If you aren’t a mega brand with mega dollars, should you still invest in a PR program? If you aren’t sure, you have to ask yourself how you are going to grow your business and promote your brand without growing your customer demand. PR is one great option for small businesses, is usually less expensive than direct advertising, and is often associated with greater credibility.
If you aren’t a mega brand with mega dollars, should you still invest in a PR program? If you aren’t sure, you have to ask yourself how you are going to grow your business and promote your brand without growing your customer demand. PR is one great option for small businesses, is usually less expensive than direct advertising, and is often associated with greater credibility.
For small businesses, it is just as important to promote your brand and services as it is for big brands. Some can argue that it is even more important due to the fact that you don’t have the same brand recognition as most larger brands.
To see if your business could benefit from PR, follow ask yourself these three easy questions:
1. Would your business benefit from customer reviews? Most small businesses use referrals as a main source of new business growth. What if you were able to go outside of your referral network and use media coverage as a way to secure those reviews to a larger audience? Several media outlets have millions of readers. A PR firm can work with a reviewer to mention your product in an article and give it a positive rating. This is what PR can do for your business. PR companies like Bastion Elevate can find the appropriate editor for your product or business, form a story about it and pitch it directly to the media contact for review. It’s a great way to get third-party credible reviews, which consumers look and expect before making a purchase.
2. Does a PR company help you refine your message? A good PR firm understands how your key messaging should come across. They adept at writing, can zero in on what your company does, and make suggestions on how you should best position your company in the marketplace. Even better, a PR firm can track the messaging in media and report back on how it is resonating with your key audience, if it is being shared socially, etc. It is a great way to form a clear, concise message for all of your marketing needs.
3. Would amplifying these key messages and benefits about what it is like to use your brand help past and future customers know more about you? That is what PR does for many businesses, big and small. The right PR firm will work with you on where your customers live, where they would be able to hear about you and read or see you in the media. Online, broadcast, print, magazines and podcasts are all likely mediums that will be used to secure coverage about your company. This drives eyeballs that wouldn’t otherwise have known about you, directly to you.
By asking yourself these three questions, you can see how your business would benefit from a public relations program and why you should engage with a PR firm today.
