Small Business PR: Is It the Right Move for You?
From the time you wake up in the morning until your evening glass of wine, I know your day is filled with a million decisions. Are these label formats correct? How many meetings can you fit into your schedule? Who should you hire to help? Red or white?
The life of a small business owner is both thrilling and overwhelming. One decision I want to help you make today is this—Should your business be doing PR?
It doesn’t matter if you are selling a physical product or providing a service, the answer is absolutely yes!
The development and distribution of your product can only go so far if nobody knows about it. You and I both know you have something special to share with the masses. Here are a few reasons PR should be your business’s priority.
PR helps your brand get recognized
Do you remember the first time you heard the latest Ariana Grande song? Even if you didn’t like it at first, you may have found yourself humming it in the shower a week later. Like most pop songs, your brain was taking it in on your car ride, at your favorite store, and in the office until it became familiar.
Building your brand recognition works in a similar way. The more you can put your business name, logo, or product in front of people, the more likely they are to make a purchase.
When you get a media placement, you are creating a positive association for your brand. Your potential customers will remember your brand as the one they read about in their favorite newspaper, magazine, or online publication.
Earned media provides publicity at no cost
Let me break down the media trifecta for you. In general, your media can be classified into the paid, owned, and earned categories.
Paid media includes the advertising you pay for including pay-per-click social ads or a traditional print ad.
Owned media consists of the platforms you’ve created for your brand including your website & blog, social media pages, a podcast, etc.
Finally, earned media (my favorite) is the exposure you get as a result of others publishing about your business. This is traditional PR at its core.
While it takes a little bit of hustle to find the right media contact and send the right pitch, the actual media placement doesn’t cost you a thing.
Of course, there are no guarantees that you’ll snag a placement right away. It takes patience, persistence, and the right resources to make your earned media work for your small business.
Your small business is big news
Most small businesses, even if they are just getting started, have something to offer that they don’t yet recognize — novelty! The media loves keeping up with trends and sharing the news about the latest and greatest.
Whether it’s your product or service that’s new or the way you do business, the media wants to hear it. A successful business celebrates change and is always on the edge of something new. All you have to do is package your news in a way that inspires the media to share your story.
So, now that you’ve checked off “decide on doing PR” from your to-do list, I’m ready to help you get started! First step: Explore my Small Business Services.