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PR And Content Marketing For Small Businesses - Crucial Tips You Need

In this age of digital interconnectedness, PR and content marketing for small businesses have become indispensable tools. So, as a small business owner, where and how do you start?

Feb 20, 2024994 Shares52.3K ViewsWritten By: Alastair MartinReviewed By: James Smith
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  1. PR And Content Marketing For Small Business
  2. Public Relations Ideas For Small Businesses
  3. Content Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners
  4. PR And Content Marketing For Small Businesses - People Also Ask
  5. Final Thoughts
PR And Content Marketing For Small Businesses - Crucial Tips You Need

In today’s competitive businesslandscape, PR and content marketing for small businessesare basics, to say the least.

Running a small businessin a dynamic marketplace is akin to exploring a bustling metropolis - it’s both exciting and challenging.

As days pass, several small business owners have come to appreciate the importance of not only offering exceptional products or quality services but also effectively communicating the benefits they offer to potential customers/clients.

PR And Content Marketing For Small Business

Harnessing the power of PR and content marketinghas become necessary for promoting and growing a business.

Here’s one definition of public relations in business from a seasoned Wall Street professional and FinTech expert, as stated in his 2023 Investopedia article:

Public relations (PR) is the set of techniques and strategies related to managing how information about an individual or company is disseminated to the public, and especially the media.- Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst)

In his 2023 Forbes article, Zohaib Patoli, the founder of Texas-based internet marketing company LeadOrigin and a Forbes Councils Member, explains how public relations can help a business:

  • build “reputation” and establish credibility
  • create a relationship and an “emotional connection” with people
  • improve “SEOperformance”
  • manage its social mediaaccount(s)
  • carry out its online and marketing activities well

Though PR and content marketing for small businesses can be a daunting task, they’re both essentials.

As for content marketing, Neil Patel, the co-founder of Las Vegas-based digital marketing agency NP Digital - a marketer featured by the likes of Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal - wrote in his blog:

Content marketing is a long-term strategy that focuses on building a strong relationship with your target audience by giving them high-quality content.- Neil Patel

The benefits of content marketingfor business, according to an article by the Salford Business School of the University of Salford in England:

1. Content is the “foundation” of digital marketing.

2. Content is informative; therefore, people will learn something valuable from it.

3. Reading a content can make readers become customers; that is, they’ll buy the products or avail the services being promoted.

4. Content can boost “social media engagement.”

5. Content serves as a reflection of the integrity and authority of a business.

So, when used the right way, PR and content marketing for small businesses can meet the expectations of business owners.

What Is The Main Difference Between PR And Marketing?

An undated marketing article posted on the website of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce mentions how people usually think that PR and marketing are the same.

Well, they’re not (though sometimes they “overlap”).

Their difference:

Public Relations (PR)Marketing
main focus: creating and maintaining a positive brand/image/reputationmain focus: making sales (selling)

That gives you an idea about PR and content marketing for small businesses.

Public Relations Ideas For Small Businesses

Lucy Werner from France is the founder of Hype Yourself (est. 2021), which offers PR services to small businesses, and the previous owner of London-based PR agency The Wern (2014-2023).

In her article for Atlanta-based email marketingcompany Mailchimp, she enumerates these PR ideasfor small businesses:

1. Be active on social media.

a. X (formerly Twitter)

  • Via CIO.com(an IT-related site), Malcolm J. Gray, Live Nation Entertainment’s social media manager, recommends monitoring X for hashtags and keywords related to one’s product/service and then posting pertinent comments.
  • Jane Callahan, founder and president of PR firm JKC Communications, told CIO that business owners should join chats related to their product/service and co-host a chat.

b. Facebook

  • Network Now founder Jamie Broderick told CIO that Facebook Live comes handy when promoting a business.
  • Kristi Brown, cofounder of the marketing and consulting firm Significantly Successful, agrees. Her tip: the public should be informed about the schedules of Facebook Live in advance.

Note: Small business owners can also go live on TikTok.

c. Instagram and Pinterest

  • Ashley Haugen, a former content strategist at Brightpeak Financial, told CIO that Pinterest is the ideal platform for infographics.
  • On Instagram, per CIO, make sure to include relevant hashtags in your posts as well as excellent and interesting photographs.

d. Quora

  • Quincy Smith, the marketing manager at video conferencing platform Visiple, told CIO that small business owners should answer questions (related to their product/service) at Quora.
  • Smith said that doing so will establish credibility on the part of the business owner.

2. Write blogs.

  • According to CIO, take advantage of free content sites (e.g., Medium and LinkedIn Pulse). Post your blogs there.
  • Domenick Cilea, president of PR agency Springboard, told CIO that business owners should post the links of their blogs in their own social media account(s).

3. Seek the help of social media influencers.

  • Alice Williams, a communications specialistat business solutions company Frontier Business Edge, told CIO that influencers can be effective “brand ambassadors.”
  • Williams added that based on a study by specialty services company Annalect and X (note: when it was still Twitter), influencers are great options when targeting millennials.

4. Try podcasting.

  • Werner suggests inviting experts and fellow small business owners as guests.
  • She also implied that you can guest in other people’s podcasts to promote your business.
Two men with headphones seated across each other at the ‘Scale or Die’ podcast and a man standing at the corner
Two men with headphones seated across each other at the ‘Scale or Die’ podcast and a man standing at the corner

5. Monitor the news and selectively react.

Werner said that you should post a reaction in your social media account(s) to news related or affecting your business.

