Current PR Pieces I can introduce you to

To contribute to any of these please e-mail me on ben@bkbusinesssolutions.co.uk

1)  Business Secretary Vince Cable has said the government is willing to take "further action with tax on banks" if they do not increase lending to SMEs.

How much of a problem is the level of lending to SMEs? Have attempts by the Government to boost lending had any impact, and if not what needs to happen? Is a tax on banks the answer?

I'm looking for an opinion piece on the subject aimed at an audience of business advisers. If you've got a strong view on this, drop me a line for further details.

2)  Looking for all things money saving - from food/drink, fashion, beauty, right through to the best car deals, home improvements etc.  also would like to hear about new schemes, grants or deals plus every issue I highlight interesting websites to suit readership. KS readers prefer organic, natural, eco, energy saving, ethical or simply money saving deals.

3)  We're looking to talk to individuals at END USER ORGANISATIONS eg CIOs, IT directors, HR directors, Customer Service directors or other line of business people who are either involved with Cloud Computing deployment OR are people in line of business functions whose jobs have changed/been impacted by the use of Cloud Computing technologies. Interviews with such individuals will be for inclusion in our Practical Cloud profile series on BC9. We will also be interested in considering them as panelists/guests for the Business Cloud Summit 2011 (www.businesscloudsummit.com). Please note I am NOT looking for reps from technology vendors or services companies who can talk about Cloud, ONLY genuine end users from end user organisations, private or public sector.

4)  Looking for competition prizes for July and August on popular website. Min PV £300.

Mass market women 25+

Hitwise top female lifestyle site 2010

1.7 m unique users

5)  Do you have a serious clutter problem? A kitchen that is crammed withgadgets that you never use but won't get rid of?  A bedroom that belonged to the kids who have since left home but used the room as a dumping ground for stuff they don't need but won't let you get rid of it?  Or a home office that is so cluttered you can't move.  We are looking for clutter and hoarding stories...  will need to do a phone interview and pic of you in the cluttered room....  Preferably not clothes as we've done lots of clothes stories, more 'stuff'.... Stuff that you should take to the charity shop or sell on ebay but just never get round to it....

6)  A Major Newspaper’s summer campaign - 99 Days of Summer -  kicks off shortly and they were wondering if it was possible to sort comp prizes. We are hoping to give away prizes such as digital cameras, video cameras, camping gear and footy shirts. The campaign is broken down into a few sections including - £9.50 holidays, 2-4 1 days out and camping trips. Coverage will be provided on The website (logo and link), as well as shout outs on Facebook and Twitter pages.

Stats:16 million uu p/m, Facebook: 27,946, Twitter: 20,550

7)  Interesting opinion pieces sought for a Technology Industry Voice section. Must be 600-900 words long and include a colour high-res photo of the author. Must be on a topic of interest (and be interesting in itself --ie not make points that are well worn, tired, or widely known to our readership) to our readership. Four new pieces sought weekly.

8)  Looking for call centre managers or supervisory staff who can explain how they deal with short-term absence requests from customer service agents, for example, to cover dental appointments or child care.

9)  Looking for a victim of a mail scam (scam letters)

10)PUZZLE COMPETITION PRIZES I'm looking for products that can be given away as prizes within our puzzle section in the magazine. Reader will complete the crosswords, word searches etc and your product will be the prize they win!

The product will wrap around the puzzle and you'll get 100 word copy and 2-3 images to promote your product on the page.

The puzzle page attracts a huge interest from our readers and many buy the magazine just for our puzzle section. The minimum give away value is only £200.

I have spaces available in July/August.

Products that have worked well before are:

Health & beauty products

Electricals

Spa/pamper days

Weekend breaks

Cameras

Clothes

Vouchers

Jewellery

Accessories

Chocolate

Tickets

Hampers

Food and drink

Watches

Sunglasses

Home & Garden ware

11)DO YOU HAVE A YOUNG MALE CLIENT WHO - WHEN HE'S NOT AT WORK - IS REALLY INTO HIS CARS?

Hello and sorry for that big, booming headline. I'm looking for successful guys under 35 who have made a go of things professionally and have consequently treated themselves to a set of dream wheels. It's for a five page feature in Major UK mag, and each of the 5 people I speak to will have a 500 word interview, plus pics of him and the car. It's meant to be a positive, inspiring piece, designed to make readers go, "Man, I've got to do that, too!"

If you have a client who fits the bill - ie, they're young, have an amazing car and love talking about it - please drop me a line.

Thanks!

