When it comes to ensuring the success of your business, your brand’s PR strategy can make all the difference. At the very least, you need to ensure you have a strong clear communications plan in place to make sure your target audience knows that you and your product or service exists.

For small to midsize companies, who don’t have the luxury of large teams and limitless resources, getting this right can be a challenge. This is where freelance consultants like Mark, come in. In this month's freelance success story, we speak to Mark, independent communications consultant and content writer. With almost 30 years experience supporting SME’s and start-ups communicate their brand, we find out how he ensures small businesses are getting the right start.

Tell us about your expertise Mark…

I help mid-size companies, small firms and startups punch above their weight with media coverage and social media content.  Clients can be anyone from technology firms and public sector bodies to UK grass seed distributors and architects.

I worked in PR consultancies for 20 years but being freelance definitely gives me more variety. The range of paid, owned and earned opportunities to build a brand is huge but it can be daunting for busy entrepreneurs or senior executives to keep on top of.  They often need an experienced head to take care of a blog, get in some national newspapers or write customer testimonials. Some companies want one-offs: I wrote a public sector technology transformation white paper which the client sales team said had helped raise their game.

As I’ve been around a long time, I know the media’s ways and can grasp the dynamics of the client’s market or an innovative business case pretty quickly.

We live in 24/7 social media and news cycle, so there are endless opportunities for businesses to comment, disagree or make a name for themselves.  Some businesses I meet will say to me ‘it’s not our place to comment’ but that view soon passes!

You’ve worked for two clients through the platform to date, can you tell us about the business objective that arose for the client and your solution/what you achieved for them?

An international client’s consultancy work required new approaches to businesses and charities’ corporate governance – in some pretty sensitive areas.  At the discovery stage, we found that they had clear views on what needed to change, whether in boardrooms or in business processes. As a result, we quickly established a set of viewpoints that turned into published blogs, opinion articles and news in different markets - without being drawn into getting customer testimonials written up and signed off.

What is your best advice for anyone that wants to work with a communications or content consultant such as yourself, to help you achieve their business goals?

Take the time to develop the brief, either when you write it, or work with the consultant / adviser on it.  You will achieve better results and save a lot of effort if you agree clearly what you need and set of expected outcomes as a benchmark.

‘I really enjoy being on the Work Crowd platform. The range of businesses, creatives and not-for-profit seeking help is amazing; you see start-ups, bloggers, designers or bigger companies with a launch or product opportunity that you know instantly you’d love to work on. The Work Crowd Team are helpful friends, providing advice and support – and it’s all done with a sense of fun.’ Mark. W, Freelance Communications Consultant and Content Writer

Looking to launch a new product or service and need help with building your brand? Get in touch with us here at The Work Crowd. You will be assigned a dedicated account manager who can discuss your business needs and connect you directly to independent consultants such as Mark. Contact us or call on 0207 632 8815