By Hazel Butters

May 29th, 2015

New enrollment period now open: Launch your First Crowdfunding Campaign Success Blueprint Program

New enrollment period now open: Launch your First Crowdfunding Campaign Success Blueprint Program

If you are crowdfunding, it’s important to plan and execute it as a product launch to get maximum impact and drive business (and personal) success. Let us guide you, step-by-step, with our proven 15-part part system that has helped successful rewards- and donation-based crowdfunding campaigns to raise funds from $70,000 to $215,000.

This program contains everything you need in order to plan and run a crowdfunding campaign, including: ready-made content, templates, worksheets and resources. Topic covered include how to create a plan, hone your messaging, calculate financial goals, come up with engaging rewards, work with the press, create compelling content, identify key audiences, attract supporters – and transform them to customers and fans! These are key activities to not just support your crowdfunding, but to build your future business.

Click here for more details or email us at crowd@prompt-communications.com with any questions at all.

Next enrollment opens June 8 for the program starting June 15 2015.

By Hazel Butters

May 19th, 2015

Myth #9: Prompt’s ten technology sales myths

Myth #9: Prompt’s ten technology sales myths

At Prompt we know that PR complements sales to drive influence, impact, and financial success.  Our PRISM methodology delivers the steps and processes involved in planning and executing PR programs in line with sales objectives. And our free webinar series ‘How to use PR to drive sales’ shares content created specifically for technology companies. We’ve gathered this content from working with global companies including Adobe, IBM, and Oracle, and hundreds of early-stage companies. This means that we’ve covered every level of complexity, type of technology, and (we think) almost every kind of sales process.

However, in our dealings with hundreds of technology companies, we are also aware of a number of sales ‘myths’ that we believe may be holding back technology entrepreneurs and technology  marketers from making the smartest decisions for their own business futures.Over the next few weeks, we’re setting out to share ten of the most common myths – some of which may be familiar to you.

Myth #9

“All of your prospects think like you do.”

You may sometimes find it helpful to visualize an average customer and their typical needs when honing your messaging, but never fall into the trap of thinking that all your customers fit such a simple mold. Each of your prospects has a completely different perspective, and few vendors take the time to really understand what each individual prospect is thinking about, stressed over or dreaming of. You do not have a crystal ball, or your prospect’s offices bugged (at least we hope not). It’s impossible to know the internal pressures they face, and the personal ambitions they have. Sales messaging that asks the right questions and presents authentic anecdotes will help these prospects to relate, and open up, with you.

By Hazel Butters

May 8th, 2015

By PromptBoston

September 3rd, 2014

Five things you may not know about the German media

Five things you may not know about the German media

#1           Germans published the world’s first newspaper

In 1605, Johann Carolus from Strasbourg (then part of the German Empire) published the first newspaper titled ‘Relation’, which included news from all over the world. About four decades later another German, Timotheus Ritzsch, a printer from Leipzig, published with ‘Einkommende Zeitungen’ the first daily newspaper, which was issued six or seven times each week.

#2          For centuries, it was the country with the largest number of newspapers

Until the Nazis came into power in 1933, Germany was the country of the largest number of newspapers. Of the 4,700 newspapers published in Germany before the Third Reich, no more than 1,100 remained after World War II.

#3           It has one of the largest selections of newspapers

Germany offers the widest variety of newspapers in Europe: With 329 daily newspapers, Germany supplies a larger variety of papers than any other European country. Spain offers 130 newspapers, followed by Italy (97 newspapers) and the UK (95 newspapers).

#4           It has the world’s tightest newspaper dealer network

With 1.4 newspaper sellers per 1,000 people, Germany hast the tightest network of dealers in the world. In addition, over 400 sales outlets at airports and train stations make German and international publications available to travelers.

#5           The German press is (mostly) privately owned

Compared to many other countries such as the US or the UK, most of the German press is privately and family-owned. Axel Springer AG, one of the largest newspaper publishing companies in Europe, and Bertelsmann, one of the world’s largest media companies, are still in private hands.

By PromptBoston

August 15th, 2014

Achtung, start-up alert!

Achtung, start-up alert!

Silicon Valley was yesterday. Now say hello to Silicon Allee. Frankfurt may be Germany’s financial capital and Hamburg the country’s media hotspot, but when it comes to founding new tech start-ups Berlin is definitely the place to be.