12)Have you left a negative social networking footprint? Seeking case studies, 20-30 year-old-ish who have been negatively affected by something reflecting them online. For example, a prospective boss has googled you to find ‘inappropriate’ images of you on Facebook (even though they were placed there several years before when you were a partying Uni student); or some kind of slanderous story or negative media still comes up  online when your name is searched for. I’m after any kind of story or experience that still lingers online and that has caused you issues in later life for consumer magazine feature story. Sources may remain anonymous.

13)HR software & technology special digital eguide To be featured in a brand new digital eguide format:

Looking for the latest innovation on HR software & technology trends, plus case studies, top tips and practical advice on the following:

As HR becomes more commercially accountable for its function, how can HR software help organisations become streamlined, efficient and save costs within the business?

What software solutions are on offer to help HR manage its workforce:

- performance management

- talent management

- recruitment

- direct sourcing

- employee self-service

- payroll

- employment law

- workforce management

• As HR looks at ways to connect its global multinational workforce, what challenges does this present to HR and what solutions are on offer to help overcome these?

• Impact of digital applications: social networking/digital/mobile

• Cloud based technology – is this the hottest trend? Why? What is it and what are the implications for HR? At what point should HR consider looking into cloud based technology (does it make sense for a business that has a more remote/mobile/flexible workforce or will this be a trendsetter for all businesses in future)?

• Presenting the HR business case: how can HR secure the budget and

convince the board/senior management team that investing in new HR software/technology makes commercial business sense - upfront costs versus long-term cost savings and ROI?

• How to manage smooth implementation: what are the common pitfalls HR falls into when implementing new software solutions and how to avoid them?

• Any other tricks being missed?

14)E4's hit reality show 'Tool Academy' is back for a second series!

Filming in an exclusive luxury location this summer - 12 guys, nominated by their long suffering girlfriends, will live together and compete in a range of tasks to redeem themselves and win a big cash prize!

We will be filming the boys and their girlfriends over the course of their stay in 'Tool Academy' as one 'Tool' is eliminated each episode.

We are seeking various products to be placed in the bedrooms and communal areas where the girls and boys will be spending their down time between challenges. They will be filmed while in these areas to gage reactions, talk about experiences and throw tantrums!

We will be able to credit any suppliers on the E4 website for items donated.

For the Boys:

Games/ Toys/ Gadgets

Furniture (beds, seating, storage)

Bed linen

Mens styling products

Clothing

For the Girls:

Health and Beauty products and accessories

Hair products and styling

Make up

Clothing

Furniture (beds, seating, storage, dressing tables)

Bed linen

Games/ Gadgets

15)I need to source 25 identical competition prizes with a value of approximately £25-£30 In return I can offer substantial coverage worth up to £1000. I'm thinking along the lines of an iPod shuffle or similar gadget, a gift voucher or just make a suggestion!

Email me with any ideas you may have either for the full 25, or may consider a partial submission.

16)I'm looking for a savvy, young individual under 40, who is already thinking about their retirement and making good pension provision. Maybe someone who has upped their monthly saving because they are worried about the retirement age increasing, or someone who has recently just started saving for the same reasons.

If you fit the bill and are available to speak to journalists and have your photo taken before the meeting, drop me a line and we'll make sure you're compensated for your time with shopping vouchers.

Thanks very much in advance,

17)I’m writing a Focus article for Newsflash, Computer 2000’s monthly publication, which is sent in electronic or printed form to around 9,000 UK reseller organisations.

This piece will look at new developments, market trends and projections in the mobile sector and at the impact that the new generations of tablets, smartphones and ultra-portables is having on the market. As part of this we’ll look at the on-going impact of the tablet phenomenon and how this is starting to change the way that we work and interact. We will try to look at how this might change the way people use technology, communicate and collaborate and what that might mean for the reseller.

I’m interested in getting concise responses from:

•       Research firms and analysts

•       Vendors that are directly involved in this sector of the market right now

•       Resellers that care to share their views and experiences so far – and perhaps their hopes and concerns as well

Please don’t waste your time if you don’t fall into one of these categories. We have limited space for this piece.

Here are a few questions – if you only want to answer one or two, that’s fine with me.

•       How is the explosion of different kinds of devices we are now seeing going to affect user behaviour, both in terms of what they buy and how they use mobile technologies? Can we really expect users to start adopting multiple devices and carrying them with them everywhere they go?

•       Will we see an increase in mobile and virtual working – and perhaps a positive knock-on effect for cloud services adoption?

•       Will people use UC and conferencing more, collaborate and interact more, simply because they can do that anywhere and on any device?

•       Which formats and technologies will be the winners and losers over the next two to three years and why?

•       Is the tablet going to take off in business? Or will it be principally or almost exclusively a consumer device?

•       What effect are these changes going to have on the role of resellers / retailers / integrators?

