Why PR and social media skills are crucial to business growth
We are regularly asked for help from small businesses looking for help with PR in Berkshire, they want to know how to promote themselves with social media and advertising to achieve growth and little wonder according to the latest survey by the Federation of Small Businesses.
In its ‘Voice of Small Business’ survey panel of 1,700 small businesses, almost half (46%) said that sales, marketing and PR training for themselves would help their business to develop or grow. Just over a third (34%) said similar training for their employees would also have the same positive impact on the growth of their business.
This is why our approach is so popular. We work with our clients and explain how we achieve success for them with public relations and social media, we offer training and mentoring so ultimately they can move forward with a lighter and lighter touch. Often those who start needing us the most will emerge as competent PR practitioners, only needing our help occasionally or for crisis management PR
A press release from the FSB states: "At a time when small firms are really driving the economy forward into recovery, they need to be able to promote their businesses in new and foreign markets and use social media and new technology to advertise their services and products.
"In a new report, ‘Raising the standards: an FSB skills survey’, the FSB argues that in order to be competitive, businesses need these skills to take advantage of new and emerging markets, and as a result, they need training to be made available and accessible so they can make the most of it.
"Small businesses are more likely to take on low-skilled individuals than large businesses – previous research shows that 10 per cent of the employees in micro businesses have no qualifications, compared to 5.6 per cent in the largest organisations.
"The research shows that small businesses are more satisfied with in-house, informal training that develops and gives staff the business skills they need to do the job, rather than recognised courses and qualifications.
"The FSB is calling on the Government to help incentivise small businesses to take on more apprentices and graduate interns by co-funding harder to reach businesses, rather than bigger firms that have greater training budgets at their disposal.
"The FSB is also urging the Government to assess the Qualifications and Credit Framework – a system to recognise skills and training in the workplace – to formally acknowledge the informal training that takes place in small businesses.
John Walker, National Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, said:“The Government’s reliance on the private sector to create jobs to pick up the shortfall in employment from the public sector is well-placed: small businesses will play a crucial role in the country’s growth. But for small firms to grow, they need to train staff in the skills that will impact on their bottom line. The Government has to step up and support small firms in leading the economy back into steady growth.
“It is vital not to lose a generation of young people to unemployment and a lack of skills training, so the Government must provide incentives for small businesses to take on apprentices and graduate interns which will provide businesses with key skills to sell their services and products in new and emerging markets – especially for exports overseas.”
If you would like help with public relations in Berkshire or neighbouring counties, or would like to learn more about social media and how it fits into the marketing mix, please call us on 0845 00 33 666 or contact Morgan PR via this site.
Alternatively and with great timing, Morgan PR will be delivering a workshop on How to use social media to boost your brand and generate leads on behalf of the Federation of Small Businesses on 6 July, 2011 at The Bear Hotel in Hungerford