With almost 3,000 start-ups and hundreds of millions of euros in investment, Berlin is rapidly gaining a reputation as Europe’s most exciting innovation hub. IT giants Google and Microsoft are rushing to the German capital where tech companies such as SoundCloud, ResearchGate, Wooga and 6WunderKinder have become the face of the city’s start-up success.

But why is Berlin so popular with young entrepreneurs and professionals? Certainly its comparatively cheap rents and utilities make the German capital a desirable location when choosing the right spot for a new venture. But economic reasoning alone does not drive flocks of business-savvy tech geeks to the once divided city. For many of them, Berlin is also a cultural Mecca where traditional arts meet new innovations. A hotspot of contemporary art and music, a rich variety of restaurants and an internationally acclaimed clubbing scene, the multicultural melting pot attracts young and highly educated people, providing the perfect soil for pioneering spirit and innovative ideas.

In the city once described as “poor but sexy” by its mayor Klaus Wowereit about a decade ago, tech related sales now contribute more than nine billion Euro per year. And the booming start-up scene is also bringing good news to the job market. According to McKinsey & Company, start-ups are expected to deliver more than 100,000 new jobs to the capital city by 2020.

As a native German speaker working at Prompt working for DACH-based software and for American software companies that are ramping up their PR presence in DACH, I’m really pleased to see how the region is transforming.

If you’re a German, Austrian, or Swiss company that wants to launch into the UK or US markets – or a company looking to launch and get more traction in the  DACH region, then email us at dach@prompt-pr.com.

By the way, we speak your language!

Wenn Sie ein deutsches, österreichisches oder Schweizer Unternehmen sind, dass am britischen oder US-amerikanischen Markt Fuß fassen möchte – oder ein Unternehmen, das seine Präsenz in der DACH Region ausbauen will, dann kontaktieren Sie uns doch unter dach@prompt-pr.com. 

By Hazel Butters

August 13th, 2014

Crowdfunding: Kickstarter is not the only fruit(ful way to fund your business)

Crowdfunding: Kickstarter is not the only fruit(ful way to fund your business)

The crowdfunding model is proving to be a spectacular success, boosting the prospects of tens of thousands of entrepreneurs while growing into a $5 billion industry. But despite conservative estimates that today’s business visionaries now have more than 450 different crowdfunding platforms to choose from, the vast majority of people still think that crowdfunding is synonymous with Kickstarter.

Now, Kickstarter is certainly a stunning platform. After five years in operation it has reportedly received over $1 billion in pledges from 5.7 million supporters backing over 135,000 projects. But it certainly isn’t the only game in town, and chances are that Kickstarter might not be the best match crowdfunding platform for your own project’s structure, audience, rewards, subject matter, ambition, location, financial model, equity structure, ethics – you name it. For example, you can’t use Kickstarter if you plan on giving money or goods directly to a charitable cause.

Fortunately you are only one fun afternoon’s online hunting expedition away from flushing out your perfect crowdfunding partner. Nail down your top priorities, get your fingers at the keyboard, and bag yourself that dream platform. To get you started, I thought I’d share some of the more interesting models out there to give you a little inspiration.  If you’re coming to our one-day crowdfunding comms and PR workshop on September 5 in Boston then we’ll be covering a number of these – and how to build a solid PR and marketing plan – in more detail.

