Deep South Media’s managing director Ron Wain looks to the future as the multimedia content provider, which works for leading companies and organisations, celebrates its 25th trading anniversary on 20th February 2023.
The independent firm, employing staff with 170 years’ combined media and PR experience, shares its formation year, 1998, with that of another digital brand, Google.
Marking 25 years in business is no mean feat, including safely weathering the pandemic, recessions and attendant pressures which come with running a company and familiar to most of Great Britain’s 5.5 million businesses.
My colleagues and I raise a collective glass to achievements on behalf of our loyal clients – and also to the future, sharing best digital practice for companies and organisations in the ever-evolving world of online content and artificial intelligence.
There are five core services under the Deep South Media brand – public relations, visual, social media, creative and training.
Each one is performing well.
Crucially, with these five services, we provide clients with solutions to problems.
Filling the labour and skills gap
Switched-on companies outsource their press office and content generation to Deep South Media because of our professional effectiveness, cost efficiencies and the UK’s acute labour and skills shortage.
By way of example, a salaried PR manager averages £41,000, according to sector figures; we are available for a lot less.
The average salary for a content marketing manager is reportedly £38,700 and, for a social media executive, £23,900. Again, our invoices are well under what an employer would pay for equivalent roles.
Based on the £41,000 figure, one client with 1,000-plus employees has already saved more than £500,000 over 15 years by deploying Deep South Media as its virtual press office.
It is the same client who successfully tendered for a multi-million pound contract after an article by Deep South Media caught the eye of top brass in a particular sector.
Proven returns on investment
By the way, verifiable returns on investment on our articles in the media for some clients have included £600,000 (outlay £3,000), £250,000 (outlay £560) and £12,000 (outlay £280).
If that was not enough, our ‘organic’ content is well received by search engine algorithms, rewarding clients with higher rankings.
Don’t be dismissive of the news section of your company’s website – quality content generates traffic and leads. It is the power of search.
One of our clients, a large independent, says the two most visited pages on its website are, first, the jobs section, and then, thanks to informative content, the news section.
A rusting news section does not make for an effective recruiting sergeant.
Success stories
Writing of business leads, one firm in Hampshire found itself inundated with leads after we wrote a story on its success on behalf of one of our clients.
We are also well connected – we’ve put a port decision maker in touch with a client hotelier on the South Coast so the hotel could accommodate new cruiser liner calls.
Summing up, this is what clients receive from Deep South Media’s hard-to-source skill sets, the core of which is derived from invaluable experience gained as senior journalists at regional daily newspapers and a national news agency:
- Business press releases – ‘page-ready’ articles for online, broadcast and print media – local, regional, UK and sector-specific.
- Virtual press office – staffed remotely by news, for up to 70% less than the cost of a salaried equivalent, with returns on investment.
- LinkedIn – utilising this influential B2B platform with high-quality content to attract new customers (and potential corporate suitors).
Professional content
- Visual – professional videos and photography, plus drone expertise (compliant and insured), driving online content and media coverage.
- Creative – eye-catching and informative newsletters, brochures and bespoke marketing material in digital and print formats.
- Crisis comms – rapid-response damage limitation, ethically done, in time frames measured in minutes, not hours, due to viral social media.
Meaningful communications
- Journalism – professionally written content by former senior news journalists from daily regional newspapers and a national news agency.
- Stakeholder engagement – gaining buy-ins for projects through considered and considerate communication.
- Internal communications – meaningful and interesting content for staff, in good times and bad.
Global audience
- Media training – putting senior leadership teams through the media wringer, based on realistic scenarios which could upend your organisation at any time.
- Media awareness training for university academics and researchers – how to identify newsworthiness and promote findings to national and global audiences.
- LinkedIn training workshops – how best to champion your employer on this influential B2B platform; dos and don’ts.
Interactive training workshops
- How to write effective press releases – online, interactive workshops on how to write effective press releases for the media, website and digital platforms.
- Supporting change – providing multimedia communications to underpin strategic and tactical changes in companies or organisations.
- ‘Critical friend’ – your trusted advisor on an idea or impending action; telling you straight what the reputational implications are through honest sense checking.
Power of search
- White Papers and briefing papers – giving you the low-down on any subject, meticulously researched, sourced and concisely presented.
- The power of search optimisation – our team provide exemplary ‘organic’ content rewarded by higher rankings by major search engines, such as Google, because of our journalistic content.
- Connections – long-lasting professional relationships forged over two decades with CEOs, MDs and other decision makers, with high-level introductions made to benefit your business.
For more information on how your company or organisation would benefit from Deep South Media’s retained services, please contact Ron via info@deepsouthmedia.co.uk, ring 01202 534487 or DM Ron’s LinkedIn.
