YOUR PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN

Implementing a good public relations plan will help spread the word about your new business at relatively little or no cost.

It goes without saying that, whatever your business, the more people who know bout it, the more chance you have of them becoming customers.

The subject of public relations and the publicity it can generate is a large one, but here we are going to cover only the basics. That in fact is all that you will need to get a good understanding of P.R. for your own public relations plan.

P.R. to be relevant, must be designed for the type of business as well as it’s customers, but hopefully you will pick up the meaning of publicity and get plenty of ideas here to help you on your way.

There are many good public relations companies that can handle all your requirements, at a cost, but you can also do a lot yourself for free!

Generating free publicity or nearly free!

All business people realize the importance of getting their business noticed. Here are some of the many ways:-

• At start up, make a big splash, throw a party, and cut a ribbon! No, this is not free but the people you invite can give you free publicity.

  Ask a local reporter, get TV coverage if you can, and don’t forget to thank them all publicly. So much the better if you can get the mayor, or another celebrity, to also help attract the press.

  Don’t let good publicity occasions go to waste, plan for them in your public relations plan.

• Newsletters either online or offline can keep your customers in the picture and help retain their loyalty.
• Write to the press. Letters to the editor are read by most readers, so if you can come up with a good enough reason to write to the editor, do so. If you can, as well, plug your business, do so.
• Everyone can write an article so with the knowledge you have of your business, share it in an article. Write for trade journals, newspapers or blogs.

  Always plug your business by way of details on the author, a contact number or a resource box. Don’t spam however or you will soon loose your audience.

• Use your local radio for call-ins or interviews. They need information on new businesses, talk show callers, and if you are willing to sponsor, details for their ‘what’s new!’ programs. Don’t neglect getting into and onto your local radio station.
• Public speakers are always in demand as well as being considered experts in their field.

  Offer your services at service clubs and local chambers of commerce. You will be surprised how many of your audience will come to you when they need your service or products.

• Your own Web site can generate publicity and collect email addresses for you. With email addresses of your existing or potential customers, you can use the Web to market yourself via free reports, tips, etc , for your customers

The above suggestions, plus the unlimited ideas that you will soon have for free publicity, will all help with spreading the word about your business. Get them into your public relations plan. Take advantage of any opportunity.

Not all the publicity you seek and need is always free. In certain cases, you will need professional advice with your public relations plan. Here then is where it will pay you to hire a good public relations firm to help you with your pr plan and your campaign.

A word here on selecting the right small business pr firm for you and your business. First thing to do is to realize your limitations, that is, the amount you can afford to pay for PR? Then ask the following questions of the PR companies you interview before making your selection.

1. Tell them how much you have available to spend and ask them if they can work within that figure. Don’t commit to more than you can afford.
2. Lay out your ideas and find out if they have any experience in similar fields. Can they deal with your market?
3. Will they allocate an individual to your account or will you have to take pot luck? You want some dedication from them!
4. Find out what you will be getting for your money and how often.
5. Ask to see examples of their work and decide if you like it.
6. Do their ideas fit into your public relations plan?

Be very careful in your selection because, once committed, it will be very difficult to get out of your PR campaign when half way done. It can also be costly in lost customer good will, as well as money wise.

What you should get from your PR Company.

Once you have decided to spend money on small business public relations and selected a firm to help you, you now have to lay out for them the information they will need to plan a campaign.

Any good PR firm will want to sit down with you and decide on the following:-

• What business you are in?
• What competition do you have and what makes you different from your competition?
• Who are your customers? See your business marketing plan for guidelines here.
• What do you hope and want to gain from your P.R. campaign? Here you need to be clear and lay out exactly what your objectives are. You are spending money to achieve certain goals so lay them out and set deadlines.

Now that P.R. and you are clear as to what you want, let’s see what they can do for you in helping with your public relations plan.

The Role of P.R.

Public relations is about publicity and not advertising, so it mainly concerns the media, the industry and government. Here is what you can expect from your P.R. firm.

• They will help you meet your business targets by ensuring that your merchandising, branding and advertising are all aligned.
• All businesses fall within industries and it is important to stay in touch with your industry to enable you to keep up with latest developments and key players.
• The media, all relevant forms of it, must be kept aware of your business. A good P.R. program will keep you in the forefront of any media minds. They arrange all your press releases and maintain regular contact with the press.
• All businesses have to deal with local and national government agencies so it is important to maintain good relations with them through good public affairs programs.
• Let your P.R. consultants know that you are always available for speaking engagements. They can arrange for you to do so and you will soon become known as an expert in your field!

  Seriously, you giving talks on your subject will generate business for you at very little cost. There is no business that is not interesting to someone and you will find people who will listen to you on any and all subjects.

  You might for example own a clothing boutique or a hardware store. Pick the right venue and audience and you will soon be known as the expert on clothing and hardware. Because you are the expert, you will attract business that, without your talks, you would never have seen.

You are paying for P.R. so make sure that you are getting your monies worth. P.R. has one objective and that is to increase sales, if it does not, then your campaign is a failure. Be prepared to change it to one that does, if the worst comes to the worst.

Before we end, I would like to quickly mention one aspect of public relations that is often neglected and should be included in your public relations plan.

Networking

When starting out in business you will have few customers or clients. You need customers or clients to grow the business!

Who knows more about your business than you? Nobody knows more about your business than you, you are the expert!

Well shouldn’t you get out and network your skills?

By meeting people in a sincere and friendly manner, you generate trust and so attract possible business. We would all rather do business with someone we ‘know’ than a complete stranger.

Give this some thought, and list the possible networking venues available to you.

• Business organizations
• Recreational organizations
• Service organizations
• Chambers of commerce
• Civic organizations
• Computer clubs
• Sports organizations
• Any and all other non-business events.

Good networking however is never one sided, so be prepared to volunteer to help out as well. You network to meet people who will do business with you or who can pass you onto people who will.

List the types of people and the numbers you want to meet in your public relations plan.

The Basics of Networking

• You have business cards, use them. Make them meaningful.
• When out with people don’t spend all your time with people you know. You are out to meet new people.
• No more than 3 or 4 minutes with each person, you are trying to meet many people! Let them know what you can do for them, offer to help and give them a card.
• Always try and be friendly, sincere and be a good listener.
• If you have the time, get involved, leaders get the business.

Don’t neglect the many opportunities to network. Remind yourself of them in your public relations plan.

Publicity and public relations can and will help your business grow. They are often more cost-effective than advertising, there affects last a lot longer and can be very far reaching.

Your public relations plan will act as your guide to this future growth.

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