• Indiegogo – One of the very first crowdfunding sites and perhaps Kickstarter’s closest rival, Indiegogo is still the go-to platform for many start-ups and charity projects. It gets nearly ten million visits every month and runs on an investor/reward model that will pretty familiar to fans of the big K.  The most obvious difference is that Indiegogo offers project owners the choice to bag partial funding even if their initial goal isn’t hit – however Indiegogo does then take a greater slice of the pot
• RocketHub – Another platform that offers the opportunity to take out funds even if goals aren’t realized, RocketHub is building somewhat of a reputation as a hothouse of community, arts, science and socially aware projects. Perhaps most interestingly, a recent partnership with US media company A&E Networks and the launch of ‘Project Startup’ can mean big exposure for some lucky project owners, and perhaps even direct funding from A&E itself
• Fundable – Boasting $137 million in funding to date, Fundable does things a little differently. It’s a business-oriented platform focused on driving capital injections and even allows you to offer equity rather than rewards if that’s what you’re looking for. The Fundable team is very hands on with project owners and doesn’t take a cut from successfully funded projects, but it does charge you $99 a month in return for its training and marketing efforts
• Razoo – One of an alternate breed of crowdfunding platforms focused exclusively on the needs of non-profits, Razoo has enabled nearly 90,000 fundraising projects to see the light of day, helping them to raise over $230 million to date. It’s free to start a fundraiser, visibility is particularly high in the US, but Razoo is still a business (even with a heart) and it will still take 4.9% of all donations for itself
• Seedrs – As its name suggests Seedrs’ model helps financially sophisticated startups raise seed capital from independent investors as well as closer contacts like friends and families. The hope is that investors will be there to offer advice, mentoring and advocacy for early-stage businesses as well as raw capital. Equity purchases start as low as £10

These are just a few alternative options to the almighty Kickstarter. Remember there are hundreds of others out there filling pretty much every investment profile niche you can imagine. MoolaHoop focuses on female entrepreneurs, Trillion Fund favors renewables, Quirky likes whacky inventions, Unbound funds publishing projects, Gambitious rewards gaming developers, and appbackr… backs apps! You get the idea – let’s hope thousands of cash-rich investors get yours.

By Hazel Butters

February 14th, 2014

Tech PR viewpoint: Avoiding launch jitters

Tech PR viewpoint: Avoiding launch jitters

Launching a product or service is a strange experience. I’d go as far as to say it’s a very vulnerable one.

Imagine that you’ve thought of something new, interesting and exciting — a product, service or application that you believe will change the way people work, communicate or see the world. You’ve lost sleep, may have bootstrapped and walked a financial tightrope, worn out family and friends while nurturing your idea to reality. You’ve dreamt about it, built it, developed it.

Now you have to tell other people about it.

This is where launch jitters come into play. It’s so hard telling people about your idea, sharing yourIt’s a very personal thing, and to make turn your concept into a success, you have to share your innermost thoughts with other people.

Launch jitters manifest themselves in different ways. There’s what I call ‘launch stage fright’ which stems from hesitation and a genuine fear and to share the story. I don’t mean scared to tell a PR company (like Prompt) so that we can write up the news in the form of a well-worded press release, I mean scared to get out there and tell people face-to-face — at meetings, at bus stops, over the phone, shouting from the rooftops…

Sometimes this stage fright is accompanied by ‘skewed launch perception’. It could well be a brilliant idea, but now how do you share your long-term vision? There are very few overnight sensations (some would argue that there are none), so it’s vital to be persistent and believe in your product beyond day one, week one and month one of the announcement. You have to be in it for the PR long haul.

So here’s my advice for getting over any launch jitters:

• Follow a well-mapped out plan. Your go-to-market strategy should include all the sales and marketing elements that you need, with plenty of built-in opportunities to measure, revise and revisit. The long haul, remember?

• Get your messaging right before launch. It’s very hard to backtrack and attempt to rename something, even if you think no-one has taken any notice first time around

• Don’t get ‘over-corporate’. Yes, there are product categories, magic quadrants, and a heap of ‘leading provider of’ stories out there, but you simply cannot beat communicating at a personal level about the launch

• Budget properly. Unless you’ve created wireless electricity for the masses, cloned Justin Bieber, or come up with a carbon capture solution that fits in a handbag and costs less than $10, you’re going to need more bucks in your PR line after that first press release

• Be passionate. This is your vision and it’s your job to share the reason, opportunity and uniqueness of it. Be genuine and passionate. After all, this is part of your life’s story

Would you like to discuss an upcoming launch, or share your own thoughts about launch jitters? Then please book a slot to talk to us, or contact us via Twitter, LinkedIn or .

By Hazel Butters

December 9th, 2013

Media relations: Getting going when you’re an early stage company

Media relations: Getting going when you’re an early stage company

Last week we had some brilliant ‘Ten Ways’ calls and meetings with software companies and app developers. If you’re not familiar with our Ten Ways calls, it’s an offer of free consultancy time to talk about PR, media and analyst ideas relevant to your business based on our favorite webinar (you’ve guessed it) ‘Ten ways to promote your technology product, service or app’. Want to sign up? Simply click here and book an appointment.

