When Size Doesnt Matter: PR for every business

Is public relations, or PR, just for the big guys? Not really.

PR can work wonders for any company; and, with the advent of Web site PR, the cost to spread your message has never been lower. Among other benefits, PR:

makes people aware of your products and services;
shows the public what you stand for beyond products and services;
showcases the quality of your workplace;
prevents bad press from suspicious journalists, and
builds credibility, crucial for attracting investors and strategic partners.

Some companies strictly rely on advertising to promote themselves. PR hits people on a different level. Effective PR not only enhances public perception, it improves recruiting, financing and profits. To illustrate, lets consider a small business: the proverbial lemonade stand.

Suppose youre driving through the neighborhood and see a bunch of kids walking up and down the street with brooms, energetically sweeping the sidewalks. They are wearing bright, neat uniforms. Eventually you come to their lemonade stand and the sign says: WE CARE ABOUT ANYTOWN. Consider your response

How would you expect their lemonade to taste? Would you look for reasons to like it, or dislike it?
Would you consider paying a 10-cent premium to support their business?
Would you have a positive or negative impression of the personnel?
Would you want your children to work there?
If you were a local reporter, would your story be positive or negative?
Would you be willing to invest in the business?

Advertising can be perceived as artificial, but PR wins over skeptics because it is genuine. By investing a little time and money on a worthwhile project, the lemonade stand reaps enormous rewards. By reaching out to the various Web news sites, it can tell its story to as big or as targeted an audience as it needs to, for a low cost.

You dont have to be a strategic-planning wizard to create a PR program. In fact, the procedure is quite simple:

figure out who your audience is;
get an idea of how it perceives you now;
craft a message to build on or correct the perception;
decide on a methods of communication;
implement your program, and
track changes in public perception.

Besides community service, PR typically involves public-interest news stories, speaking engagements, company-sponsored events and trade shows. Be sure to make PR content prominent on your company Web site and integrate PR with your search engine marketing. Whether your customers are around the world or around the corner, they want to hear your storydont keep them in suspense!