PR is often overlooked in many small companies, who prioritise other forms of marketing in a bid to strike gold.
Often it is seen as something that can be introduced later, or that it is less important than other available tools.
Whilst each business must be treated as an individual case, public relations can often be the most effective and cheapest way to gain attention. Not only that but it also boosts your brand awareness and advertising effort whilst building trust and credibility.
If budgets are top of your agenda, the good news is there are plenty of in-house options for you to explore. Why not try some of these:
Create a press kit
One of the easiest things you can do is create an easily accessible press kit. This can come in the form of a Powerpoint, PDF or Word document. Inside you would expect to find all the key details relating to your business, from; background, branding, your story and fact-sheets to owner profiles. It can also be useful to make any images you wish to be used available along with the contact details for your media guardian.
Your press kit should allow any reader to fully understand your business and broadcast with the image you wish to portray. It should not be boring, as press-kits should intrigue the reader to your business.
Define achievable goals
Every business wants to spread a good word and create awareness of your brand and products. Set out how you wish to achieve these as there are a number of paths available to you. You could secure interviews, produce feature articles or highlight key initiatives for example.
Knowing how you wish to drive traffic can help produce engaging content without wasting both time and budgets.
Build a media list
Once you know the message you want to share, work on how you want to share it. Once you know this you can begin to build a list of reputable media outlets to target. Try to think further than the standard email or print campaigns. Get creative, in 2018 you can explore journalism, bloggers, influencers, radio, television and vloggers. There’s a world of potential.
Don’t just create a list and leave it there. You should always be exploring new avenues. Finding out what’s trending and keeping up to date with those who are in the know.
Networking
Here’s a hint: We don’t mean faster broadband. Great PR is all about who you know. Get out there and meet people. Look to build long lasting relationships over the more short terms coverage gains. Collect business cards and do your research so next time you meet, you can ask the right questions to engage.
You can also try following them on social media to see what they write about and see if there are opportunities for collaboration moving forwards. Don’t rely on this though, meeting in person creates a much stronger bond so make sure you attend those early morning meetings.
Keep updated
Keeping yourself in the know with what’s going on around the world can be a big help. Not only can It be a conversation starter it can also provide an opportunity to push your business. By tying in to relevant newsworthy materials, you increase the opportunity of people finding you and sharing your story. This goes for your competitors too. Are they doing something you aren’t? Maybe it’s worth exploring.
Nothing is ever as positive for your business as word-of-mouth. So now you see why PR can be important for you. These tips should help you get your foot in the door, but if you still think this is something you’re not comfortable with or want a second opinion we would be happy to help. Drop us an email here.
