Top 10 PR Tips for Small Businesses
By: Andrea Trapani
As part of my daily ritual of sifting through RSS feeds, I regularly visit of variety of blogs/website that offers incredibly compelling content. One of my favorite PR blogs, David Meerman Scott’s Web Ink Now is fantastic and is a great source of information and insight into existing and emerging PR trends.
In a recent post, David listed ten PR tips for small businesses that were “top-of-mind.” The reason this list is so compelling (as I commented on his blog) is that the strategies are applicable on both the B2C and B2B fronts. There has always been this underlying concern about “what the other guys is doing won’t help me because what I provide/sell is different,” but this is a perfect example of tactics that are universal.
1. The old ways to get noticed were to buy expensive advertising and beg the media to write about you and your products. The best way to get noticed today is to publish great content online.
2. Don’t talk about what your products and services do. Instead talk about how you solve problems for your customers.
3. Be enthusiastic and have fun. People want to do business with people they like.
4. Don’t rely on spamming the media with your press releases and PR pitches.
5. Use press releases to reach buyers directly.
6. Comment on blogs, forums and chat rooms (but don’t talk about your products and services).
7. Read the popular books in your market and write a review on Amazon. Use your real name and affiliation.
8. Shoot a short video and put it up onto YouTube
9. Know what search terms people are using to find products and services like yours and create content that search engines will reward with high search engine rankings.
10. Don’t be egotistical. Nobody cares about you and your products. Your buyers care about themselves and solving their problems.
This list is by no means absolute and the strategies can be debated, but these ten tips are great ways to reach your target audience and engage them in a way that is personal and thought-provoking. Small businesses out there looking to make an impression, take note.
