Think of your small business as if it were a local celebrity. The business has a place in the community, most people are aware of its presence and its activities and there is a certain image and reputation this business must uphold for the people of that community to continue to support that business. Public Relations (PR) is just as important to a small business as it is to a celebrity. How wonderful then, that the return on PR investments is among the best in the marketing business.
Many Kinds of Marketing
When owning or running a small business, there are many forms of marketing available. There is direct mail marketing, e-mail marketing, advertising campaigns; however, often times the least considered option is a simple Public Relations (PR) campaign. PR is too often considered a minor expense with little to no return on investment (ROI). This could not be farther from the truth.
When it comes time to decide how to reinvest in your business, consider PR first. Based on recent studies, it has been shown to be the most effective form of marketing per dollar spent. It is also among some of the least expensive marketing you can conduct, courtesy of many of today's modern technologies. How then, as a small business, with limited resources, can a full-scale PR campaign be conducted? It's easier than you might think.
PR On The Cheap
Advertising and marketing does not come cheap. Be it direct mail marketing, TV advertisements, even the hiring of a consultant; every expense related to marketing can be a crippling expenditure for a small business. PR, however, can be a welcome relief to many small businesses when the ROI is quite high and the cost to conduct a PR campaign can cost very little, or even just the cost of an Internet connection.
With the advent of seemingly ubiquitous Internet connectivity, a small business can literally always be connected to its community and its customers. Taking advantage of this is quite easy and can be done with any Smartphone or computer with an Internet connection. Creating a Facebook profile for a business is a fast, cheap and easy way to start to give your business an online image.
Be specific when describing your business on your Facebook page and be sure to include any links to the business's website. With Facebook, you can also link together your profile with your business's Twitter page. Twitter will allow you to constantly stay in contact with your customer and community base with short updates about sales, promotions, all the while conveying a tone that defines the kind of store you are. On the business website, consider a Blog where the business can comment on industry-related issues, news and even showcase sales there as well.
All of these tools - Facebook, Twitter, Blogs/Websites can be created for free or for very little investment, all the while not requiring additional workforce or consultancy be hired to complete. As far as Public Relations go, these are among the most effective ways of communicating with the public as many already use these tools on a daily basis.
In the end, PR is a perfect marketing solution for small business. It has a high return, is fast to complete and is very cheap. Small businesses are a part of the community and must present an image accordingly. Consider how wonderful it would be if a local business offered a promotion over its Twitter page based on the current score of a local high school football game. The possibilities are endless.
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