Businesses of all sizes move at some stage and it presents great comms challenges and opportunities. Your communication strategy should be planned as early as the move itself. Here are five top tips.

1. Let people know!

This may seem obvious but many companies get this wrong. Moving office is a positive story and a great opportunity to let customers and contacts know you are on the up. A creative mailer is a good idea and cost effective. Follow this up by putting a message on your email signature letting people know the moving date. Your campaign should be carried out over a period of months leading up to the move to ensure new contact details and key messages are communicated. Website and social media channels should also be used.

Likewise, moving to new premises is news – highlighting the growth, expansion and development of the business, so tell the media. Either speak to the regional and trade media or hire a good PR agency to handle the external communication. Many PR companies are happy to work on one-off projects. There are two opportunities for publicity. Initially, to announce plans to move and secondly, when the move has taken place. As with all press releases, a good photograph will help.

2. Internal communications

Inform your staff of the move at the earliest opportunity. They should not find this out through the company grapevine and certainly not in the media. Explain why the company is moving and be prepared to tackle tricky questions, especially if the move will inconvenience travelling arrangements for some employees. Sit down with your management and PR team and anticipate employee concerns. An unhappy and insecure workforce will make your move a lot harder, so careful planning is a must. Many employees will see it as a progressive story.

3. Branding

It has probably been years, if not decades, since the company’s last relocation and during this period the culture, ethos and fabric of your business has probably changed significantly. Companies often take the decision to rebrand when relocating to reflect a new corporate identity. Look at your logo, stationery, branding materials and website and ask yourself, is this identity a true representation of the company? With a new address and contact details most of your promotional material will change, so it also makes financial sense to rebrand. Ensure a rebranding campaign is planned at least six months prior to relocation, ready to go ‘live’ on the big day.

4. Corporate stationery

Ensure that all stationery is up-to-date. This includes letterheads, compliments slips, business cards, all promotional material and new media tools. Again, planning is the key. Keep reprints of current stationery to a minimum to reduce wastage. Don’t forget the website!

5. Event management

What would a relocation be without the obligatory launch event? A lot cheaper for a start! But this is a great opportunity to strengthen relationships with clients, employees, contacts and local opinion formers by letting them share in the progress and success of the company. It may add to the expenses but many companies time and time again find the benefits of a good corporate event are priceless. Leave it a few months to iron out any snagging issues. You don’t want your biggest customer getting paint on their new suit! Likewise, invite key contacts for a sneak preview before the moving in day. It will make them feel loved.

The consultation is being run by the Winckley Square Community Interest Company (WSCIC), which Freshfield advises on a pro-bono basis.

Over 200 people took part in the online Have Your Say questionnaire with the majority of respondents demanding a simple and sympathetic restoration.

Freshfield developed the WSCIC brand identity and website in October 2011, when the company was formed to help drive the revival of Preston’s historic Georgian square. It also provides PR and social media support.

Michael Gregory, a director at Freshfield, said: “Consultation should be at the heart of any regeneration project. We’re putting people at the heart of our plans and helping them shape the future of this marvelous but neglected civic space.

“Increasingly, local communications will be crucial to testing any major planning application under the new Localism Bill which came into force in 2011 and makes consultation a must.”

“This is a fantastic project to be involved in. We’re putting our stakeholder engagement talents to the tests while giving something back to the community.”

The WSCIC plans to launch a Green Paper in September 2012 setting out its full recommendations, artist impressions and funding requirements for a sympathetic revival of Winckley Square.

Here are the full results of the Winckley Square Consultation.

The default position ‘yes’ in favour of sustainable development – originally proposed to kick-start investment, jobs and the economy – has been removed with immediate effect in the National Planning Policy Framework.

At the 11^th hour, there were amendments from Planning Minister Greg Clark to also protect ‘garden grabbing’ and local school playing fields.

Separately, developers also need to observe the Localism Act 2011 which sets out very clear legislation for local planning issues to make sure that local communities have a greater say in the developments that affect them.

Where does all this leave developers, eager to start building again with housebuilding at a record low since 1952?

For the communications process, they need to adopt best practice, do their homework and make sure their proposals reflect local opinion on a case-by-case basis, while also meeting national needs of town and urban planning. A tall order indeed.

If there is one central, clear message it is that local communities just got even more powerful and important.

This means that developers need to fully consult with local people at the earliest opportunity to make the process simpler further down the line.

The Localism Act enshrines these principles of consultation and engagement, and goes further with the right for communities to establish local neighbourhood planning forums – made up of local people – able to grant full or outline planning permission to speed up the process.

At Freshfield, we encourage consultation and engagement wherever there is a need for public involvement. Enabling the diverse range of citizens to voice their opinion early, clearly and in the format suited best to their individual needs, whether online or offline, is of paramount importance.

The benefits of engaging locally is a simpler, speeded up process for developers, who ignore this legislation and guidance at their own peril when times are difficult enough.

