News Article: Public Relations/Website a MUST for Business of ALL Sizes
Public Relations is a MUST for Businesses of All Sizes
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Ask most business people about their Public Relations Plan and you’ll most likely receive a look of confusion and often dismay. After all, PR is a business service reserved for large corporations with lots of cash right? Wrong! PR is something even the smallest businesses should be doing every single day.
What exactly is PR? It is any activity you do to create a favorable relationship between you and potential or existing customers. Focused on educating the public about your business, products, services, and staff, it is also the most inexpensive and effective way to get the word out to your target market that you have something they need and want. Open any newspaper or magazine, listen to any TV or radio show, and you’ll find business stories about companies large and small. Guaranteed, they are all a result of good PR.
Getting your company in the media or print requires several things; a good strategy, effective PR tools, and a commitment of time and energy. So here’s a few things to consider, and do, when pushing out your own Public Relations efforts.
1. Have a comprehensive and well-written Web site. It must be easy to navigate, contain real information versus a lot of marketing jargon. For the media, your Web site is a valuable tool in determining whether you are newsworthy or not. Skip the hype and focus on the benefits of what product or service you provide.
2. Formulate a good story pitch. A good story pitch should be about something interesting or unique about your business, you, your product, service or customer. A word of advice? Keep your email pitch to a paragraph or two. E-mail it to the appropriate publication and reporter and ask them if you have a story they would be interested in. If you don’t get a hit, try rewriting it with a little different slant
3. Send out press releases on a regular basis. Like your story pitch, press releases should be interesting enough to peak a reporters attention. They should also follow appropriate formatting guidelines and incorporate answers to the traditional what, why, where, when and how? Be sure to Include all contact information, especially a cell phone number. If a reporter can’t reach you quickly, the odds are good they’ve already moved on to someone else.
Read the rest of the article at EastSideBusinessJournal.com
Entrepeneur.com: Internet Myths Debunked
Entrepeneur.com has a great article relating to small businesses and their need for websites:
11 different myths about the internet–misunderstandings that are “unfortunately perpetuated by the natural tendencies of small business owners,” says Kitch. “They’re cautious and conservative; they’re afraid of technology and change.”
In an effort to educate entrepreneurs, Kitch debunks these 11 myths:
1. This internet thing is going to be a revolution. “Dude, the revolution already happened,” says Kitch, pointing to the more than 150 million Americans who use the internet every day. “Anybody who thinks they can worry about the internet later is completely wrong.”
2. I don’t need a website. “You’re missing a chance to be open 24/7, essentially for free,” explains Kitch. “Why would you not do that?”
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6. My website is only for new customers. “That’s like saying repeat business doesn’t matter,” says Kitch. “Your website may or may not be the reason people come to you, but it’s definitely the reason people come back to you.”
7. My site is just for customers. What about employees, partners or suppliers? Says Kitch, “The ability to interact with these people over the web or from home gives you a huge amount of power and flexibility as you’re growing your business.”
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