There’s often a misconception that public relations activities are only appropriate for large firms, but the truth is that there are many affordable PR tactics for small businesses.
We’ve had many conversations with Suffolk businesses about the importance of PR. However, people often tell us that they don’t think PR is a good fit for their marketing plans. This is generally because PR is usually seen to take time and money.
Despite your reputation being the most important thing any business can have, many small businesses see PR as a luxury not a necessity.
But we think that everyone deserves to find ways to boost their PR.
Big companies often have bigger PR budgets and may have far more resources to work with. However, we want to raise awareness of how accessible and affordable PR tactics can be for small businesses across the UK.
In our opinion, good PR and marketing is not just for bigger companies.
In fact, many of the best PR campaigns are delivered on shoestring budgets.
That’s because campaigns and strategies should be delivered directly to your core audience. It should be aimed at those who are most likely to take action and buy your products or services. That’s where detailed research, planning and creative thinking come into play.
As an Ipswich PR agency, we want to raise awareness about how we can help small businesses benefit from PR support. We understand that thriving businesses create jobs. They stimulate our local economies, and successful companies are essential to creating that ‘feel good’ factor in our local towns and city centres.
Five affordable PR tactics for small businesses.
Here are five affordable PR tactics for small businesses. When used correctly, they should help you raise awareness of your brand and improve your reputation in the marketplace.
These affordable PR tactics will give you an excellent foundation on which to build. They should also give you the chance to grow your business and improve your bottom line.
Define your target audience.
The first step in making a good PR plan is to be clear about who you want to reach. By figuring out what your audience wants and is interested in, you can create messages that will reach them, increasing the likelihood that they will engage with your brand.
Take the time to really think about who your target customer is. The more specific you can be, the more effective your PR campaigns and tactics will be. It’s important that you really clarify your thoughts within your research—don’t assume you know things about your target customers. You may be surprised to learn how different demographics behave or how different customer intentions respond to various aspects of your overall marketing strategy.
Your homework: When was the last time you really sat and thought about who your core demographic is? Who is the audience likely to buy your services? Who will buy them as one-offs vs. long-term or repeat purchasers? Who will recommend you to others? What do they have in common? Don’t be afraid to have multiple groups of demographics – the more distinct you can be, the easier it becomes to target your communications.
Expand on this with an external PR agency! Working with an Ipswich PR expert can be an effective way of identifying who your audience is. We can use a suite of analytical tools and practical exercises to get detailed insights into who your audience is. From here, we can create ways for you to effectively communicate with and engage with them.
Develop a strong brand story.
What makes you unique? How would you describe your brand in a way that makes a customer sit up and take notice?
A compelling brand story can help set your business apart from competitors and connect with your target audience on an emotional level. The difference between a successful business and a thriving business is that thriving firms know how to engage with their audiences. You want to be able to facilitate strong engagement. With a strong brand story, you should be able to use your reputation to build a community of brand advocates who will proactively shout about the positive work that you do.
Your homework: If you had to describe yourself to someone who knows nothing about you, what would you say? How do you explain your services, what you do, what you offer and what makes you different to your competitors? Once you’ve got this written down, why not review your website to see if those messages are coming across?
Expand on this with external PR support! This may sound complex, and you may be unsure where to start. This is where you can bounce ideas from your PR agency. Through a detailed strategy session, we can identify what makes you unique. We can tell your stories in a way that shows not only what makes you unique but also how knowledgeable you are in your field.
Make the most of social media engagement.
Small businesses can reach and interact with their target audience through social media. But too many businesses fail to make the most of their social media. Do different platform algorithms put you off? Do you struggle to keep up with the continuous posting that is needed to make your voice stand out from the crowd?
Social media success isn’t just about posting a status update or a photo every few days. You should consider your social media output to be a strategy in and of itself. It needs to be consistent and work in harmony with your wider PR and marketing plans.
Your homework. Are you on the right platforms? There’s no point sticking with X if your audience have moved to TikTok. As part of your audience analysis homework, think about where your audience tend to be. That way you can put your efforts into the right channels.
Improve your social media presence! If you don’t know where to start, why not ask an external PR agency to develop a social media strategy? You should expect a strategy that includes regular content creation, interacting with the community, and reaching out to influential people. You should also be provided with metrics to identify how well your social media campaigns are working.
Build relationships with journalists.
Media relations still have a hugely important role to play in any PR strategy. You want to be able to build your reputation through newspapers and magazines, whether it’s through in-depth interviews, thought-leadership articles, or general commentary on industry trends. Can you make the most of case studies or use press releases to tell people about your latest news and successes? You could even find ways to start new conversations about existing topics.
Your homework: This also comes back to your audience demographics. What publications and websites are they reading? When you know what they are likely to be reading, you’ll know what publications you should be targeting as part of your media relations strategy.
Top tip! Your PR agency will know which journalists to approach on your behalf. This will not only save you time, but you can also be sure that an ongoing media relations campaign will keep your business communications going in a steady stream.
Monitor your reputation.
PR is about managing your reputation, good and bad. We all want our customers to think favourably of us. But the truth is sometimes a customer may not receive the perfect experience. These days, customers have more opportunities than ever to talk about their experiences – good and bad. How often have you seen stories of restaurants receiving a bad review on TripAdvisor, or a retail outlet picking up negative comments on Trustpilot or on social media? In these scenarios, how you react to any neutral or negative feedback is just as important as the first instance itself.
Your homework: When did you last ask for feedback from your customers? Take a look at any Trustpilot or Google reviews, or even short emails sent to your team. Learn from what you are doing well, and which areas you can improve. Finding out what people are saying about you is the start of any reputation building campaign.
PR agencies can build your reputation from scratch! Your PR strategy is about creating ways to monitor and manage your reputation. Your strategy should showcase who you are and what you do well. From here, you can start to help potential customers form a positive impression of your business before they’ve even used your services.
As Suffolk PR experts, we know how to make the most of affordable PR tactics for small businesses.
At Gatekeeper Communications, we work with small businesses across the UK. Our Ipswich headquarters means that we can work with small businesses in Suffolk. We also work heavily with businesses across the country to help them make the most of their PR plans.
As a small business ourselves, we know that budgets are often tight. But we also believe that small businesses are the backbone of our economy. There are some incredible businesses out there that offer exceptional services and products to their customers. With the right PR support, you can make a big difference to your business, whether it’s through building your profile, enhancing your reputation or simply having your voice heard through the crowd.
There are so many benefits and opportunities for small business PR support. The real question is, can you afford not to invest in yourself?
To find out more about Gatekeeper Communications’ PR support for small businesses, please phone 07857 433665 or contact us directly.
Alternatively, why not head over to our PR-FAQ page to find out how your business can benefit from PR support.
