Northern Lights communications director Ben Pindar is a former journalist who has worked both at national and regional level. Here he shares his thoughts on how best to engage with the media. Legendary British publishing magnate Lord Northcliffe famously said: “News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress – all the rest is advertising.” Speaking … Making the most of media relations
I was delighted to be invited as guest speaker at a dinner to discuss ‘Is social media turning Professional Services firms upside down?’. The debate is – or should be – relevant to businesses in every sector, but one comment has left me deeply disturbed. There was tacit agreement that “of course partners aged over … Professional services firms and social media – too old at 50?
Looking back on his time as Insider’s deputy editor, Northern Lights communications director Ben Pindar shares the secrets of business success from the hundreds of top entrepreneurs he interviewed over the years. This blog first appeared on Insider Media. Over the past few years I’ve been in a privileged position that many would pay a … How to grow your business – top tips from 400 entrepreneurs
Have you considered writing a thought leadership paper? You don’t have to be an academic to do this – you’ve already got the skills. Being a thought leader is just a way of sharing your knowledge with others. So what is thought leadership? In Victoria Tomlinson’s soon to be published e-book, How to write a … Why your business needs you to write thought leadership papers
Over the last year I have run a number of sessions on networking, both for global corporates and for universities. While the sessions for universities have tended to focus on networking skills for a job, and particularly on how to walk into a room full of strangers, covered in this guest blog for the University … The power of networking in large corporates – are your coffees strategic?
I am in dispute. Rail company First Capital Connect and I aren’t quite seeing eye to eye at the moment. There have been a flurry of emails hurtling backwards and forwards and still we seem to be at cross-purposes! And the reason for this hive of activity revolves around the lack of communication regarding a … Why an internal communications strategy is so important for your business
I am blazing. Not for us, but a poor company that must have paid considerable money for a great PR idea – and then have the impact of their campaign lost into the ether. We are helping a client with an internal communications strategy and implementation. Most of the executive team are on board, a … 5 reasons why PR must be linked to your core business
We’re always looking for examples of businesses that use social media well. Its immediacy can be both a blessing and a challenge in PR. One company that uses social media really well is Petplan. As a B2C pet insurance company, they have a great presence on Facebook, as they know that’s where their customers are. … Social Media – How Petplan turned bad PR into great PR with an integrated internal communications and social media strategy
Does your company have an intranet? How useful is it? If your intranet is a useful and time-saving portal that you visit many times a day, then you’re in the minority. An effective intranet that is functional, easy to use and has been created with the buy-in of both senior managers and employees is one … How to build a successful intranet for your company
