As we head into the New Year, our team is evaluating our business goals for the year ahead. As a small business owner or entrepreneur, you may be in the same spot. I recently chatted with a small business owner who told me they had tried a variety of marketing strategies in the past year, all of which were expensive and unsuccessful in generating leads and sales. Their goal for the new year was to try a new aspect of marketing – public relations.
Obviously, this coincided with our business goals – to continue to grow our businesses, but also, to help other small businesses share their story with the world. As you start to think about what you want to accomplish in 2022, and what risks you’re willing to take, I ask that you take a moment to think about public relations.
If you haven’t thought about public relations in the past, 2022 might be the year to do so. If you’ve had a public relations strategy the past few years, it might be time to evaluate it and reassess. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself about your PR strategy when planning for 2022.
- What are your company goals and objectives? How does that align with your PR strategy? Ultimately, public relations should support the overall goals of your company.
- What is the ultimate goal of public relations for your business? What do you consider a win? Being able to identify short and long-term goals are key in determining where to put your focus.
- Who is your target audience and what type of relationship do you have with them? Who do you want to reach with your expertise or news?
- Do you have your company’s “story” or “messaging” identified, written out, refined and concise? If you aren’t clear about what you do, or what your story is, how will a reporter?
- What are you the expert on? Thought leadership should be a huge component of your PR plan. Thought leaders are regularly sought out by reporters and quoted in top tier media outlets.
If you’re in the process of thinking about public relations, marketing, or are re-evaluating your PR plan for 2022, please reach out to us. Brusoe Communications offers free initial consulting to business owners and we’d be happy to guide you through the planning process.