PR 101 for Small Business Owners

Publicity is the most underused marketing tool amongst small businesses - here's how to use it get gain credibility and drive business

If you polled a group of small business owners and asked them which two areas of their marketing they wish they could improve on to help drive more business, most would say: 

1)     Increase my exposure within my chosen market

2)     Enhance my credibility within my chosen market

What if you could achieve both of these objectives without buying any advertising? You can, by getting free publicity for your business.

How the Media Works

The media is in business, just like you are. Their “product” is the information that they present on the 6 o clock news, or in the pages of their newspaper, or on their website.

Reporters create the media’s “product” by producing stories. To do this, they need experts to provide information and add credibility to their stories.

You are an “Expert”

Here’s the shocker for most people – you are an expert. Really.

The owner of an outdoors store is an expert on camping, tents, bug repellants, and campfire food, among other things.

A local toy store manager is an expert on what’s hot for the holiday season, educational toys for toddlers, the newest electronic games, and so on.

Whether you know it or not, you are probably an expert many times over in your chosen field in the eyes of the media and the public. And the media needs you to help them put their “product” together.

Getting Publicity Pays Off

Being part of a news story that involves your business is viewed by the market as an endorsement of sorts from the newspaper or TV station.

Publicity is generally viewed as more credible than advertising. In fact, an old industry rule of thumb is to consider any media appearances to be ten times more valuable than an equivalent amount of advertising.

3 Steps to Making Publicity Happen

So how do you take advantage of this significant small business marketing opportunity? It bears mentioning that you can approach a reporter with a story idea. Yes, they are busy people, but they answer the phone just like you or I. And if you’ve got a good story idea for them, you are helping them to create their product.

There are some simple guidelines to follow when trying to generate media coverage for your small business:

Have a “hook” in mind –In preparing to contact a reporter with a story idea, it helps immensely to have a “hook” – that is, to show the reporter how your story idea somehow ties in with another newsworthy event that will make the story interesting and timely for a wide array of readers and viewers.

For example, have you noticed that just before the kids go back to school every year, the 6 o clock news is full of stories about school safety, back to school shopping, and so on? That’s because there’s an easy hook for those stories – the first day of school, which affects a wide range of viewers with children.

A local retailer selling school supplies has a huge opportunity to get the media’s attention in the days leading up to the start of school, since their story hooks into a newsworthy event. The same story just a few weeks later would have less of a hook – since the “back to school” frenzy would be a distant memory.

When looking for hooks for small business PR opportunities for your business, ask yourself a few simple questions:

- What’s new in your business, and why would people find this interesting?

- What’s happening in the world around you, and how does it affect your customers?

- What’s changing in your market, and who might the change have an effect on?

- How can you inform people about an aspect of your product/service that is poorly understood?

Be Prepared with your Pitch – You should have a quick 30 second pitch worked out before contacting reporters – writing it down helps. Your pitch should get right into the idea, and tell the reporter how you can help them put the story together.

The easier you can make it for the reporter, the more likely you are to get coverage.

Make the Call – Deliver your 30 second pitch. If the reporter doesn’t bite, ask them if they might be interested in another type of story that you could help with. If they don’t have any time for you right now, offer to email them your pitch, and move along. Some will call you back. Some won’t. Don’t be afraid to try the same reporter again with a different idea in a few weeks.

Your 15 Minutes is There for the Taking

Taking advantage of publicity opportunities could be the single most effective small business marketing tool you ever use. All that is required is some effort and the willingness to build a few good story ideas.

They say everyone gets 15 minutes of fame – maybe you should start turning your 15 minutes into credibility and increased business.

Article contents © 2007 by marketingyoursmallbusiness.com 

Will Dylan is the Author of “Small Business Big Marketing” a powerful e-book for small businesses available through his website www.marketingyoursmallbusiness.com . You can contact Will at askwill@marketingyoursmallbusiness.com