A welcome symptom of the growth of digital media and the evolution of social media is that for the typical small business public relations (PR) is becoming much more relevant and potentially rewarding.
It wasn't that long ago that for many small business owners or managers PR was deemed expensive and of limited value. Hiring a specialist PR consultant to get you one or two bits of coverage in a local paper or trade rag seemed a gamble at best.
I's a different world now. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) - from startups to growth companies - can now do a lot more themselves. And regardless of whether or not they get those column inches in their local paper or trade magazine the online content created as part of even a limited PR campaign can be of real and sustained value.
There are plenty of guides to DIY PR around - not least my own whitepaper on how to write press releases. A bit of knowledge combined with online tools such as online press release wires and more generic social media sites gives small business much greater and enduring potential impact than that provided by a few lunches with the local business correspondent.
Issueing releases on a regular basis alongside a decent social media presence (things like a corporate blog, Facebook page, LinkedIn group and maybe a Twitter feed all linking back to a half decent company website) may not exactly be a sophisticated online PR campaign but it is certainly within the grasp of most owner managers or marketing managers within small businesses.
Instead of a backwater, I think many imaginative entrepreneurs will make small business public relations a sector of real innovation.
Comments