Publicizing Your Small Business

September 30, 2009 By Mary White

As a small business owner, it’s essential that you take proactive steps toward promoting your business without spending a fortune doing so. Whether you view yourself as a marketing guru or a public relations person, it’s a fact that entrepreneurs must learn how to spread the word about what their companies are doing in an affordable way. The good news is that you don’t have to be a communications expert to get publicity for your small business. You just need to know the basics of how to generate media and non-media publicity and get comfortable tooting your own horn.

1. Create a Custom Media List
The first thing you’ll need to do when you’re ready to start figuring out how to publicize your small business is to come up with a media list that contains the names and contact information for local and trade media professionals who might be interested in learning about what is going on at your company. You’ll have to do some legwork to put together a solid media list, but it’s certainly worth the time and effort to do so.

The list should include reporters and editors for your local daily and weekly newspapers, assignment editors for your local television stations, and news directors for the radio stations in your market. If there are print or online magazines that reach appropriate segments of the market, you’ll also want to include editorial contacts for those publications. Look for any types of media or non media publications or websites that reach your target customers and/or leaders in the community or industry where you do business and include the people in charge of content on your media list.

2. Write and Distribute Press Releases Regularly
Having a media list may be the first step to effectively publicizing your business, but it’s just the beginning. The list won’t do you any good if you don’t submit appropriate information about your business to the right people at the right time. It’s important to develop a publicity mindset for your company. Look for opportunities to write press releases about what is going on with your organization so that you can submit them to editors and reporters as appropriate.

For example, if you win a major contract, you may want to distribute a press release to the business oriented contacts on your media list. If you’re holding an open house event, do some type of tie-in with a charitable organization in your community and send out press releases announcing the event. If you promote an employee to a new position, consider sending out news releases about that. Learn to look at everything that’s happening with your company from a newsworthiness perspective so that you can identify goings on that might warrant publicity opportunities.

Posted in Marketing