Regardless of how big or small your business is, public relations holds the same importance. Even if your business doesn’t have the huge marketing budget of a corporation, you can have an effective and economical public relations plan in place. If cost effective PR is what you are looking for, you can follow these simple strategies.
Leverage social media
Social media is the fastest way to connect with your audience regardless of the demographic. No matter who your customer is, you can be sure that they are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest or Google+! Maintaining a company profile on popular social media networks can enhance your brand visibility and get you closer to your customer base. It is also a great medium for two-way communication as it makes you more accessible to your demographic.
Follow-up through e-mail
Email marketing is simple, efficient and free! If you want to communicate with your customers regularly, creating a monthly newsletter is a great way to keep them interested. After collecting email addresses, divide your mailing lists based on customer interests and keep your newsletters intriguing. In fact, you don’t even have to invest in lengthy newsletters and simply create visually striking and easy to read graphics.
Keep an active presence online
It is not enough to simply be active on social media, you should aim to be interactive. Keep track of what your customers are saying about you online and converse with them to make your service or product better. Look for helpful advice through a constant stream of communication and aim to be transparent and open to feedback. Don’t just focus on selling your product, focus on understanding your customer.
Blog to build your brand
Create an online directory of helpful, useful and relevant information by blogging about various topics of interest. Whether you are aiming to sell, inform or connect with your audience, you can do it easily with a well maintained blog. It is not enough to simply upload some content and forget about it. Blogs require constant updating of content to remain relevant and popular. After all, your blog should answer any questions a potential customer may have. While maintaining a blog, don’t limit yourself to textual content and experiment with videos, images, infographics, podcasts and more to be interesting and unique.
Form connections with the media
Even though you may not have enough budget to create a full blown media campaign, you will need a little exposure from time to time. It is useful to maintain contacts in the media industry be it journalists, bloggers or industry experts. Reach out, connect and converse with experts in your field and take their help to boost your public image.
Make your website indispensable
It is very important to turn your website into the central hub for contact, information and guidance. Although social media is very helpful in maintaining a formidable online presence, nothing beats a detailed and well designed website that serves all the needs of the visitor. Be it your email ID to product information, your website is where the magic should happen.
