Growing Your Business With Good Public Relations
I often hear people speak of advertising, public relations, marketing, event planning and communications as “the fun stuff.” Discussion of event locations, font sizes and colors, and the presence of television cameras, microphones, cables and news reporters do evoke, in some, a sense of frivolity and celebrity.
Additionally, a number of people who work in the communication arts are typically highly creative and energetic extroverts, who enjoy meeting and working with people. They smile a lot, talk a lot, and truly enjoy doing their jobs, which may convey to some that’s it’s all fun and easy. While most communications practitioners derive great pleasure from their work, it’s not all fun and games. It’s serious business, and if you want your business to grow, understand that public relations and communications must be part of your overall business development and growth strategy.
You may be advertising your small business, but if you do not have a public relations plan for your business, you are missing a cost-effective way to enhance awareness of the products and services you offer. What to do?
Have a plan. Develop a communications strategy for your business. What do you want to communicate, to whom? Remember voice, tone, and style are important – especially in social media
Be consistent. Regular, predictable communication with your key audiences is important. Decide how often you need to be in front of them with your messages
Who will speak? Decide who will be the point person for your business. Is it you or should it be someone else?
Develop an emergency communications plan. Depending on the type and size of business you have, you may need an emergency communications plan. If things go badly, how will you communicate with media?
These are only a few things to consider. If you are like most busy entrepreneurs, you may not have the time or skillset to devote to good public relations, but help is available. Consider scheduling a consultation with a communications or public relations specialist to develop a plan tailor-made for you and your business.
