"Learning about your place" Lesley Thomson, Partner, Liddell Thomson

1. BIDS CPD - Communication Workshop
23 November 2011
Learning about your place
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011

2. ©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011

3. Learn to explore your place…
• Adopting a learning process enables everyone (agencies, residents,
businesses and visitors) to ask and answer key questions that will
help you to market your place
- why do I live here?
- why do I work here?
- why did I locate my business here?
- why do I invest in this place?
- why do I visit this place?
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011

4. Find ways to engage people / tell stories…
• Spin the bottle
• When it stops the person it is facing must briefly answer 3 key
questions:
- where do you live?
- describe your neighbourhood?
- does it feel like home? why / why not?
• Spin the bottle as many times as possible in 5 minutes
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011

5. Selling your place
• What’s the best thing about your place?
• What is it known for?
• What are the people like?
• Tell us an interesting / little known fact about your place?
• What does your place contribute at a national level?
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011

6. Using the process to create a strong brand
• By telling stories people will:
- better understand what their place has to offer
- be better equipped to organise its assets
- build understanding about the dynamics of their place and how to
use its economic capability, capacity and capital
- be able to offer ideas, generate activity
- identify local champions
- be able to link the past with the future
- galvanise communities, groups and individuals
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011

7. If we don’t understand our place…
• …we will be unable to:
- see what’s good about it – or what could be better
- tell meaningful stories about it to others
- plan strategically
- sell or market it
- attract business or investment
- persuade people they have a future in it
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011

8. People power plus!
• Locate your place – make sure people can find you / local
authorities don’t “own” places / wayfinding signage
• Identify your place – rediscover its roots / memory is generational –
the past obscures the present and the present can obscure the past
• Organise your place – how will I know when I get there? Manage
information and expectations – use different channels for different
audiences – invest in entrances / thresholds / place and
interpretative signage / maps and trails
• “Own” your place – plan strategically and implement your plans /
ensure expectation meets reality / generate and support networks
with targeted information / create a positive welcome
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17. Stoke-on-Trent
The city of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and the surrounding area,
are home to some of the world’s leading luxury brands and
successful creative industries.
Recognised as the world capital of the ceramics industry, its design
capabilities, attractive development opportunities, central location
and commitment to sustainability make the area an astute choice for
leading-edge businesses.
Its population of 500,000 people enjoy access to two highly-rated
universities and an abundance of outdoor space. The area includes;
Stoke-on-Trent, one of the UK’s greenest cities; thriving market
towns such as Newcastle-under-Lyme and Leek; beautiful villages;
the historic Trent & Mersey Canal; spectacular gardens and the
dramatic Staffordshire Peak District.
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21. Hitting the headlines
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22. 21st Century communication
All this…. …plus!!!
• AGMs / meetings / briefings • internet / intranet
• annual reports – printed • customer / consumer polling
• advertising – print and • mobile phones / iPhones /
Blackberry etc
broadcast media
• text / sms
• newsletters / leaflets
• print / broadcast + on-line
• letters / fax / direct mail media
• lobbying – face-to-face • Skype / video conferencing
• public meetings • citizen reporters / blogs
• presentations / exhibitions / • Twitter
road shows • YouTube
• video / DVD • facebook /Linked-in
• print / broadcast media • satellite TV
• terrestrial TV / film • Wikipedia…
• petitions / campaigns
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
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24. Did you know?
73% of UK households have internet access (19.2m
households)
30.1m adults in the UK access the internet most days
there are over 500 million members on Facebook
there are 190 million users on Twitter
all the major political parties have Twitter accounts
you can search trending topics on Twitter to see what
customers think about your products, brand and
customer service
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011

25. What makes a story succeed?
• Subject
• Content
• Timing
• Meeting needs
• Follow-up / Briefing
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
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26. Why contact the press / media?
• New product / service / launch / opening / event / appointment
• Raise profile
• Good news / bad news
• Should it be a press release?
• Briefings
• Picture stories
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
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28. Who do you want to reach?
• News desks
• Business desks
• Broadcast media
• Online media
• Trade press
• Customers
• Suppliers
• Staff
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011

29. Writing your story
• Style • Quotes
• Vocabulary • Length
• Balance • Bulletpoints
• Headline • Formatting
• Who? What? When? Where? • Notes to editors
Why? • Contact details
• Intro • Attachments
• Good picture
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011

30. Getting it right
• Email / Twitter / Facebook
• PDF v Word v body copy
• Timing
• Topicality
• Embargoes
• Follow-up
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011

31. “In the Web hype-o-sphere, things
matter hugely until very suddenly,
they don’t matter at all.”
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011
Michael Hirschorn, The Web 2.0 Bubble, The Atlantic Monthly, April 2007

32. Contact
©Liddell Thomson / Graven Images
November 2011