I need answers preferably by close of play Friday 10th June.

BK Business Solutions, doing it the right way

Ben Coates now has broken away from his former group and is doing things the right way, BK will become a major player in Shropshire, and his same day service has not been affected.

Ben has always been a very hard worker, but during his career has got frustrated with how people run businesses, and how having business partners doesn’t seem to work because of the power battles or others think they know best, well after the success of building up two new start businesses with others he has decided to go it alone.

BK Business Solutions Ltd

“I have had too many business partners, and no matter how flexible you try to be, somebody always tries to overpower you, I have had some good partners whom I learnt from, and some bad ones, where I learnt not to do things in certain ways and who think they know best, well now I am going it alone, and a word of warning is I will be brutal to be successful.”

“I have plans and have decided to start with three arms, I have decided to keep the same day courier service going, I built my previous company up to four employees within three months, but pressure of being part of several companies doesn’t work, you need to make one successful then move onto another, the same day will be run by my wife, who was a super sales person and will bring the business in, our vans have already been pounding the UK, we have vans from Combo, all the way up to a Luton Van with a Tail Lift.”

“I am also currently in discussions with a major IT supplier in the town to bring them a dealer’s agreement on mobile phones, this should be announced at the end of June, there is a massive scope in Shropshire for good face to face business, good honest dealers like the old PC builder, and service is the longevity to a good future, I will announce more once all contracts are signed but most planning is now complete, so if your contract is due within the next three months let me know.”

“The third arm is my passion, where my day to day work lies, it is in PR and event management, people seem to overlook the power of a good story, the need to deflect criticism, they don’t seem to miss understand social media, not value their logo and let it drift away from the current trends, we won’t allow any of this to occur, we will ensure you are in the limelight continuously, we will work alongside your management, we will even be your marketing department and save you costs of having a full time employee.”

“People also have moved away from doing events, whether it be a full scale exhibition, a more personal training session or a press conference, we have facilities that will ensure you get your message across, people enjoy personal contact, why not invite your top 20 customers, and talk them through your services, do they use them all? We are currently planning for Ruth Badger to come to Telford and do a talk to business minded people and fans of the Apprentice, we also are in the final stages of organising a network club with a difference, we are full of ideas and can bring them to your party.”

All of our services are available on www.bkbusinesssolutions.co.uk, www.bksameday.co.uk and with the mobile phone sites to launch; our aim is to save you money, by providing a service that enhances your profitability. Follow us on Twitter @bencoates130776 and @bkbusiness, with 18 years business experience we really are here for you and we offer free consultations, one thing we don’t lack is passion, to see our writing style, visit out blog, http://bencoatespr.blogspot.com/. We are based in the E-Innovation Centre on the University of Wolverhampton Campus, where the coffee is fantastic.

BK Business Solutions Launch

At a recent exhibition, Director Ben Coates was told, the press releases you send through are impressive and ready to go, why don’t you do more?

Well here is the news, Ben Coates has taken up the challenge and is ready to hit it head on, all he needs now is customers, but with this standard of writing, the creativity and designs, and enthusiasm it surely won’t be long.

With a major contract already in the offing, the future looks bright, but Ben doesn’t just want it for himself, he wants to create employment and be a design/PR studio, aspiring to the famous Mr Paparazzi, Darren Lyons, he is off to London in search of experience that will hold him in good stead on his return a few days later.

He proved the contacts that BK have this week when he tweeted about the media’s vehicles outside Ryan Giggs house had been attacked even before it appeared on Sky News as Breaking News, Ben said “I have always been told it is not what you know but who you know, well in PR it is both, you can know the whole world, but if you don’t know how to portray a story then there is not much point, I have my own ways of thinking and for customers my ideas will definitely be unique, I can manage their image, create a new one, or re-launch an old one.”

Ben believes with the increase in social media, old marketing ploys that work have been forgotten, “I have a broad spectrum and experience of all types, different campaigns work for different people, but as long as all is monitored for their impact then all must be explored and discussed. I also believe that press exposure is under used, with so many cost cutting exercises going on in the media circles, papers now rely more and more on PR companies and marketing businesses, if they have one contact that they can get several stories from, or adverts booked it assists them and helps save our local papers.”

“The link back to social media is that the more the press release is posted across the internet, the more Google rankings you earn and this helps your search engine optimisation., campaigns must be consistent and that is what we will assist with, and we will also install monitoring systems so we can evaluate the impact of each part to see where the money that is tight, is better spent.”

BK Business Solutions can be contacted on 07738 715038, or through the website, www.bkbusinesssolutions.co.uk, and you can follow the tweets on @bkbusiness, Ben’s personal tweets are on @bencoates130776.