Not all small business owners are in the realm of Elon Musk and his ilk when it comes to PR. They know how to work with the media and ensure they get maximum exposure for themselves and their companies.
But whether you are a coffee shop owner or a tech whizz, all the latest stats from marketing institutes and businesses producing marketing reports show that a high percentage, around 70% or so, of consumers, prefer to get to know a company through articles rather than an advertisement and are keen to align with brands that align with their ethics and beliefs.
Sounds complicated for a small business owner, but that’s not the case. So, here are a few quick and easy PR hacks you can try out yourself to get your name and the name of your business out there!
Contact journalists who are looking for help with news and stories.
Journalists and bloggers are always looking for help with articles or programmes on a vast amount of subjects.
Head over to Twitter and type in either of these hashtags: #journorequest or #prrequest into the search box. Invariably you will find a load of requests on all sorts of subjects. You should see a couple that apply to your industry and possibly your own experiences as a business owner, so tweet the journalist back and offer your help.
Don’t forget to follow them too. Why not add your own Twitter list for media contacts to accounts, so ensure you add them. You will soon have your own media list!
Get more visible on social.
As we are talking Twitter, it’s a smart PR move to get more visible on social media as you start to push your stories out. It’s the first-place journalist, and other business leaders will check out what you are up to, what you say and why you say it.
Twitter:
Make sure your profile is up-to-date and clear
Add in as many contact details as you can – phone numbers, email, web address
Research your hashtags and use them wisely!
Build yourself a media Twitter list and add the journalists you want to connect with. Follow them on Twitter
Engage and post!
LinkedIn:
Make sure your profile is up-to-date and clear
Add a link to your website and give examples of your work or products
If you can bear it, add in a short video clip of you talking or presenting
Review your professional headline. That’s the one-line headline under your name. Does it say what you do? Can you improve it to simplify for those looking to quickly grasp what you do?
Post regularly but with reason.
Check out the various groups which might be of interest to you or your customers. Join and engage with those that are relevant and lively.
Instagram:
Photos and videos! Makes sure you have enough quality content planned to take you through the month, quarter, etc. Regular content is critical.
Turn on post notification for the key accounts you follow. When they post, you will be notified, and you can respond or engage with their post in a timely way.
Check out your followers and those you follow regularly.
Like and engage with their content.
You do get some very random comments on Instagram. If you feel these posts are spam or impact your brand negatively, then delete them.
Consider a linktr.ee so you can send people directly to specific pages on your website.
Facebook:
Engage, inspire, inform, tell a story, intrigue with your Facebook posts rather than give the heavy sales pitch.
Keep it short – most Facebook users use mobile devices, but check your own insights to ensure your audience follows this trend!
Include a photo or a video regularly.
Media enquiry services
To explain, a media enquiry service is a service or business which connects journalists with experts and people from all walks of life and all business sectors. Some of these services are free, and others offer free trials.
You are likely to hear of the main ones are Response Source, Cison, Journolink, Press Plugs, Press Loft, Ask Charity, Help A Reporter Out (HARO), or Sourcebottle.
There are pluses and minus to each one, so it is worth some time investigating which one works best for you. For small businesses, I tend to like Press Plus and Journolink purely as their subscription terms work for me and their prices are reasonable. Also, the quality of the leads is excellent. Response Source and Gorkana tend to be a little more expensive, but the quality of information can work for some.
What do you get? You’ll get regular email updates from journalists looking for experts and case studies to feature in their work, including some high-profile national publications, but some will be of lower quality and maybe bloggers looking for freebies! This is why it is good to try each one and see if their shout outs work for you.
Sounds simple enough and it is, but it is time consuming when you are running your own business and meeting your customer needs. Stuck for time, contact me on info@bluelizardmarketing.com and I can help on a regular or ad hoc basis.