One common media relation question I hear from start-ups and early stage companies is where to start. Picture it: you have a brilliant idea, an early stage venture and a swathe of passion and motivation to realize it, but you need to communicate it to relevant media. You look at the press out there: online, print, and broadcast press and you feel, well, overwhelmed. It’s understandable: the breadth of media, the pace it works at, the number of outlets and the volume of news can be dizzying. Though personally I think the speed, volume and pace make this the most fascinating market to work in.

Anyhow, if you are feeling media relation starter overwhelm, here’s some of my thoughts on how to gain perspective and begin:

• Align your media relations strategy very closely with your business strategy. If your strategy is to secure B2B partnerships, then speak to relevant press. If you want to sell a new product to female consumers, then target the outlets they are reading and influenced by. If you are looking for local funding, start sharing your ideas with the local business press.

• Don’t create a massive press list and just start spamming random press, or send them anything that’s blatantly promotional. These are professionals that are looking to educate, inform and entertain their audiences — give them interesting and relevant stories that will help them do just that.

• Call people. If you’re too scared to or simply don’t have the time, then buy some media calling time from a company such as Prompt which works with start-ups and works on a flexible basis to do things such as media-calling-by-the-hour.

• Be genuine. Share the reasons why you started your company, or the mission behind your organization. This is typically personal, genuine and relevant — it also helps all the people you want to communicate with to feel more engaged and to understand you better.

• Think like a reporter. Read, watch and listen to the press you want to engage with. Then think from their perspective (imagine being a reporter working in that newsroom) about which stories would be relevant to their readers, viewers or listeners.

• Have fun! We work in a fabulous, fast-paced and engaging industry — enjoy the thrill of being part of it.

Have some questions on specific media, PR, content creation, customer programs or analyst topics? Please take a few minutes and book a free call to hear our ‘Ten ways to promote your technology product, service or app’.

By PromptBoston

November 8th, 2013

Impromptu: Our latest tech-filled newsletter hits inboxes today

Impromptu: Our latest tech-filled newsletter hits inboxes today

It’s Friday and, unless you’re in the thick of technology, PR and copywriting like us, you may have missed some interesting stories this week. When the busyness of daily life takes over, it’s not always easy to stay up to date on the latest and greatest in technology news – which where we come in.

Impromptu subscribers can sit back, relax and enjoy their coffee breaks with our award-winning newsletter, distributed directly to inboxes every other Friday, and get caught up. Never again will you be the lunk at the bar on a Saturday night who had no idea Google had a mysterious barge hanging out off the coast of Maine.

This week, Promptoids Hazel, Dave, Sinead, Jackie, Max and Sam delve into India’s mission to Mars, the big Adobe hack, bitcoins, green-tech news, media happenings on both sides of the pond and the storage disk designed to endure a million years.

Still haven’t signed up? Don’t worry – we won’t let you miss out. To view this week’s edition, simply click here. While you’re at it, be sure to follow this link and get registered. See you again in two weeks!

Would you like us to cover something specific? We’d love to hear your Impromptu feedback – tweet us at @PromptBoston and @PromptLondon.

By Hazel Butters

November 6th, 2013

Data storage for Tomorrow’s World?

Data storage for Tomorrow’s World?

Image: University of Twente

Now, I love innovative tech as much as the next gal. The relentless pace of technology progress that makes today’s ground-breaking gadget tomorrow’s flea-market fodder, is what keeps everybody in our industry on their toes. But surely it’s vital that even us old dogs learn a few lessons along the way – if only to avoid some enormous hubristic investment that will come back to bite us just a little bit nearer down the road than we had been led to believe.

Every now and then, a technology revelation springs up that even nice normal people are happy to argue about loudly down the pub. Rarer still, it won’t be about social media or mobile devices, but something closer to the data centre – like secure storage. Those are the days when you find yourself shouting about the pros and cons of silicon nitride storage media and blaming 1980s TV presenters.

Let me explain. Recently a researcher at the University of Twente in the Netherlands announced that he had designed an optical storage disk made of tungsten and coated with silicon nitride, that he claimed would be able to survive extreme conditions and  survive for more than a million years at room temperature.

