PR is a great opportunity for start-up businesses to boost their initial marketing cheaply.
Companies House recently revealed that there were 500,000 new businesses registered in the UK in 2014. So that’s lots of new businesses competing for coverage.
So – how can you get a head start for your start-up?
1. Boiler plate
What is your business? You have probably heard of the ‘elevator pitch’, which is where you can sum up what you do in a sentence, should someone ask you. The boiler plate is similar. It’s the paragraph that positions what you do, and if you use it in all your marketing communications you will portray a consistent, understandable message. Of course, this means you can use it (or parts of it) in your first press release.
Here’s an example; PR Centre’s boiler plate:
“PR Centre is a UK-based team of experienced PR professionals that write great value press releases, web copy and blog articles, and handle PR distribution. Whether you’re a small business, large organisation or a PR agency, we provide meticulous levels of quality and a satisfaction guarantee.”
2. Brand
Focus on your brand. Your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your services, and it differentiates what your offer from that of your competitors.
The logo – and everything associated with it – communicates the brand. How you look, what you say, and being consistent in what you do, makes your brand stronger.
So think about your logo, your strapline, your colours, your photos – and how they appear on business cards, advertisements, your social media channels, your website etc.
In addition to your boilerplate, also think about your messaging. The words in your marketing materials are important. Think about the tone of voice, whether your copy is salesy or informative, how you refer to yourself or your business…
3. The human element
If you are the key person in your business (the MD, CEO or proprietor perhaps), then you are also the mouthpiece of the business. What you say plays an instrumental role in shaping your business’s image, brand and culture.
Think about how visible you are to the world. It’s not just in person where you can make a difference, such as at networking events or making presentations. You need a well-crafted social media presence. You need to come across at the right level to your audience – perhaps as a leader, or a do-er. You’ll gain credibility and business leads this way.
In your press releases you will need to be quoted, and make sure your quotes are relevant or thought-leading. And personal PR can also include writing comment in newspapers and magazines on things that are important in your industry, or profile pieces about you and why your opinions count.
4. Social media
Here at PR Centre, and at our sister company Oxygen, we place social media among our range of PR services. (Some agencies think of social media as being one of their web development services).
Either way, social media is an increasingly important PR tool. It’s vital you don’t dabble. If you intend to use social media – such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc – then you need a social media strategy. It will ensure you say the right things, and use the social media channels regularly, so that you establish both your brand identity and credibility.
But a word of caution. Social media can be time-consuming, and you need to be sure you can get a return on your investment (and that means your time). If you can gain customers through other marketing channels more cheaply and by retaining the same credibility, social media may not be for you.
5. Get help if you need it
Running a new business isn’t easy. There’s lots to do – and often you can find out that you’re just not able to do certain things well.
There is no reason why you’d be a natural at PR. PR can be challenging. Here’s some advice from www.entrepreneur.com:
“…you don’t have to do it alone, you can hire a professional. A good PR firm will help you establish a strong identity, effectively communicate your story to the right people, create thought leadership opportunities for your CEO and establish an engaging social-media program. They will build your brand, help you stand out, increase your visibility and get you in front of decision makers.”
You’d need to budget for the cost of a PR agency, and they can be expensive. At PR Centre we can assist in all these ways – at a fraction of the cost of most PR agencies.