6. Organize these two kinds of events:

  • networking event
  • experiential event (provides more hands-on activities to attendees)

In his 2023 Business Daily News article, Max Freedman, a Philadelphia-based award-winning content writer, underscored how cost-effective PR can be. He also added that small business owners need the “right tools” for a successful PR campaign because without them, it can be “time-consuming.”

Freedman, who has hands-on experience in running a small business, recommends the following do-it-yourself (DIY) public relations tools (prices indicated as of December 20, 2023):

DIY PR ToolsCost (in U.S. Dollar)
Brandwatchcontact them for a quote
CoverageBookstarts at $99/month
Help A Reporter Out (HARO)$19, $49, and $149 per month
Google AlertsFREE
Hootsuite$49 to $739 per month
LinkedInfree (premium plans: starts at $29.99/month)
Muck Rackcontact them for a quote
Online PR MediaFREE (online press release); $22 (social media press release)
PRLogFREE
PRWebstarts at $99 per press release

For small businesses with a physical store, John B. Dinsmore, Jr., a marketing professor at Wright State University in Ohio, told CIO:

  • Owners should request customers to take a selfie at the store and post it on social media and tag them.
  • The friends of those customers will perceive the post as a form of “a persuasive endorsement.”
  • Owners can offer customers a giveaway as a token of gratitude.

In his January 2024 article for Small Business Trends, Tel-Aviv-based Itai Elizur, a partner at and the COO of the marketing and PR firms MarketAcross and InboundJunction, wrote that a PR strategy must possess these three standards:

  • “truthful”
  • “timely”
  • “follows a story-telling narrative”

There goes the first part of PR and content marketing for small businesses.

Content Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners

In her 2023 article for Semrush, an American software as a service (SaaS) platform, digital content marketer Margarita Loktionova, wrote:

According to our [Semrush] State of Content Marketing 2023 Global Report, 99% of online and offline businesses with 11-50 employees generate positive results with content marketing.- Margarita Loktionova

Loktionova recommends these content marketing tipsfor small business owners:

1. “Work on your foundations.”

The “foundations” being referred to include your:

  • website (should be “optimized”)
  • analytics (e.g., Google Analytics) - learn about it so you can evaluate your progress
  • knowledge and skills when it comes to copywritingand designing

Loktionov wrote that according to Sophie Joelle Venner, the content and SEO(search engine optimization) manager at financial services company Novuna, these two matter a lot:

  • unique selling point (USP), aka unique selling proposition (tell what makes your product/service better)
  • brand tone of voice (learn the right words to use and the appropriate writing style)

2. “Document your content marketing strategy.”

You should be clear about the:

  • audience (target market)
  • business goals
  • topics you want to write about
  • content format of choice (e.g., blogs, podcasts, videos, etc.)
  • content distribution channels (e.g., social media)

Loktionova further advises to be “selective” when choosing distribution channels.

3. “Put stories at the heart of your content marketing strategy.”

Tell stories related to your product/service that will captivate the attention of your target market.

Semrush identifies six criteria for a great brand story:

authenticempathetic
convincingrealistic
emotionalrelevant

4. “Avoid creating generic content.”

To make your contents stand out:

  • use memes and satires
  • make a reference to pop culture
  • state your opinions
  • compose “unique headlines”
  • add “colorful” pictures

5.“Track your success.”

Do it by using tools to measure your metrics. These metrics include:

  • behavior metrics
  • engagement metrics
  • SEO results
  • content marketing ROI (return on investment)
Three wooden Scrabble tiles of the letters ‘S,’ ‘E’ and ‘O’ standing diagonally on a thick wooden surface
Three wooden Scrabble tiles of the letters ‘S,’ ‘E’ and ‘O’ standing diagonally on a thick wooden surface

In his eponymous website, Neil Patel suggests blogging to drive traffic to your business website. Then use SEO: placing certain words/phrases/terms - or “keywords” - in the articles you will post in it.

That way, when people Google a product or service, your website/blog will have a better chance of showing up in the first few pages of the results.

Loktionov reminds business owners to place a call-to-action (CTA)button in their blogs.

Aside from blog posts as content, Patel also tells owners to “create a variety” to have an edge over competitors. Make infographics and write white papers (a kind of well-researched report), too.

PR And Content Marketing For Small Businesses - People Also Ask

Is Content Marketing A Communication?

Based on a conversation (dated August 7, 2022) found on the online message board of software company HubSpot, content marketing is a form of communication that can appear in various forms, such as blogs and website contents.

How Do I Tell Someone To Promote My Business?

Here are some of the points to remember when doing so, according to an article by the website The Authentic Marketer:

a. Establish a relationship first. Start by following them on social media and reacting to their posts.

b. Make sure they’ll get something in return (e.g., offer them freebies or a discount).

c. When contacting (e.g., via email), be polite and sincere.

How Do You Promote Your Company To Employees?

Greg Goodman, a therapist business coach and the founder of Goodman Creatives, which offers marketing services, gives these suggestions:

  • Make sure you have a quality product/service.
  • Give good employee benefits.
  • Uphold company values.
  • Create a friendly and helpful company culture.
A message of thanks for supporting a small business in block letters and black ink with colored drawings of lemons
A message of thanks for supporting a small business in block letters and black ink with colored drawings of lemons

Final Thoughts

Doing PRand content marketing for small businesses entail a lot of work but they’ll pay off if owners will be consistent and diligent.

Large businesses and more established companies have bigger funds and manpower to promote themselves, but small businesses still stand a chance to compete with them.

A catchy blog, an interesting photograph, a sound opinion posted as a comment in social media - each of them is one step towards success.

Take the chance to explore the transformative power of PR and content marketing for small businesses.

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