I have a special treat for everyone today!  Yes, today is the day that we start looking at PR, and for my fellow Wahms I have an awesome guest article for you.  I sent out the call on Twitter and received numerous great PR tips back, but I wanted to start things off with this great article from Molly Orr.  Check it out:

PR Tips for Small Businesses
Molly Orr, owner
www.mollyodesigns.com

I often get asked by other mompreneurs what they can do in a tight economy to generate more business on a budget. My answer is quick and to the point. Public Relations!

First, let’s establish what public relations means, at least to me. PR is about effective communication. It can be about communicating your image, it can be written, electronic, verbal and even social. But one thing is for sure, it can be free and it does work!

Below is a list of ideas on how to create and implement your own public relations strategy without spending a cent.

Create a Plan!
As with anything you do in business, if you don’t have a plan, how do you know where you are going? Your Communication/PR Strategy is your roadmap to a successful PR campaign. Just put a few things on paper like your objective, key messages and tactics.

It doesn’t have to be 20 pages long or something that a professional PR firm would create. You just need to get the basics down on paper.

First, state your Objective. Just a few sentences about what you are trying to achieve.

Second, create your key words/phrases/messages. These are the key phrases you want to repeat over and over in everything you create regarding your business. You may have one key message, or you may have 5. But put them on paper!

Third, create a timeline and table with the tactics you are going to use to achieve your objective. It is as simple as setting up a 3 column table in word that says tactic, description, date. For example:

It’s All About Brand Recognition
Create a look for your company and stick to it! Keep everything you create consistent. From your messages to the overall look of your ads, paperwork, photos, etc. Create a template for everything that has your name on it and make sure they all have a cohesive look. It can be very confusing for customers if your overall look and image changes every couple of months.

Contact Your Local PRSSA for Help
Public Relations Student Society of America has chapters at most university campuses. They often do work pro bono or for a small fee in order to gain experience. If you feel like creating your image and developing a Public Relations Strategy is beyond your scope of expertise, contact your local chapter and find out if they are willing to help.

What to Include in Your Plan?
Once you have your objective and key messages mapped out, you need to brainstorm a list of tactics that you can use. Here are a few ideas that generate a great return.

Website
This may seem obvious. But so many websites are poorly designed and written. First make sure your design truly follows the image you want to create for your business. Second, create an outline for your text. Often when you just start writing on a blank sheet your ideas do not flow as well as you would like. They may come across as choppy and out of order. An outline will help you develop your flow and stay on track. Write short, easy to read sentences. Use your key words and key phrases consistently throughout your text.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Do a little research on what SEO is and how you can do it yourself. SEO is truly the key to generating a website that can be found. Part of SEO is using those key words and phrases that you generated in your PR Strategy. See how everything is starting to fit together?

Create a Blog!
A great way to utilize SEO is to link back to your website from your blog. And your blog is a great platform for using those keywords and phrases as well. The more saturated (in a natural way) your blog and website is with these words and phrases, the quicker you will appear in the search engines under those words/phrases.

Blogs are also a great way to keep your customers up to date on what is happening at your company. It gives them a feeling of getting a behind the scenes peek at how the business is run. You can also use your blog to generate business by offering contests, giveaways or free information.

Create a Name for Your Business in the Blog World
I spend each morning visiting blogs that are relevant to my company. I take the time to read their posts and comment. I never promote my company, I simply comment, leave my name and website. I have generated a great deal of business with this tactic. Much of your target audience may visit the same blogs. Seeing your name repeatedly is a great way to create brand recognition. Plus you might learn something about your customer’s wants and needs as you read their posts!

Network, Network, Network
Some of the best exposure I receive is from other people I network with. I received a call from a reporter of a very large newspaper wanting to interview me. She had received my name from a woman in my networking group. It was an amazing opportunity and generated a great deal of sales for my company.

Write for Other Blogs/Websites
Brainstorm story ideas that would be beneficial to other blogs/websites in your industry. Positioning yourself as an expert in your area of business is a great way to build your image and reputation. Contact other blog/website owners and find out if they are interested in allowing you to be a guest author. The article or post does not have to be a book. A few hundred words on a topic that ties into your expertise is a quick and easy way to generate traffic back to your website or blog.

E-newsletters
Again, this seems a bit obvious but you would be surprised by how many small businesses don’t communicate with their customers on a regular basis. The key here is to create a schedule! Generate a list of topics for the entire year! Are you seeing the trend here? Brainstorm, put it on paper and follow your timeline.

If that is too much to do at once, do it quarterly. Make your topics relevant, easy to read and don’t forget the pictures! A picture that links to your site is the quickest way to generate traffic. I use www.constantcontact.com but there are several easy to use websites out there that generate e-communication while generating and saving your customer list.

Do I Need to Mention Social Media?
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. The list goes on and on. In fact, talking about social media is an article in itself. You may want to create a presence on several sites or just start off by focusing on one. Personally, I set a daily goal for myself to follow a certain number of people. I do this by searching under my key words and following people who are relevant to my business. This is a great place to start.

For example, I created a speech that focuses on Creating Your Own Mommy Style. I talk about how to get out of the mommy rut and create an image and style you are proud of, while staying on a tight budget. Most of the time the items I talk about are created in our Molly O classes. So indirectly I am promoting our company. But I am not giving a hard sales presentation. Our Stylists receive a large amount of emails and calls after one of my presentations. Plus we are branding our image by creating the association between stylish moms and the classes we offer through Molly O Designs.

Pitch a Story
When people think of PR one of the first things that come to mind is sending out a press release. And yet, very few small companies actually write a press release let alone send them out. Just like with the speech I mention above, create a relevant story that will make any editor’s job easy. Again, you are not promoting or advertising your business. You are trying to pitch a compelling, newsworthy story. Find your angle!

Molly Orr is a PR professional turned mompreneur. She is the owner/CEO of Molly O Designs, a home party business that provides women with a fun and social way to create the hottest boutique trends in the comfort of their home, with friends, while staying on budget. Creating Your Own Style has never been so much fun!

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