You probably thought that the ‘data explosion’ threatening your business continuity was just a metaphor didn’t you? Well, Jeroen de Vries believes it is important that we all start thinking about data storage for the looooong term. He says: “One scenario is that a disaster has devastated the earth and society must rebuild the world. Another scenario could be that we create a kind of legacy for future intelligent life that evolves on Earth or comes from other worlds. You must then think about archival storage of between one million and one billion years.”

All of which is very interesting, if a bit scary, but we can’t help thinking that we might have been here before. I clearly remember watching BBC prime time science and technology show ‘Tomorrow’s World’ back in 1981 when we were all told that compact discs would be the answer to all our digital storage needs, that they would last forever, and that (for some reason) spreading jam on a Bee Gees CD and flinging it about proved that this new format was practically indestructible.

So even though times have changed, and Mr. de Vries’ latest innovation undoubtedly represents a very different era of data storage development, it’s perfectly understandable that most people over the age of about 35 will be just a little sceptical about the reality. Especially when even today’s media seems intent on following Kieran Prendiville and the Tomorrow’s World team down the same old rabbit hole. ‘Tungsten Discs Could Function as Million-Year Time Capsules’ proclaims TechNews World. ‘Data Storage Device Built to Outlive Ourselves by 1 Million Years’ reports the Daily Nexus. ‘Giga-year storage medium could outlive human race’ writes R&D Magazine. And ‘Million-year data disk survived being barbecued’ reports the Daily Telegraph…

Don’t get me wrong, we all applaud this latest development, and can see umpteen applications for such long-term storage. But we’ve also been around the block enough times to wager that even the million year disk that can survive being barbecued might itself be superseded pretty soon. Maybe it already has. What do you think? Let us know.

By PromptBoston

October 11th, 2013

‘Ten ways to promote your technology product, service or app’: A free Prompt webinar

‘Ten ways to promote your technology product, service or app’: A free Prompt webinar

Technology marketing specialist shares ideas, opinions and experience on how to communicate technology benefits, differences and features to prospects  

October 11, 2013 – Prompt, a digital PR consultancy based in Boston and London, is hosting its first webinar in a series on PR, positioning and sales tactics for tech vendors. The webinar: The webinar: Ten ways to promote your technology product, service or app, will be held on Thursday October 17 at 11.30am EDT / 4.30pm BST.

The 45-minute webinar will outline challenges, tactics and opportunities facing technology vendors in communicating, planning and executing marketing and PR plans to drive sales – and offer suggestions to tech entrepreneurs and marketers that want to increase business momentum, drive marketing results and shorten their sales cycles.

The webinar will be hosted by Hazel Butters, a technology marketing specialist with 15 years’ experience of working with tech start-ups, early-stage VC-funded software companies and global technology companies.  It will cover:

• Messaging and positioning to increase relevance and drive sales
• How to identify and target key audiences
• Ways that PR can support technology sales
• The role of customer testimonials
• Advice on demonstrating thought leadership
• How to work with industry analysts

Hazel Butters, CEO of Prompt said: “This webinar is the first of a series of event and will be an introduction of ideas and examples of how to use PR and marketing to effectively communicate the relevance of a technology product or service – regardless of whether it’s high technology, like a high-end storage enterprise application; a consumer-leaning gadget or app; a green technology application or a medical technology device. Whatever the technology type, there’s an underlying need to be able to explain its intricacies, features and benefits to potential users. Meanwhile, buying technology has become a complicated and time-consuming activity: IT prospects are overwhelmed and uncertain. In many cases buyers find themselves inundated with content, and yet short of facts.”

Hazel concluded: “At Prompt we thrive off technology – it has an impact on how we live, communicate, work, and travel. I’m personally thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with global technology leaders, software companies across the globe, and some of the most fun and creatively innovative emerging tech vendors. As marketers our task is to present compelling, appropriate and honest details to relevant audiences to increase the understanding and knowledge, or to motivate a behavior – such as wanting to buy a technology product, service or app. I’m looking forward to sharing our ideas, forging new relationships and hopefully giving attendees some food for thought.”

Attendees will receive a copy of Prompt’s e-book: ‘Ten ways to promote your technology product, service or app.’

