Why is PR important for small businesses?
Public relations (PR) isn’t just for the Goliath’s of the world – it’s essential for small businesses too – as well as micro businesses and start-ups.
As defined by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), PR is ultimately about building and protecting your brand’s reputation. And every business – no matter how large or small – depends on its reputation for survival and success.
How your brand is perceived – whether that be by customers, employees, partners or suppliers – has a significant impact on your success. Reputation can be your company’s biggest asset, or its greatest downfall, and it’s a fine line between the two.
Is PR out of my budget?
PR isn’t just for organisations with deep pockets. It can still be highly-effective on much smaller budgets. Rather than thinking about the budget first, start by thinking about what it is you want to achieve, and what you need to do to make that happen. You can then prioritise activity around the budget you have available.
PR is also often much more cost effective than advertising and marketing costs, and it can result in similar, if not larger, levels of brand exposure.
So, why should small businesses bother with PR?
There are so many benefits to PR for small businesses – we’ve summarised our top four below.
- Building relationships and trust
Ultimately, PR is about reputation. That reputation is built on strong relationships and trust. PR helps customers to feel connected to a brand, meaning they’re far more likely to become advocates and recommend your brand to others.
- Lifting brand visibility
PR generates positive exposure for your brand, in front of a much larger, targeted audience. This puts your brand in front of ‘strangers’, and turns those strangers into prospects. One thing that came into focus during the COVID-19 pandemic was the importance of having a strong online presence.
- Reducing reliance on recommendations and referrals
Although important for building brand advocates, PR can also help to reduce reliance on recommendations and referrals as a primary source of new prospects for your business. By introducing your brand to a wider audience, who will be interested in your products or services, PR fosters new interest in your business – widening your circle of influence.
- Strengthening credibility
Whether you’re just starting out, or looking to scale, credibility is critical. That credibility often comes in the form of ‘third party conferred authority’ – which means someone else endorsing your brand. That could be a client in a testimonial or case study, or a journalist in an authoritative piece of editorial content.
Growing your business to new heights
PR is an extremely valuable tool in growing your business – no matter what size you are now.
If you’re still unsure how PR could benefit your business, book your free communications review with the Kinetic team today:
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