Do-it-yourself PR
I’m back! Man, time gets away from you if you let it. But, that’s no excuse for leaving you without useful marketing and public relations information. So, this one will be extra useful….or so I hope…..of course it will, trust!
Public Relations is about maintaining relations with the public according to Wikipedia. Well, this is entirely true. But it also goes on to explain that public relations encompasses a variety of other things including communication, community relations, crisis management, customer relations, employee relations, government affairs, industry relations, investor relations, media relations, mediation, publicity, speech-writing, and visitor relations. Whoa, that’s a mouthful and very broad although also true. To me, public relations is simply getting your message in front of people as often as possible. Awareness, awareness, awareness…..which in turn creates interest. The more people see or hear your message, the more curious or interested they become.
Here are some tips on what you can do to create your own BUZZ. Obviously I can’t deny it is beneficial to hire a professional since we can’t all be good at everything, and as I’ve stated before we should focus on being good at one thing rather than mediocre at everything. But, here’s how to start:
1. Learn how to write a proper press release and distribute it online. There are MANY sites where you can post it for free. Here’s a list of 50 free press release submission websites.
2. Network. Networking is a great way to get your name out there, networkingphoenix.com is a fantastic tool to find various networking opportunities in the Phoenix area. If you aren’t in the Phoenix area I’m sure there are comparable sites in your city.
3. Get involved in the online community. Social media, online forums, blogging, videos, photo sharing, social bookmarking, commenting, etc. are all ways to engage with your audience. Although these means of marketing have made it very easy for businesses to market themselves and gain visibility you shouldn’t rely solely on Internet marketing.
4. Offer current customers incentives to bring in new customers.
5. Newsletters. Make sure you ask someone if you can add them to your newsletter distribution list. Make sure it’s opt-in so people aren’t always opting-out.
6. Find out who produces the news programs at the television stations and send a press release with a creative idea on how a story about your product or service would be useful and newsworthy to their viewers.
7. Follow media personalities on Facebook and Twitter. Often they post stories they are working on and need resources.
8. Be visible in the community. Participate in community events, festivals, business organizations, charities, etc.
These are all great ways to make yourself visible and things you can do at little or no cost. If you are doing this on your own, you must be consistent in all areas. Checking in every now and then doesn’t help because getting exposure is often based on relationships. Now go out there and create some BUZZ of your own!
Hi PR Guru Dear Leslie,
Thanks for your above posted Do it yourself blog. I’m appreciating your time and efforts towards PR articles.
In your article you have covered everything to address target audience.
Very useful and Gr8 article, keep posting PR article for public awareness.
Thanks and warm regards,
Jigar
Thanks again for reading and your positive comments.
All the best,
Leslie