Woking News and Mail

A local newspaper title that has run almost continuously since 1894 and for the six years prior to approaching Carol Miller Media it had been operating as a family owned, independent title.
It’s sales were declining and had just started working with a completely new team under its current Managing Director Terry Tidbury. As part of his bid to boost sales he wanted to reach a younger audience and increase awareness in the local community, of which a large part was unaware that the title still existed.

The ongoing work with Carol Miller Media has contributed to a sales increase of around 20% in the last two years in a campaign that has based its focus on the trusted relationship it has with the local community.
To achieve this and meet a proviso to also target newspaper retailers, the campaign was launched with a stakeholder survey which won sponsorship from a local brewery that covered almost the total cost of the project. Though the capture-rate was small by nature of the subject, the resulting 98% approval rating provided a platform to highlight the special relationship the newspaper has with communities within Woking.
It re-energised the editorial and sales coverage and based on responses to the survey enabled the paper to increase its business news coverage, including high profile McLaren Technology Centre and Asahi Brewery, engaging with potential advertisers as well as influencers in the commercial and local authority sector.
Increased involvement in community and commercial events and initiatives and improved connections with the local authority have made the publication a go-to source for a wider range of organisations. Meanwhile, greater coordination between the editorial team and the PR work has ensured focus. This has included its social media output.

The Player Charter

We asked Carol to capture the essence of what makes it different and why it should become the gold standard for football intermediaries who want to offer young footballers the best support during and even after their playing careers. Her insight has helped give us the springboard to move forward on this and we look forward to continuing to work with her so that we can build that recognition and integrity for football as a whole and be of real value to players and agents.

Yves Romestan

Hitting well above its weight as an SME, Global Travel Management turned to Carol Miller Media to put in place its first formal Public Relations strategy to achieve local recognition.
The CMM programme covered a range of communications activity that ensured recognition of GTM’s contribution to the Travel Management industry in national trade media, underpinning steady news coverage for its work as a successful business supporting the local community.
This included GTM’s first entry to a business awards event, The Toast of Surrey Awards 2015, for which it won a finalist place. It achieved regional recognition as a successful business and for the high standing it holds among industry peers as well as its commitment to its workforce and customers.
GTM Managing Director Scott Pawley says:
“It was the first time Global Travel Management had ever taken up the challenge of a business award. So the ensuing publicity we received in news coverage, followed by the chance to celebrate our achievement as finalists, was a wonderful morale boost for my team.“

Woking Mind

Remit:
To embed the message of Woking Mind, which is to make sure that no-one in Woking has to face a mental health problem alone.

Challenge:
To gain greater public awareness of the support services offered by the charity.

Testimonial from Chris Bedford, Vice-Chairman, Woking Mind:
“Thanks to Carol’s presentational skills, our first ever newsletter was transformed from a plain text into something truly special, a real boost for our charity’s image.”

Beanbag Coffee Ltd

Remit:
To advise on launching a new product in a highly competitive consumer market and to assess and develop its unique selling point as a brand. To advise on a marketing strategy.

Challenge:
To develop a brand with a strong USP that can compete in an already saturated market and to identify its target audience.

Owner Beanbag Coffee Ltd, Gary Kirby:
“Carol has helped guide me and provide me with invaluable advice regarding my start-up Beanbag Coffee (www.beanbagcoffee.co.uk). Her insight on all areas from pitches, to branding, to dealing with suppliers and was all amazing. Carol literally helped my business to get off the ground. Can’t thank her enough.”

BoCo Yoga & Pilates

Remit:
To raise awareness of BoCo Yoga & Pilates Centre as a centre of holistic wellbeing and celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Challenge:
BoCo’s high standards of teaching has established it among local yoga and pilates practitioners and teachers as a centre of excellence. However, it needed to boost its profile as a successful business, which has has thrived while adhering to its ethos of high quality practice and teaching in a highly competitive field.

BoCo Yoga & Pilates, Director and co-founder, Karin Worthy:
“I would like to thank you for all the help, guidance and support you have given BoCo, particularly with our 10-year birthday celebrations.   
 
“Like so many small businesses we sometimes need specialist services that we don’t have in-house and often struggle to do everything ourselves because we also need to keep our overheads as low as possible. 

Charlie’s Angels Foundation

Remit:
To gain media awareness and public support for the launch of Charlie’s Angels Foundation, a charity aimed at raising funds for research into a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.

Challenge:
The charity is one of a number with similar aims. It’s launch coincided with a great deal of negative publicity regarding the accountability of charities. Its fundraising target for the initial event was to raise at the least the sum it was required to raise in one year to enable it to register with the Charities Commission.

Testimonial from Charlie Lloyd, MD of Lloyd HR Consultancy and founder of Charlie’s Angels Foundation:
“The charity’s gala launch raised £19,280 and the PR campaign for the charity launch and fundraiser won local and regional coverage, driving interest to it through current news, business news and coverage of the launch.
“I can’t thank Carol enough for her PR work to help get my charity launched. Carol never compromises on her attention to detail, even though her support for the charity was pro bono. She is thorough and professional and always tailors her PR support to my needs, ensuring I was well briefed and comfortable in interviews. What’s more she managed to get lots of great media coverage.
“It helped raise support for the charity and the fundraiser. I was particularly pleased that after The Surrey Advertiser articles I was contacted by people who have had MS or have relatives with MS who want to give their support to Charlie’s Angels Foundation. Business magazine coverage will also have helped my HR business, which is great!”