Whether you are a micro start up, a startup or SME (Small to Medium Enterprise), PR (public relations) can give your business a voice.
PR can be expensive. You are paying for media coverage and for skills from PR professionals and agencies. It doesn’t have to be reserved for large businesses with plenty of budget and resources to throw around.
Whether you decide to embark on your own PR implementation and campaigns or whether you decide to hire a PR consultant or agency depending on your budget.
Here are options for you to evaluate:
PR Agency
A PR agency is usually used by medium to large companies that generally have a substantial budget to pay the agencies on a retainer or campaign basis.
The company may have an in-house, PR team. The team will supply various PR agencies with a brief. The PR agencies will then pitch for the business. The internal Marketing and PR teams will choose the PR agency that is the best fit with their overall Marketing Strategy and the agency with the winning brief.
A PR agency is great if you have a decent sized PR budget and can offer your business plenty of PR support and coverage.
PR Consultant
You may be able to find a PR Consultant that works on a freelance, ad-hoc or smaller project basis. This option is usually for small to medium businesses with a smaller PR budget. A start up may also benefit from this service to create brand awareness and recognition as well as to drive traffic to their website.
DIY PR
Whether you decide to enrol in a PR course, educate yourself via reading a book or articles on PR, a DIY PR Strategy is best if you don’t have PR budget to outsource professional support and have a go at doing your PR yourself.
Of course you will need to invest time into educating yourself about PR and time for researching which outlets to target and who to pitch to, but as Richard Branson says: “A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad.”
PR has a place for small businesses and can offer your business a voice if used appropriately and cost effectively.
Candice Meisels is a Virtual PR Consultant with a passion for helping small businesses find their voice and share it with the media. Candice recently wrote The Power of PR, PR for Start Ups and Small Business.
