Last week saw Skout host the Business Marketing Club (BMC) North West chapter’s first ever B2B PR workshop at Media City. Presented by our very own directors, Rob Skinner and Claire Lamb, the workshop was a sell-out success. As the BMC’s only founding member from the B2B PR sector, Skout was able to cover new ground for its members, providing valuable insights into the specific skills required to make PR strategy an asset to business.
The primary objective of the BMC is to provide a platform for businesses to share specialist marketing expertise to help the sector and those within it flourish. Skout’s informal workshop applied this ethos through a combination of knowledge sharing and group practical activities while creating an easy environment for networking.
Skout emphasised the importance of identifying core business values before choosing PR tactics and targeting the relevant audiences to drive sales, drawing on expertise developed from years of agency and in-house experience. Clear strategic objectives, integration into wider marketing activities and effective measurement were also stressed.
Open to both BMC members and non-members alike, attendees represented a wide range of B2B backgrounds, sectors and job roles. These included ecommerce and retail technology, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, as well as in-house marketing directors and freelance filmmakers.
The workshop paid homage to Skout’s ‘natural storytelling’ philosophy as they stressed the importance of identifying a brand’s individual story and delivering its messages through the most appropriate channels.
Rob and Claire encouraged group discussion throughout their presentation to highlight the common challenges that all businesses face and how effective PR can be in overcoming these challenges to flourish as a brand. Each delegate also devised a simple outline PR strategy to take back and use within their own business.
Rob Skinner, MD at Skout explains: “As a dedicated B2B PR agency we see identical challenges arise regardless of sector. This workshop was important in allowing us to not only demonstrate the value of a tailored B2B PR strategy but also the common issue that businesses face in achieving their PR ambitions.”
