Home
>
Public Relations
>
Do-It-Yourself Public Relations

Do-It-Yourself Public Relations

"Advertising is what you pay for. Publicity is what you pray for."

What is a small business owner to do? You have dozens, hundreds or even thousands of competitors around the world. How do you make yourself known amid all the noise and confusion? One thing is for certain. You may or may not have a budget for marketing and promotion but you want to get the most bang for your buck.

Stretch your budget by developing a low cost public relations campaign that you can handle in house. Publicity is a much more powerful tool than advertising and a successful campaign lends credibility to you and your company.

Use the following tips to take advantage of the many opportunities to make yourself known in the on-line and off-line world. Think creatively and you'll come up with even more ideas to propel your public relations campaign ahead.

1) Write articles such as customer case studies, book reviews, how to advice, editorials, etc. and develop a snazzy by-line that drives readers to your web site. Submit your articles to directories, newsgroups, e-zines, web sites and off-line newsletters and magazines. You'll be astonished at how far one article can reach and how it can convert readers to loyal, long-term clients. If you need guidance with this technique consider signing up for the "Expert Articles" teleclass held by Dr. Rachna D. Jain. E-mail Dr. Jain at Coach6-46006@autocontactor.com for more information.

2) Speak for free at your local Chamber of Commerce, trade associations and clubs. Ask the sponsoring organization to hand out your business cards and brochures to all attendees prior to the event. Collect business cards and hold a prize drawing at the end of your speech. Use the business cards to send out "thank you for attending" e-mails after the event and ask for permission to add the recipient to your newsletter list. Build this list and communicate regularly.

3) Approach local and national radio shows covering your target audience and offer to appear as a guest. You will need to craft a pitch letter that can be sent via e-mail to the producer of the show. Make your pitch exciting and spend a great deal of time on the benefits listeners will derive from your segment. To find radio stations search the brs web-radio site at http://www.radio-directory.com/.

4) Write a free e-book on a topic of use to your potential clients. People have become accustomed to receiving free information that is nicely formatted and easy to read. You can advertise your products and services in your free e-book and sell or swap advertising with other related businesses. Tip e-books (101 ways to... ) and article compilations are very popular. Promote your free e-book at http://www.radio-directory.com/. and http://www.radio-directory.com/. Make your e-book viral by authorizing readers to freely distribute copies.

5) A well written and intriguing press release can lead to stories in the press that increase sales, enhance credibility and give your company a competitive advantage. For free distribution use PR Web at http://www.radio-directory.com/. PR Web maintains a database of over 60,000 media contacts who receive daily e-mail listings of press releases which match their topic criteria. If you need help creating and formatting your press releases consider purchasing software such as Press Release O-Matic at http://www.radio-directory.com/.

6) Sponsor events and contests. Grand openings of shopping centers, businesses, car dealerships, etc. are some events you may want to sponsor along with fairs, festivals, open houses and community events. You can locate on-line contests to sponsor at About.com. They offer a very good searchable directory of contests at http://www.radio-directory.com/. Be sure to publicize your sponsorship on your web site and mention it in your newsletter and in your press releases.

7) Solicit testimonials and use them. Request a testimonial from every past and current client. Offer sample testimonials or an outline to those clients who are reluctant writers. Send out testimonials to prospects, include them in your marketing materials, add them to your web site and e-mail signature block, add one to each press release and put them on the back of your business cards.

8) Frequent the newsgroups, topical lists and on-line boards that cater to your profession or your target audience. Offer free advice, URLs of helpful articles or web sites and your opinion. Don't overtly promote. Be wise and helpful while showing your expertise and your reputation as someone to be trusted will grow. Marcia Yudkin of http://www.radio-directory.com/. has done this very successfully for years. Now she's known near and far for her marketing expertise and her opinion is very well respected.

Building your public relations presence is an ongoing process that is most effectively achieved when you employ multiple strategies. Develop a plan, think creatively, promote consistently and your business will stand out from the crowd!

Permission to public is granted in all venues so long as the by-line remains intact.

About The Author

Bonnie Jo Davis is an experienced shoestring marketer who specializes in article submission for fun and for profit! Sign-up for her FREE "Solving The Article Submission Puzzle" e-course by visiting http://www.radio-directory.com/..

monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..

In The News:

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.