Making public relations work: Five tips to kickstart your PR

Public relations (PR) is sometimes just seen as free advertising or additional marketing expense. It should certainly complement your marketing and business plans but there is more to it then just getting free media publicity or sharing fluffy marketing copy.

 

Initially, you may not be able to afford, or may not need, specialist PR help but you could start in a few basic areas yourself. 

 

Get to know your local and regional media contacts. Who are the business writers in your local newspapers? Who presents the business slot on your local radio station?

 

Read your region’s newspapers, magazines and online publications and familiarise yourself with what they like writing about. Many do a weekly or monthly spotlight on a local business or a new business; you could be profiled and let readers know what you do and where you do it. Introduce yourself as the face of your business and remember to act like it too!

 

Once your media contacts know who you are and are aware of what you do, they may be more receptive to hearing about your company news. You don’t always need to write a lengthy press release as sometimes a well written email or memo outlining your latest product, event, special offer or new hire is enough.

 

Are there any free networking events or business seminars in your local area you could attend? You never know who you might meet. Media often attend them but the person you chat with over coffee could also be your next supplier, employee, landlord or even customer. 

 

What media do your customers read or engage with? If you only service a particular locality, there is no point targeting media outside that area. Look at your target customer demographic and what they read or the websites they might visit. Are you targeting students, retired people or mothers? Do some research among your friends and family if necessary.

 

Find out the key trade publications or websites for your type of business. Are their readers important to you or is it just useful to find out what’s going on in the industry?

 

Find out which publications your competitors appear in and read them. Do they get positive or negative coverage? Who does it well and why?

 

Consider sending products, samples or vouchers for review to journalists or reviewers if appropriate. Always send to a named contact with all of the product details including price, photography, stockist information and most importantly your contact details and make it clear it is for review purposes. Follow up and ask them for honest feedback. If your product or service requires demonstration, offer to visit for a brief demo or consider having a video on your website.

 

Could you become an expert in your field? Can you give gardening advice or beauty tips to local readers, or are you willing to share some of the recipes from your café for free online? This might be a good time to start a blog.

 

Unfortunately it’s not always about the positive things. What negative issues could arise about your products or services? How do you currently deal with customer complaints or feedback? Would you be happy as the customer with your current approach?

 

Do you need a crisis or business continuity plan? What would happen if you were unable to work for more than a few days? What about if your premises became out of action? Or if your payment or delivery systems went down?

 

Consider writing a crisis plan and some brief Q&As to use in case of an emergency or any product and service issues. If you are not comfortable talking to journalists on behalf of your business, then you need to find someone who is.

 

Take a look what is being said about your business on blogs, forums, news sites and social networking communities. It may be negative but is it correct or fair? Set up some free Google Alerts for your business and your competitors so you can stay informed and get involved when necessary.

 

Check your business listings on online review sites including Yell.com/reviews. How many customers have reviewed you? What’s your star rating? How could you use the feedback to improve your business?

 

Do you have a business page on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn? Look at how you are managing your brand online. 

 

Have you already had any positive coverage in the media? With the publisher’s permission, you could reference or link to it on your website or display it in your premises or your marketing literature.

 

Consider using case studies or customer references on your website or in your marketing materials – as long as they are genuine and recent, they might help a potential customer make a decision.

 

There are many local and national business and start-up awards around that are free to enter; pick your initial top three and enter them. Read the criteria carefully. If you get shortlisted or win, they often result in further PR activity as long as you are prepared to get involved.