5 Steps to Win at PR for Your Small Business
Are you ready to make some noise in your industry and unlock huge opportunities for your brand?
It may not seem like you need PR as a small business - but trust me, you do! And it’s not just because I love it, it’s because a good PR strategy really is one of the most effective ways for businesses and startups to grow, especially when you don’t have the massive marketing budget of a major corporation.
As female entrepreneurs, we know it’s no easy feat to stand out from the crowd and get noticed in an increasingly saturated marketplace. The good news is that PR isn’t as complicated or intimidating as it may seem! With a few smart moves, you can bring more visibility (and customers) for your business – without breaking the bank or taking up all of your precious time.
So, how can you level up and start winning the PR game for your small business?
Follow these five steps below…
1. Define Your Goals and Target Audience
Before you start any PR campaign, it's important to have a crystal clear understanding of what you want to achieve and who you want to reach. By doing this upfront, you'll be able to create content that speaks to your target audience and helps you achieve your goals. So, grab a pen and paper, and ask yourself the following questions:
Think about what message you want to convey and what you hope to accomplish with your PR efforts:
Do you want to increase brand awareness?
Generate leads?
Establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry?
Once you have a clear understanding of your goals, you can start to identify your target audience:
Who are they?
What are their interests and pain points?
What motivates them?
The big takeaway from step number one? Take the time to get it right! To help you get started, grab our Ideal Customer Worksheet - a condensed guide to defining (and redlining) your ideal customer!
2. Build Relationships with Journalists and Influencers
In the PR world, it's not what you know, but WHO you know. And trust me when I say that building relationships with journalists and influencers in your industry can be a game-changer for your small business. Think of them as your allies, your cheerleaders, and your secret weapons. By nurturing these relationships, you'll be able to get your brand in front of a wider audience, gain valuable media coverage, and start to build your reputation.
So, how do you build these relationships? It's all about being proactive, helpful, and persistent. Reach out and introduce yourself. Follow them on social media (many journalists prefer Twitter.) Offer them valuable content that they can use in their work, and keep them updated on your business's activities. Respond promptly to their inquiries, and always be professional and polite. In other words, get pitching! Over time, these efforts will pay off, and you'll have a group of media contacts who are happy to help spread the word about your business.
3. Create Compelling Content
Like it or not - your content needs to be top-notch in order to get your business noticed. This is where your creativity and storytelling skills come in. Whether you're crafting a press release, a blog post, or an infographic, your content needs to be engaging, informative, and most importantly, relevant to your target audience.
As powerful as content marketing is, it can also be insanely overwhelming. Seriously - there’s a reason so many entrepreneurs agree that content creation is one of the most time-consuming parts of their business. My advice? Get some help on the content front as soon as you are able! If you’re not quite there yet, check out these tips to start conquering the marketing mountain on your own. Remember, great content is the foundation of a successful PR campaign, so make it a priority!
4. Utilize Social Media
In today's digital age, social media and PR can be the perfect tandem for helping get your business seen. With billions of active users across platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, social media is the best place to connect with your target audience and promote your business regularly.
But, don't just dive into social media blindly. Establish who you're trying to reach, what kind of content they prefer, and where they spend their time online. Answering these questions will help you create a social media plan that supports your PR efforts.
Once your roadmap is in place, start implementing! Share quality content regularly, engage with your followers, and don't be afraid to try new things. Social media is all about experimenting and finding what works best for your business. With the right approach, it can be a game-changer to getting seen!
5. Measure Your Success
Finally, before you kick back and relax - it's important to track the success of your PR campaign so you can make adjustments as needed. Use analytic tools to measure the engagement of reach of your content, and use that information to optimize your strategy.
It's also important to keep an eye on your goals and make sure you're on track to achieving them. Did your press release get picked up by the media outlets you wanted? Did your social media posts reach your target audience? Use the data to make your PR campaign even better.
Keep in mind that Rome wasn’t built in a day – success with PR takes time, patience, and dedication. But if you keep at it and use these tips, I have no doubt you’ll be well on your way to winning the PR game! For more tips on marketing your small business like a pro, be sure to follow us on social media @renee_warren and @we.wild.women.
