As a marketing firm serving the small business community, our clients rely on us to develop cost effective marketing strategies.  Those strategies rarely include advertising, relying instead on effective  PR campaigns to deliver the key messages.

With the explosion of internet news services it is easier then ever to get messages into the marketplace.  Off line, my small business clients want to be featured in the IBJ or Indy Star. On-line they want the first position on a Google search. While the outlets have changed, the tactics for on and off line media are very similar.

For example, here are four  strategies which work on and off line.

  1. Buy Advertising – Advertising is a good way to start the ball rolling and introduce your brand, but advertisements will never have the credibility  of editorial content so you will need to offer more eventually.  On-line only 10% of traffic will ever come through an advertisement
  2. Relevant Content – Send press releases with new or information on hot issues, and on-line review your copy verifying it contains key words
  3. Frequent Updates –   Off line I refer to this as the drip theory; sending small updates to local media so they know what is going on in your business, and have the perception you are a dynamic firm.  On-line frequent blog posts or updates to your site let Google know your site is worth visiting on a regular basis moving you up in the rankings
  4. Create Links – In the off-line world this involves staying connected to other businesses who serve your client.  In the on-line world there are many ways to build links to your site including asking your friends and associates to connect to you in exchange for a connection to them or posting content on relevant sites or simply distributing press releases through on-line news sources.

Want to learn more?  Sign up for our PR on a Shoe String   or one of our other on-line education programs

The programs are FREE and include discussions on Marketing, Business Planning, Web design, and PR/Social Media  Each program includes emails, blog posts, worksheets and the occasional podcast or video.  Enroll in one today!