Top 3 PR Tips For 2010

Most business leaders will be more that happy to ring in the New Year. But to truly leave 2009 in the dust drastic measures are in order. It is time for every business leader to DO SOMETHING to change the course of her business.

Public relations can be a cost effective strategy to implement for your business. Here are the top three Best Business Mastery public relations strategies for 2010:

#1 Create Your Own News
Most small businesses are not brimming with news opportunities. The next best thing is to create your own news. You can do this very easily. Identify an event you can make into a news story about your business.  Will your business be entering a milestone year (1, 5, 10, 15… etc.) in 2010?

If so, do something to commemorate your milestone such as create a special anniversary logo for all your marketing materials or select a month to run an anniversary promotion. Or host an event for your favorite charity and invite area celebrities/politicians to take part in it. Invite local reporters to cover the event.

One caveat, avoid holding an event on a Saturday, it is the toughest day of the week to get a reporter to cover an event.

#2 Win an Award
Go to the website for your local news site, newspaper, national small business magazine or business journal to research if there are annual business award programs.  Metropolitan cities with business journals offer many awards programs that you can submit yourself or business to be considered for.

Don’t wait for anyone to give you an award, you may end up waiting a very long time. Look for award programs that offer free exposure such as a feature article, an advertising campaign and/or an award ceremony event. Many of these awards programs have a built in marketing machine that you can benefit from if you are selected among the honorees.

Seize an opportunity to be honored with an award, so you can reap the benefits of “free” publicity.

#3 Create New Referral Sources
Get out there do your own word of mouth public relations by networking in 2010! Cultivate relationships that can lead to referrals. Every business should have people at complementary companies that are willing to recommend your business to potential clients and customers.

Identify events in your area that may yield the best results for new referrals. If you live near or in a major metropolitan city with a business journal, read it and look for events that may offer good networking. Start by attending events held or sponsored by local business media outlets. You can also check the website for the chamber of commerce for business event listings.

Get out there and start speaking highly about your business. Remember if you do not do it, no one else will either.

The economic upturn is imminent, so do all that you can to position your business for growth and success in 2010.

– Shakira