Public Relations For Small Business – If you’re a small business owner, don’t fall into the trap of thinking you don’t need PR—because you do. PR builds and manages the reputation your brand has in society. It’s the conversation people have with you when you’re not in the room.
Be sure. You don’t need a monthly fee with a public relations firm. We’ve got some simple public relations ideas to help you boost your brand image.
Public Relations For Small Business
It is common to confuse marketing with PR. But once you understand the difference, you can take the necessary steps to market your business.
Pr — Blog: Public Relations, Writing, Small Business, Mental Health, Photography, Storytelling — Hourglass Media
Marketing promotes your products and services with advertising campaigns, social media, e-newsletters, blog posts, etc. PR is not focused on promoting what sells. PR builds and manages your public image. It lets society know your personality and then facilitates how you are perceived by the world at large.
The big difference between marketing and public relations? Marketing is usually paid advertising, while public relations raises awareness. PR does not pay for advertising; instead, it receives media coverage.
When you see a company in the news donating money to a worthy cause, issuing a statement that upholds some core values, or even hosting a joyous open house. It’s good public relations.
A marketing book + workbook that walks you through every section of a marketing plan and is loaded with free resources.
Pr For Small Businesses
While your new business is unlikely to be the center of attention on the 6 pm news, you may be mentioned in a newsletter. What really sets your company apart? Do you offer a product or service that is not available in the area? Do you make a point of hiring veterans, people with disabilities, victims of abuse, etc.?
If you can’t think of a story to write, try responding to other local news stories. If you see a business story on the air or in the paper that you can relate to, write a reaction piece. You don’t have to write an entire story – just give reporters an idea of why this would make a good follow-up story.
When pitching your story to reporters, remember that the most important thing they want to know is why your story matters. Or in other words: who cares? The story must be appealing to your readers/viewers.
If you own some kind of place – like a bar or restaurant – organize an event at your business. That’s hard to do during a pandemic, but think outside the box. What are some fun, socially distant ideas to keep your community engaged?
Public Relations 101 For Small Business Owners With Connie Wong — Pretty Okay Podcast
If you own a store or other small business, you can sponsor an event, organization or athlete. This could include sponsoring local youth sports. When parents, kids, and coaches see your logo on shirts, they’ll remember that you played an important role in supporting their sport.
There’s no better way to leave a lasting impression on society than to give back! If you don’t have a lot of money to spend, consider donating services, products, or your time to a charitable cause, such as a fundraising auction or food drive. You can also volunteer to make your business a drop-off point for donations, or find another way for your business to help with an event or charity.
The key is to show the audience that you’re surrendering because you’re part of the community and you care, not because you want an “Attaboy.”
Avoid making it the entire middle of the story. Instead, focus on the organization or cause you support. Be the brand ambassador. How can society participate if it wants to? Why did you choose this particular cause?
Public Relations Ebook By Pamela Wigglesworth
Social media can help spread your story like wildfire. Start by finding and reaching out to local influencers. They could be Facebook page admins, Instagrammers, TikTokers or even YouTube vloggers who have amassed an impressive fan base. Ask them to try your products or services.
Some influencers do it for free, others expect something in return – a free meal, free products, free accommodation, free samples, etc. The downside is that you won’t have control over what the influencer writes/posts about you. The advantage business is that it will lead to social media hype for little to no cost.
Help A Reporter Out (HARO): Managed by Cision, this service provides access to journalists, bloggers and other media influencers who need an industry expert to comment on a story idea. When you sign up as a source, you will receive a free HARO email summary of the latest questions. Most of these story ideas are time-stamped, so pay attention to every detail.
MuckRack: This is a social media for journalists. If you’re looking for the science and health writer for a specific medical journal or the food editor for a journal, you can search the journalist database. A free account lets you access basic information, but you must upgrade to a paid account to access contact information and some of the site’s other useful services.
Oberhausen Marketing & Public Relations
MyBlogGuest: If blogs play a big part of your marketing strategy, this site will connect you with bloggers covering your industry. They can invite guests to blog for you, or you can come up with ideas for what to blog about. Blogs help build links and domain authority for your website. You can cut your holes for free.
Google Alerts: Monitor your online presence by setting up email alerts. Whenever someone writes a blog, writes an article, or mentions you somewhere in the corners of cyberspace, Google sends you an email. This is a free service.
PRLog: This is a free press distribution service. To get started, create an account and post your press release. PRLog creates a search engine optimized webpage for the press release. You can choose locations, industries and tags. This also includes video press releases. They also offer “distribution at a discount” to the media. You can view statistics to see how this service is performing.
Customers that you care about their business. This can be as simple as sending a thank you card to past customers, special offers for first responders or veterans, creating a loyalty program or a punch card for repeat customers. It doesn’t have to be a big, expensive gesture, but doing something small just to show your customers you appreciate their business can encourage them to tell their friends and family about your business.
The Impact Of Pr On Small Businesses
Make sure you pay attention to what people are saying online. Set up notifications for comments on Yelp, Google, Facebook, etc.
It’s also important to respond to your reviews – both good and bad. People will appreciate it if you thank them for a positive review because they took the time to write it. But of course you should look for negative reviews and try to formulate professional and tasteful responses.
Need help figuring out how to respond to those negative reviews? Click here for tips on how to respond to negative reviews.
Finally, probably the best-known part of public relations is writing press releases. Learn how to write a press release that gets noticed. Download our eBook today and learn: As a small business, you may not think you’re in (or need) PR, but you are. Public relations are critical to the success of any business, large or small. The difference is that a small, budget-conscious company can’t afford to hire an expensive PR company, so you’ll need to take a more do-it-yourself approach to mastering your PR.
Business Essentials: Establishing Strong Public Relations
These days, there are many ways for small businesses to manage their own public relations. For starters, social media – the great equalizer – has made it easier for small businesses to get the attention of advertisers and journalists. And most journalists are more than happy to make direct contact with a potential source, rather than having to go through an agency or publicist first.
Another advantage? The definition of expanding and evolving media. Media is no longer limited to traditional media. Now there are many influential bloggers, YouTube influencers, online publications and podcasts that can be used to promote your business.
While small businesses really don’t need an expensive PR firm to market themselves, they do need a solid and professional media outreach strategy. Here are seven inexpensive, creative, and effective strategies for putting together a small business PR plan.
The surest way to get a reporter/blogger/editor to write about you and your business is to get their attention. And the way to do that is old-fashioned storytelling. You won’t be covered just because you’re a successful small business, new or growing. Instead, focus on what’s unique about the business, whether it’s the product or service you offer, the culture you build, the problem you solve, the way you hire, the way you give. Topics such as offering a
