THE
SOLUTIONS
LAB
Lloyd Mullis,
Senior Account
Executive, Uprise
Public Relations
Challenge:
PUBLIC RELATIONS
SMEs and PR: busting the myths
W
orking on promoting an
SME can be one of the most
rewarding PR roles out there;
catapulting a small business into the
public eye and boosting their reputation
so that they’re sharing column inches
with bigger entities is an addictive
buzz. That said, as with any PR function,
an important part of the role of an
SME PR is managing expectations, to
ensure that clients have realistic ideas
of what can, and should, be achieved
for the benefit of their business. Here
we look at some of the most common
misconceptions among small businesses
when they take on a PR firm.
“I want to be on
the front page”
Many small businesses want to appear
in the national
newspapers, without
really knowing why.
The misconception
is that the bigger
the publication,
the more beneficial
it’ll be to your
business – but this
is not always the
case. A publication
could have monthly
visitor traffic of 1
million, but if few of
them are interested
in what your
business has to say,
what’s the point?
Conversely, another
publication could
have just 10,000
readers, but, because
that particular
www.smeweb.com
publication is read by your target
audience, the chances are, they’re
listening.
“I want to be on TV”
Many SME owners want to become
famous, believing that fame alone with
drive their business to success. In fact,
a more tailored approach to PR, such as
press coverage in appropriate outlets for
your business, is more likely to achieve
the positive results that you so desire.
Although broadcast media can be a
helpful tool to promote your product or
service, it may not always be the most
beneficial outlet for you. A good PR
agency should identify the most useful
outlets to your particular business,
explain why, and approach them on
your behalf.
“I want to see immediate
results in my sales”
PR is a long game, and the truth is, one
piece of coverage isn’t going to turn
your SME into a multi-million pound
company. The purpose of PR is to develop
your presence in the media, and to prove
that you are an expert in your specialist
area – one or two pieces of coverage won’t
achieve this, but they will be the first
steps in doing so. A good PR firm will
work to promote your key messages in
relevant outlets, time and time again. This
will ensure that, in time, your business
name will become synonymous with the
service you provide in people’s minds.
“Can you get the
journalist to ... ?”
The role of a PR isn’t to tell the press
what to write, and
most journalists
will respond badly
to any attempt to
do so. Their trade is
writing, so let then
write. It’s important
to remember that
not everything your
PR team sends to
the press will be
reflected identically
in print. In some
cases, only 50 words
of your 500-word
document may
make the cut, in
others, the point
which you thought
was your best
is overlooked in
favour of another.
SME
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