Small businesses and startups face a crucial task in getting their brand noticed outside of a designated locale, and part of this challenge is the limited advertising budget they have to work with. Startups are especially at risk and only have a limited amount of time to get off the ground before financial restraints hinder growth altogether.
Some of the largest brands in America have advertising budgets that exceed a billion dollars and they can afford to run extensive marketing campaigns to promote new products. For most startups and SMEs, the competition from large brands limits their ability to interact with customers on a large scale, and if measures are not taken to balance the scales, consistent growth might be harder to sustain.
So what are the benefits of media coverage to your business?
· Brand visibility and reputation management. Media gives you a platform from which you can market your brand and get it noticed by a larger audience.
· Investor and partner interest. If your business is in its early stages, you may have an opportunity to attract investors and partners, provided that you’re able to get attention by marketing the company and selling your idea.
· User acquisition. The constant mention of your brand name across different media outlet can generate interest among the public and increase web traffic and social media engagement.
· Talent and recruitment. The success of a startup is largely dependent on the talent at hand, and your media exposure can help to attract more talent to the business.
It should be noted that while established brands have larger marketing budgets and therefore claim larger market shares, smaller businesses tend to be more closely affiliated with their customers, and are well-placed to set out personalized marketing campaigns that appeal to their targets’ needs.
So how do you get publicity and media coverage without blowing your budget?
If you are a business owner and don’t know how to get noticed without buy in PR, don’t give up just yet; there just might be a way to get media’s attention and make today’s networking technology work for you. Here are 5 tips to get free media coverage for your business.
1. Submit a press release
This is perhaps the fastest and easiest way to get some exposure for your brand. The first step is to organize a newsworthy event to attract the media. Are you launching a startup? Your options include writing a piece about the launch or a story about the makings of the business; alternatively you could write about a significant milestone or an upcoming event for your company.
Use platforms such as PR Web or PR Newswire to submit your press release to have access to news platforms from all across the country, some of which are bound to pick up your story for publication.
2. Create a media page for your business
As you go about setting up a pitch for your company as a potential investment opportunity, consider the value of creating a business page that lists and highlights the unique aspects of your business. Have a professional writer work on detailing the products and services, images, logos, etc. You are more likely to get traction in the investor circles if you are able to put together an interesting piece that journalists would want to publish and promote.
3. Be hashtag-savvy
It makes sense to follow journalists who write for your favorite media outlets online. Hashtags such as #journorequest and #prrequest can be useful in as far as connecting with individuals who can help take your brand to a larger audience.
4. Host community events and invite the media
Community events are perfect for connecting with people and highlighting your company’s efforts at corporate social responsibility. Are you launching a new product or planning an open-house for your business, you can get more people engaged by sponsoring a local community event and bring the press to cover it.
5. Stand out on social media
In order to run a successful social media campaign you will have to come up with a detailed and elaborate strategy that takes into account the needs and interests of your target audience, and involves several methods of engagement.
You don’t need to have a million-dollar advertising budget in order to get your brand name out into the public. When starting out in business, the first thing to do is to connect with people and to do that you need the media, but remember with tools such as YouTube and a little imagination you can get a lot of traction in the first stages.
