A lot of people tell me they can’t afford PR, especially those involved in micro businesses and SMEs.
My response? “Can you afford not to dabble a little?”
PR today is a lot better value then it used to be – that’s partly because a lot of service providers have taken a large dose of reality of late and reduced their fees, but its also because of online PR.
Using social media and other web utilities to compliment your traditional media strategy can reap you major benefits with minimal outlay…all you need is a little know how (or a PR person with online knowledge….I know one if you’re stuck)!
But I would say that, wouldn’t I?
So, I got in touch with some people ‘on the ground’ to find out their opinion on whether or not its worth spending a few bob on PR if you’re involved in a start-up or small enterprise.
“Absolutely it’s something they leave out” says Ciara O’Mahony, Press Officer with Enterprise Ireland, who does a lot of work with EI’s HPSUs.
“We work with lots of start-ups and usually they are so consumed with getting their business up and running, focusing on sales leads and coping with limited resources that they forget the importance of promoting it.”
“In my opinion PR is less expensive then other forms of marketing and is much more effective then advertising – especially if you’re trying to attract investors and build your brand.” said Ciara.
“A lot can be achieved with a small budget in PR. A newspaper clipping from a national daily or Sunday newspaper can gain you serious credibility with investors and further validate you and your product. Its important to do it right though – speaking to a professional and planning the release of your story properly is crucial to getting it out there.”
Michael Johnson, CEO of Dun Laoghaire County Enterprise Board was also kind enough to share his thoughts.
“In the overall scheme of things, PR is not a top issue for most Micro businesses, unless it has a quirky or innovative aspect. The business generally needs to concentrate more on fundamentals: money, product, service tweaking, marketing and advertising.”
“We are currently trying to raise the issue more in our workshops and courses – PR if done properly and without major cost can be very useful.”
From my own point of view, I think small business has a lot to gain from a reasonably priced PR service and likewise a lot to lose from overpriced services as in this game there are never any guarantees of media coverage. You just never know when an Icelandic volcano will erupt…
You can read how some of my clients feel about spending a few bob on PR on my Happy Customers page.
If you have any thoughts on the subject please share them below.
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Great article, I agree with the statement/question “Can you afford not to dabble a little?”
It is important to let people know you exist. You can have the best product/service in world and if nobody knows about it, then it will go nowhere.
Again, I agree with “Using social media and other web utilities to compliment your traditional media strategy can reap you major benefits with minimal outlay”
I think the power of social media is often underestimated by businesses. However, the biggest mistake is to write it off as a cheap set of tools. Sure, there is a low cost barrier to entry when setting up profiles on tools such as facebook and twitter (to name but a few). Another mistake is to use social media like traditional media and broadcast, social media is “social” by its nature and is about “conversations” and “dialogue”, and not about “shouting” as loud as possible to as many people as possible. Finally, your social media effort needs to be lined up with your business strategy and it needs time and attention, more so than cash.
It is so hard for any small business, especially in the start-up stage to juggle all the actives required to survive and thrive, but PR should be seen as relevant and prioritised. Furthermore, PR should be an ongoing activity and not a once-off blast.
The only issue I have with the blog post is the word expense title:
Is PR a worthwhile expense for small businesses?
PR should be seen as an “investment” and not an “expense”. Most importantly this investment should be measured in order to see the impact it is having on your business. I know this is technical detail (differentiating between an “investment” and an “expense”.) but, I have an MBA and as part of this I studied finance and marketing for two years, therefore I can’t help but ignore these terms as they form part of my business thinking.
Thanks for the comment Mark – totally agree with you as regards expense v investment!
Hi Emily, I think small business owners spend so much time on the tactical side of things that they forget to make time for the strategic end of things. Online PR is an essential area (particularly nowadays) that cannot be ignored. I think business owners should also learn about it themselves before recruiting external companies to do it because it’s just as essential as “knowing the numbers” in my opinion. Emer Lawn and a few other bloggers have written about Online PR on the O2 ideas room. You might consider contributing yourself?
Thanks,
Elaine @ O2 ideas room