Many small businesses don’t think that having a good PR strategy is useful for them. In fact, there may be some companies that don’t think PR is relevant. However, when it comes to a small business trying to gain a customer base and build a brand, PR can be of immense help to them. Here are some of the ways having a strong PR strategy can boost small business:
Creating awareness with customers
Having a PR strategy is about being able to create awareness of your brand and what it’s all about. You want to attract customers to your company, but to do that, you need to know who they are and where they are. By using public relations, you can identify and seek out the places where your customers likely to be, both physically and online. You can then use your marketing strategy to greater effect by targeting those areas. Your PR strategy needs to work cohesively with your marketing strategy to inform your potential customers of your brand, what types of product you are selling and keep them up to date on your product developments.
Building brand
Effective PR can help build your brand and its values in all sorts of ways. You want to tell your customers about your products, what your company does and even your ethics. A good PR strategy can do all of that and keep the focus on your company with your customers. Your brand can be further supported and made more accessible to your target audience by understanding their modus operandi—for example, changing your payment solution to a VX520 card reader in your stores provides for a swifter checkout at the POS, which will appeal to your time-strapped customers. It is adjustments to the finer details of your business that can subtly support your brand.
Generating trust and credibility
There are some things that PR can do that traditional marketing cannot. If you post an advertisement on a website or magazine, your customers know that you have paid for it and that it says what you want it to say. However, with a PR managed interview, press conference or review, you are relying on a third-party credible endorsement.
Working in tandem with marketing strategy
When you post an advert, you hope that this will lead to an increase in people searching for your company. When this happens, it can be useful for there to be a couple of articles talking about what your company does and its product range. That is something your PR strategy can do for you; it will add additional credibility and help to spread the reach of your message even further.
There are many areas that a good PR strategy can help. Not only with your brand and your credibility, but also with your online reputation. With social media being such a big part of marketing, posting links to articles about your company will boost your following and encourage sales. No matter what size your company is, PR can be hugely beneficial.
