Secrets to Low Cost PR for Small Businesses
Many small businesses have a budget for marketing and advertising their product or service. With limited funds, every dollar must count. What can be done to make a minute business dollars go further?
Getting publicity for your business is low cost and sometimes even free. Even better, it is more effective. Publicity in the media is more credible than advertising. The key is to accept what it takes to glean the media to notice your business.
The media are looking for interesting human interests news stories. Holding a special event is a great way to create excitement for your business and customers and possibly create media attention. There are many special events that can form remarkable traffic for you at exiguous or no cost. Customers like unique shopping experiences. During the promotional sales that I race, many repeat customers come in for the shopping and the special events also. By having special events, you can make your business stand out from the rest.
We will examine a few special events that can create publicity for you also. You can give a donation to a nonprofit organization. You want to make this different from just a typical cash or merchandise donation. It could be using your place of business or perhaps an auction of some of your products or services for the charity. It even could be an auction of some of your key employee’s expertise. For example, an owner of a small accounting business could offer to do the tax return for the auction.
Your can write press releases about your donation. Many of these nonprofits already have beneficial relationships with the media and will serve you generate publicity for your donation.
Having an informational product seminar or product demonstration is another way to possibly generate media attention. The key is to put your own creative touch and contact the media before the event. If not, make sure you take pictures which you may be able to gather in the newspaper after the event.
For example, having a Halloween Costume Event for pets would be a astronomical special event. The media in particular loves stories about children and animals. Even better, it would be a fantastic thought to invite media to be judges for your event. Of course, TV would be the best, but don’t turn down radio, newspapers or magazines.
Another example would be to have a group of people outside your store with positive picketing. They would possess signs such as “Prices Too Improper” or “Beware of Friendly Employees”. This has resulted in one of my clients being on the front page of a local paper.
There is a new product that is sold in some kiosks. It is an instant snow product. You could buy it and guarantee snow at your business on a sure date. If you are in a colder climate, you could select a summer date. That would catch the media’s attention in a hurry.
One last example of a special event would to have free pictures at your business for your customers. It could be Santa, Easter Bunny, Valentine’s or a costumed character. Better yet, this would be a great tie in with a charity. They would be advertising this at no cost to you. The cost of the pictures would be small compared to the huge potential revenue. Once again, the media would love this idea.
There are many ways to create publicity for your business at little or no cost. Getting your employees involved will even create more ways to attract the media’s attention. Being unique will not only separate your business from the rest with the customers, but the media also.
Related Posts
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Leave a Reply