To attend ‘Ten ways to promote your technology product, service or app’ on Thursday October 17 at 11.30am EDT / 4.30pm BST, please register here.

For more information about Prompt’s technology PR, social media and copywriting services, please email info@prompt-communications.com

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 About Prompt 

Prompt is a digital PR agency that enables marketers and entrepreneurs to increase sales and marketing effectiveness. Specializing in innovative markets including technology, green tech and sustainability, Prompt helps its clients communicate effectively and authentically with core audiences online and offline through PR, media relations, copywriting, webinars, market and industry analysis, social media, video content and customer reference programs. Prompt Communications has head offices in London and Boston.  Prompt’s current and former clients include Adeptra, Adobe Systems Incorporated, Aperture, Crimson Hexagon, Dell Compellent, Genesys Telecommunications, GenSight, Grouptree, IBM, Ipswitch File Transfer, jovoto, KANA, NTT Com, Oracle Corporation, Sepaton and Webtide. www.prompt-communications.com

Media contacts: Jackie Fraser | press@prompt-communications.com | Tel: 617 401 2716

By PromptBoston

September 10th, 2013

aPriori signs new European PR contract with Prompt

aPriori signs new European PR contract with Prompt

International agency to continue to drive European media relations for PCM innovator

10 September 2013 – Prompt has been appointed by enterprise product cost management software specialist aPriori to run targeted 2014 European media campaigns covering Britain, France and DACH (Germany, Switzerland and Austria).

Headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts, aPriori develops and markets enterprise product cost management software to reduce the costs of products both post- and pre-production. aPriori Product Cost Management software platform is the first solution of its kind that allows companies to maximize savings throughout the development and manufacturing stages. The software provides real-time product cost assessments, enabling discrete manufacturers and product companies to make informed decisions to drive down product costs. aPriori helps world class manufacturing corporations stay on budget and reduce excess spending. The company recently announced $6 million in additional funding on the back of a record financial year which included annual revenue growth of 84% and a 62% increase in customers alongside a fifth year of 90% customer renewals.

Rick Burke, VP of Marketing for aPriori, said: “In Prompt we feel we have found a public relations company that matches our own personality. Together we are goal focused and strategic, targeting relevant media audiences in key territories, and concentrating on very specific markets. Prompt has understood our ambitions to produce some excellent and metric-based results to date including opinion pieces, interviews and coverage in core automobile, aerospace and manufacturing press. We now look forward to continuing our momentum, press coverage and sales-focused PR activities in 2014.”

Prompt is a PR consultancy that has gained significant experience in the technology industry with PR, copywriting and marketing clients from early stage technology companies to global organisations such as Dell and Oracle Corporation. The company also offers early stage companies an introduction to PR with packaged services called ‘First Byte’ with sales-focused, ‘no surprises’ PR, thought leadership, media coverage and sales-related content.

Hazel Butters, CEO, Prompt said: “aPriori is a unique company that provides a high quality product with huge value for any businesses looking for an innovative way to make more informed manufacturing and sourcing decisions that drive significant cost out of products. Rick and his team are great to work with – and they’re incredibly focused, providing our team with the goals and objectives essential for effective, results-driven PR. We very much look forward to continuing our work with aPriori into 2014.”

About aPriori
aPriori software and services generate hard-dollar product cost savings for discrete manufacturing and product innovation companies. Using aPriori’s real-time product cost assessments, employees in engineering, sourcing and manufacturing make more-informed decisions that drive costs out of products pre- and post-production. With aPriori, manufacturers launch products at cost targets, maximize savings in re-work projects and never overpay for sourced parts.
www.apriori.com

About Prompt Communications

Founded in January 2002, Prompt Communications is a communications agency with European offices in London and US offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts and San Francisco, California. Prompt Communications offers expertise across all marketing disciplines, teaming its consultants’ extensive knowledge of start-ups, technology market with experience of pan-European and American media, analyst and marketing campaigns. Using highly targeted marketing, PR, analyst relations, social media and corporate copywriting initiatives, Prompt helps its clients gain the visibility they need to achieve their business objectives, from increasing sales to enhancing reputation with stakeholders.
www.prompt-communications.com

Media Contact:
Jackie Fraser | Prompt
Tel: +44 845 053 9121 | +1 617 401 2717
press@prompt-communications.com