5 Ways to Use PR for your Small Business

PR is an extremely powerful and persuasive medium when done properly, especially for smaller, growth-minded companies trying to work their way to the top.

Despite constant rumors of the death of traditional media and press releases, they are quite possibly the most effective way to give your company a boost up to the next level.

Below I’ve outlined the 5 ways PR is ideally suited to grow your small or mid-sized business.

1. Cheaper than advertising and most other marketing activities: PR scales like crazy. With just a small investment in a press release and some time pitching your story to the media, you could have your company name in front of thousands, possibly millions, of eyeballs. The same investment in advertising would be cost prohibitive for most small or mid-size companies. It might cost $5,000 to get a mention in a major news outlet like The Wall Street Journal or CNBC but cost a small fortune to produce and purchase enough ad space to acquire the same credibility and mindshare through advertising.
2. Level the playing field with corporate giants: Nothing wins a fan base quite as well as the David vs. Goliath scenario. If you’re a smaller company going up against giant corporations, a PR campaign leveraging the special qualities your small company offers, qualities the corporate leviathan overlooks or simply can’t offer because of its size, will win followers hand over  fist. For an example of this kind of campaign, find out how one small company called AustiNuts bested one of the largest food giants in the world in a battle over names. So fear not, just pick up a rock, load your sling, and take aim!
3. Brand differentiation: PR is a great way to define your company in contrast to the competition. True, advertising is effective, too. But illustrating the differences in a newspaper or TV news story makes a much stronger imprint on a buyer’s psyche than the dubious science of advertising ever can. One of the ways Dell grew its PC business in the 90's against competitors like Gateway 2000 (now just Gateway) was by sending its computers to be tested by influential journalists like Walt Mossberg. Pronouncements from media personalities like Walt could make or break a brand over time. Just compare the number of PC's sold today by Dell compared to Gateway. (An over simplification? Perhaps. But I personally knew PR pros from Dell who made a huge impact on the perception of the Dell PC as a quality leader over the competition just by how they worked the media.)
4. Get new customers: It’s all about being top-of-mind when a decision is made to look for a product or service. Nothing impresses the neurons in decision-makers quite like a flattering article in the Wall Street Journal or even a local newspaper. Nuff said!
5. Credibility: Good PR can help a business be seen as a leader in a given industry and market. The fact is, when we see stories in newspapers, journals,  TV, and even blogs, there is an unconscious legitimizing effect which occurs in the minds of potential buyers. Think of what The Oprah Effect has done to small, unknown consumer product manufacturers since the Queen of Daytime Talk Shows began reviewing products she thought were worth our attention. What exactly is The Oprah Effect, you ask? When a product is featured on Oprah’s show, it’s not uncommon for the company's website to crash from all the traffic generated by Oprah’s positive endorsement. She’s a modern-day King Midas. And it’s all possible because of PR – getting a product featured on any TV show or media outlet takes a concerted PR effort.

This is by no means a complete list. My intent is to illustrate how PR is often overlooked, nay completely unknown, by so many small companies, most of which are in bad need of affordable ways to get more business. Are you wondering if your company is a candidate for PR? Let's see, if you have customers and would like to grow, then, yes, you're a perfect candidate for PR.