Beyond the Press Release: Eight Key Steps to Small Business Success

By Christine Henry Woodward

In these difficult economic times, companies desperately need the tools to stand out from the crowd. Public relations is probably one of the most cost-effective ways to increase your company’s brand identity and build your sales pipeline. Woman entrepreneurs are particularly well suited to public relations, because women are inherently good at communicating. With the right guidelines you can be off and running on a highly effective PR campaign.

But PR is not just sending out press releases. To be really effective, a public relations campaign should consist of a variety of marketing and public relations activities that all work in concert to promote visibility. A successful PR strategy should include these eight key steps:

• Define Your Goals, Your Target Market and Your Messages

• Present a Strong Visual Image and Compelling Message in Your Collateral Materials

• Use Direct Marketing to Stand Out

• Publish a Newsletter to Give Your Clients Valuable Information

• Host Client Events

• Get Active in Professional and Business Organizations

• Maximize Your Website

• Gain Media Exposure

Here is a real-life case study that illustrates how all the elements of an integrated PR campaign can work together.

An article I ghost-authored for a client was published in a prominent industry magazine. We then emailed the article to their clients (Now it’s a direct marketing piece!). One of the organizers of a major industry conference read the article and asked my client to host a panel on the topic. City officials who were attending the conference were looking for expertise in just that subject and contacted my client for consulting work. And finally, we took the same topic and turned it into a client seminar!

And that, in a nutshell, is the power of a fully integrated PR campaign!

About the author:
Christine Henry Woodward is the founder of My PR Tools. She offers a full range of do-it-yourself marketing and public relations guides and personalized PR coaching. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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