gold coins? What about mine?
I ask questions. Who are you? Why this business? What is different about you, your business and where is your evidence?
Eventually, a picture emerges, and we begin to see a path. This is where the real work starts and I begin to earn my money.
Success is hardly guaranteed, but for those of us with enthusiasm tempered with skill and a total indifference to rejection, it's a great way to earn a living.
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