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Public Relations for Entrepreneurs

Small Business Marketing

Public Relations for Entrepreneurs

Written by Richard San Juan for Gaebler Ventures

Public relations serve as the voice and public image of your company to the marketplace, media, and most of all, to potential consumers. This is especially important for small businesses and entrepreneurs because it gives them exposure to tell the company's story and what they are trying to market.

Having a public relations strategic plan is very valuable to small businesses.

However, conducting a public relations campaign is added cost that sometimes entrepreneurs try to avoid or circumvent.

Unfortunately, by doing that, entrepreneurs are not taking advantage of probably the most valuable communication tool for a small business. A good public relations campaign should be direct and results-oriented as a method to achieve its targeted objective.

To be effective, public relations campaign needs to be persistent but show restraint at the same time.

In addition, public relations can also provide an avenue of reaching out towards the market segment the entrepreneur and his small business is interested in.

Nowadays, the media presence, in conjunction with the Internet, allows companies to reach millions of people in an instant. Making a major announcement, relaying company news, or showcasing a new product or service are some of the occasions where public relations could benefit an entrepreneur. The ultimate goal is to generate media attention.

Sometimes relations with the media prove to be contentious, but this is not usually the case.

Entrepreneurs will undoubtedly spend some time with some form of media outlet. Small business owners should make an effort to build a good rapport with members of the media. Members of the press are just as important as the company's marketers and therefore it is in the best interests of the entrepreneur to form a good working relationship with them.

The key to success is establishing and maintaining some correspondence. Furthermore, as a professional in a certain industry, entrepreneurs and small business owners should be willing to give advice in industry news relating to the company.

Once the small business has developed a communication with members of the media, there are certain tactics that a company can do to gain exposure, recognition, or acceptance.

For example, if a small business has developed a new product or service, it can send a press release with the appropriate information. Second, an entrepreneur can offer his services or product for free to charities or civic organizations. This will help gain goodwill and of course, visibility within the community.

Small businesses can also use the tactic of hiring a firm that specializes in public relations. Oftentimes, these PR firms already have established relationships with various media contacts. It would be in the best interests of a small business to take advantage of it. Furthermore, PR firms are quite adept at setting up public announcements that would benefit the company they work for.

Lastly, to get the small business get some recognition, the entrepreneur or executives of the company should be able to give speeches or lectures in industry or community conferences.

Richard San Juan is currently pursuing an MBA degree with an emphasis in Finance from DePaul University in Chicago. He is particularly interested in writing about business news and strategies.