Assistant editor of BBC Radio Manchester, Mark Elliott, led us on a behind-the-scenes peek at the jawdropping new home of the BBC in the North West.

The development is truly world class and Freshfield managed to nip in a day before Her Majesty The Queen was due to visit to officially open MediaCity, also host to ITV, Coronation Street and the University of Salford.

The visit took in a look at the BBC Sports news hub, Radio Five Live and BBC Manchester, and the former journalists on the Freshfield team were impressed with the state-of-the-art news gathering operation and the opportunities it will provide for businesses in the region to tell their stories.

With so many news channels (Five Live, BBC Manchester, the World Service) under one roof it will give the region an unprecedented share of the BBC’s voice.

Also at MediaCity there is an impressive focus on the relationship between the license fee-paying public and the Beeb, with visitors able to see the broadcast process in operation for themselves thanks to the modern, open plan, glass-walled design.

The North West can now proudly say it is home to an operation that must be the envy of the world’s media.

In times past, you could bet that if advertising, marketing and PR execs thought something was cool, then the best way to target this tricky demographic was via television, radio or the press.

These days they’d be cataclysmically wrong. It would be the marketing equivalent of seeing your dad dance when MTV was on. Yes I did witness this awful occurrence once and will remain scarred for life.

I digress. At Freshfield towers we recently commissioned the good people at Carat to identify for us what was the best media channels to target 14-19 year olds as a significant part of our client portfolio lies in the education sector.

What came out of the research was, in some cases not so surprising, but when looking at the FE sector, what was baffling was the continued use of outdated and irrelevant channels by some colleges to engage with this audience.

Unsurprisingly the best channel was the internet, with this age group spending on average 25 hours a week online. Facebook was the most visited site with most accessing the internet through a laptop or PC. There’s also real growth in this age group accessing their favourite sites via smart phones and games consoles.

Television came second, cinema third, outdoor advertising was fourth, radio (commercial and national) was fifth, with magazines and newspapers trailing in behind at sixth and seventh respectively.

So, what does this tell us? Well one thing is for sure is that if any FE establishment is targeting 14-19 year olds via newspapers – they’re wasting time and money.

It’s fine to invest resources in this medium if a college wants to reassure parents that it’s a good place for their kids to go to, or for adult learners to be more aware of a college’s myriad of courses. However, if you want to get your core learners through the door, you’d better look at implementing an online campaign that gets you noticed.

If you’d like to know more about the research or our specialist education service, then please drop me a line. Now, what channel is MTV on? I’ve got some shapes to throw.

This definition was reached after debate and a public vote, in which 1,447 people took part.

In the same week, PR Week analysed the recruitment policies and attitudes to qualifications of PR agencies. It debated the need for PR degrees for a career in PR.

I can sometimes forget that I once studied and gained a PR degree, spending several years trying to define PR in my head. Seems a world away. Even now, I sometimes struggle to articulate to family and friends what PR is. My old man (in a Lancashire accent) often describes me as ‘someone who knows a good article when he sees one’.

So it was interesting to read the PRSA’s new definition, which should serve as a reminder to everyone that PR is a specialist discipline – that requires quality knowledge, skills and understanding to execute well.

PR is always evolving especially in recent years with the added disciplines described variously as online, digital PR, integrated comms and social media. It’s probably fair to say that PR can mean different things to different people. However, no matter what aspect of communications you are in, the PRSA definition is relevant.

I’ve worked with some great journalists, marketers, management graduates and entrepreneurs in PR. None of them have PR degrees but what they have is a strong, fundamental understanding of what PR is all about. Clients are the same. Those who understand it – and its relevance to them – get more from their PR spend. Those who don’t will never value it.

You don’t need to have a degree in PR to be a great PR practitioner. But you most certainly need to understand what PR is, and what it can deliver in today’s modern world of diverse communications.

With too many PR practitioners claiming to be specialists when in fact all they do is write press releases, the industry as a whole must continue its fight to position PR as a deeper, strategic discipline.

For anyone involved in PR, it‘s worth having a look and think about the PRSA’s new definition. I am sure it will promote much debate in the UK.

Facebook’s recent changes to its platform include a tough algorithm which makes only the most engaging content appear in users’ Timeline’s and decreases the prominence of those which are not. This means that if posts or images are not commented on, liked or shared they may go completely unnoticed to those fans you’ve managed to conjure up over time.

Brands and businesses using social media must therefore place renewed emphasis on engaging content. User experience should now be a top priority in any social media strategy. Messages shouldn’t be broadcast to the masses, postings should instead be personal and give fans and followers an incentive to interact.

 A great example of a piece of content gaining quick success was demonstrated across the Preston Guild’s social media channels. Last night, thousands of people in and around the city of Preston could see the global rainbow – a laser made up of the seven colours of the rainbow. The laser switch-on marked the start of the Cultural Olympiad ahead of the 2012 Games across the UK. However the Guild communications team used it to simply get people talking. Information on the global rainbow in Preston was broadcast through both Facebook and Twitter and people were asked to send in their photos and comments to show the sheer reach of the beams of light. This took the ‘talking about’ number on the Facebook page to 267 and created hundreds of tweets. It also helped to make #Globalrainbow a trending topic on Twitter.

