Committed to opening up PR to businesses of all sizes and sectors, and to supporting a diverse range of spokespeople to develop relationships with the media, Kasa Communications is truly doing things differently. Sharon Davis, founder and managing director, tells us more
For many businesses, investing in their PR is something that just isn’t seen as being for them.
‘It’s too expensive’ is a common reason. Thinking they’re not interesting enough to warrant coverage in the media, or they’re not a sizeable enough venture, are others.
And through this common perception of PR as being the domain of the ‘big players’, countless small, independent businesses and the amazing work they do go under the radar.
But for Sharon Davis, that’s exactly the type of business she wants to support. Through her venture Kasa Communications, she is truly turning the tide in PR, with a commitment to opening the industry up as never before.
“What’s the point in being another agency that wants to promote Coca Cola, or a massive brand like that? I don’t get a kick out of that,” she says.
“Running a business involves a lot of effort, time and sacrifice. So I think if I’m going to do it, it may as well be for a good cause, to help the businesses and business owners who don’t usually get the coverage.”
This commitment to doing things differently, and its transparency on pricing, range of affordable packages and offer of free services – such as its half-hour PR Surgery – are key to Kasa Communications wanting to make PR as accessible as possible.
It is also leading on new innovations in the North East – the Kasa Community, which brings together business owners as spokespeople as a resource for journalists to seek comment on a range of issues; and its Meet the Journalist event, which brings business owners face-to-face with the people who may be interested in writing about them.
Going forward, events are set to feature even more prominently in Kasa Communications’ offering, with Sharon committed to setting a new course based on what works best for clients.
And with a growing portfolio of clients from throughout the region – with a particular focus on education, local government, professional services, property and food – the need for Kasa Communiations new approach to PR is evident.
“I’m not from a traditional PR background, I’ve come from journalism, but I believe PR is an industry that is changing, which reflects the change we’re seeing in the world,” says London-born Sharon, who began her career in BBC local radio.
“A big one for me is how spokespeople historically have tended to be the same and journalists get the same kinds of quotes. But if we’re looking at more diverse voices – females, people from black or Asian backgrounds, or even people from rural areas – journalists will get a different perspective. And that’s really important.
“We do need to make it more accessible, and this has always been a driver for me. And I think having come from London, I’ve seen that in comparison, people in the North East don’t necessarily get PR, it’s not something that is seen as a big deal.
“So what I really want to do is to educate and help those smaller businesses, to help them realise there is a space for them to talk and to be heard. And we can help with that.”
Having worked in media since 2005, Sharon left the BBC after only two years, aged just 23 – “I’d say I had imposter syndrome” – and worked in numerous specialist titles before becoming a self-employed PR consultant in London, supporting businesses of all sizes and sectors, with one highlight being hosting an international press conference in South Africa.
Having moved to North Yorkshire in 2016, Sharon realised the need to support businesses in her new rural location to have a voice. As well as her PR offering, Sharon furthered her commitment to supporting businesses by creating Dales Business Women, a networking group for rurally-based professional and self-employed women.
Creating Kasa Communications – Kasa means ‘to speak’ in Ghanaian – she quickly made an impact in her new home, and has gone on to expand across the whole of the North East region with her news-focused approach helping to open new avenues for clients.
“I think even in the two short years I was at the BBC, I credit that role with my whole career today, because it has given me a real insight into how news works,” says Sharon.
“I also realise the need to reach out to a mixture of diverse audiences. This has given me almost the backbone of the business in terms of values. We need to be going beyond your ‘typical’ people and reaching new ones, making it accessible to them.”
As an entrepreneur herself, mother-of-two Sharon is aware of the cost pressures of running a business, so tries to make access to PR as cost-effective as possible.
“We do try to offer free things, or really cost-effective things, and give advice on DIY ways that help people to do their own PR, and that has been great,” she says.
“Some of the things we’ve done have been fantastic – for example, at our first Meet the Journalist event, someone was even offered their own column. That’s not something many people would think could be possible unless you were paying a PR agency thousands of pounds.
“But there is only so much of that we can do, because things do cost money. A lot of time and effort goes into the work we do, but we are mindful of our pricing so that people know what we charge and what they’ll get in return.
“We appreciate people often don’t have thousands of pounds in their budget to spend on PR, but they don’t need to. It has taken a long time for us to get to the point where we’re helping businesses in a way that works financially for us too, but I think we’ve just about hit the sweet spot now.”
Constantly innovating and refining Kasa Communications’ offering to stay on top of trends is how Sharon believes the business will continue to stand out from the crowd.
“PR is changing, and if you don’t keep up and see things differently, particularly in areas like AI, I think you’ll fall behind. I am not sure this traditional version of the PR industry will exist in five or ten years time,” says Sharon.
“You have to give people what they want and make sure you’re on top of what’s happening. I have some ideas for tech and automation for the future, because I want to make sure we’re current and forward-thinking. We need to keep innovating and learning the lessons along the way.”
Having now reached a stage where Sharon is happy with her business and its offering, with growth plans very much in place for the months and years ahead, she is always happy to share the benefits of her experience with other entrepreneurs looking to develop and grow.
“I’m always really honest about the challenges, it’s good to be honest,” she says.
“I’ve always had a vision of what I wanted, but I think sometimes the balance of that vision and getting what I need right now is something I haven’t always got right.
“I often look back and question whether I should have left the BBC so soon. Whether I should have gone into self employment in 2010, when all my friends were in paid, secure jobs.
“I think a lot of it came down to my confidence and insecurity, that my inner soft skills weren’t developed enough. I’ve spent a lot of time feeling insecure – but you learn as you go, and I’ve learnt a lot over the years. I’m not averse to risk, and that is part of the learning process too.
“Now, aged 39, I don’t sit down and think about what I did at 23, but I do think you can look back and reflect on what you’ve done, good and bad. For me personally, being a black woman from South London moving North to start a business has had its own challenges, but I’m proud of what I have created. It has definitely been a success.
“Kasa Communications has a great team who seem to love working here, and I think we have a really good people focus. That has yielded a business that is fun and healthy to be in. I’m really pleased with where we are, and looking forward to what comes next.”
For more information about Kasa Comms, visit www.kasacomms.com