Social media has fundamentally changed the language we use to communicate with each other. It’s time to ensure your output online allows you to really engage with your audience, rather than fall on deaf ears. Remember communication is a two-way thing and like in all media, good content prompts reaction.

Working for client, Manchester City Football Club, Freshfield launched the Harvey Nichols concept box at the Etihad Stadium.

A first in world football, an 8ftx11ft platinum hospitality box, transformed into a designer paradise, made its debut at the Bolton fixture.

Packed with designer fashions, jewellery, handbags and shoes from Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin and Dolce & Gabbana, Freshfield showcased the concept to national journalists from GQ, Esquire, Daily Mail, ShortList and Sunday Times Style Magazine.

The journalists were treated to champagne on arrival, a pitchside tour, a sumptuous lunch and a cocktail masterclass – all before kick-off. Then it was over to the beauty therapists who provided makeovers and manicures together with a Harvey Nichols sommelier for a full-time, wine tasting masterclass.

Leaving with a 2-0 win, a deluxe Harvey Nichols gift bag and in a rainstorm that makes a trip ‘up north’ complete, the journalists left in jovial spirits, enthusing about the experience they’d been the first to enjoy.

With the box a definite hit, Freshfield is hopeful there will be some positive national write-ups in store – watch this space!

As a former journalist, along with a number of other colleagues, I was often turned off by some of the approaches and behaviour of ‘PRs’.

Here is a short list of some of the biggest turn-offs, and a few lessons learned along the way from the other side of the fence.

1. The PR call that starts: ‘OK, mate, having a good day?’ No, I’m not your mate and I’m not having a particularly good day, so can you please just introduce yourself and speak to me in decent straightforward language.

2. The press release about the company based in Leicester sent to you in Preston. Again, it’s the delete button.

3. ‘We have an important company announcement on rationalisation.’ In other words, there are job cuts so why don’t they deal with it, explain the reasons and what is going to happen and move on with it?

4. The owner of a business who says he knows a few councillors and we should use his story. Thank you, do forward it and we’ll take a look.

5. ‘We’re going to sue – the name of the MD is mis-spelled.’ Please tell him sorry, but as much as accuracy is paramount, mistakes do happen.

This is all a little time ago when I worked in regional and national newspapers, including the Lancashire Evening Post and the Daily Mail, helping to put together a rapidly-moving news agenda at a time when print was king and the internet was just rearing its head.

However, the same principles still apply today. Good, honest communications work, whether in print, online, on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Indeed, it is heartening to see the public relations profession maturing, and that communications is now a function which has a remit at most board tables.

Never forget, the building of a reputation – individually and corporately – is built on trust and mutual respect.

At Freshfield, this is one of our guiding principles and we continually strive to engender professional, transparent communications into all of our activity on behalf of our clients for now and the longer term.

Your website is useless if the user can’t navigate it. Clear and easy navigation makes any website better to use and will keep users coming back. Look at the BBC news website which has dual navigation at the top, a generalised section-based navigation and then further down the page a more direct specific set of navigation points. It’s a great benchmark. People don’t want to have to hunt around for 10 minutes to get to a specific link; they should be able to find what they want within two to three clicks of their mouse.

2. Keep the website uncluttered

A website is like a museum or art gallery. Rather than cramming every wall with every drawing, painting, or sculpture created by mankind, they are laid out in such a manner that gives them room to breathe. Creating a neutral space around items can make them easier to view and understand. Most importantly you avoid scaring the user off by throwing too much at them.

3. Don’t write a novel

What are you trying to say? What’s your website about? I’m sure many of you could write essays about your company, but content should be short and informative. Not a lot of people like to read things on screen, so keeping it concise will help viewers. Remember, it’s not just about what you say, but what you show. Search engines love websites with large images, videos and other ‘rich media’. Don’t be afraid to explore what you can do with images and moving content.

4. Responsive design

We live in a world where the web is no longer just viewed on standard computer monitors, but also on large high definition TVs, small 10-inch notebook screens and phones. How do you cater for such a huge difference? The answer is responsive design. Integrated with modern web technologies, your website can adapt to all of the above. Look at the Boston Globe website. If you change the browser to its smallest width, the website will respond to fit the size of the browser. Bearing this in mind will help you when designing for large or small screen formats.

5. Accessibility

This has been one of the most important tips since the dawn of the web. Your website will be viewed by people with different viewing requirements, including potential visual impairment, such as blurred vision or colour blindness. By keeping your website DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) compliant you will be able to keep your site viewable to those with difficulties. The web is an ever changing world with new technologies being developed every day. However, never ignore the fundamentals of good web design.