One of the cheapest ways to market your business is to take advantage of the many opportunities that exist for free or low cost public relations. The exponential growth of the Internet provides constantly expanding virtual public relations resources.
So how can you capitalize on it? First,
let’s be clear. This can make a tangible difference to your business. I recently wrote to the excellent e-mail discussion “SpeakerNet”, asking for experiences about the use of Web sites for marketing. Here are some of the comments that I received about the public relations aspect:
“My Web site has allowed my articles to be published in many national magazines, such as Presentations, T&D, numerous newspapers and industry publications. My free articles have are downloaded by over 50,000 people each year from over 60 countries.”
has received numerous awards, including both a “Hot Site of the Day,” and a “Cool Site of the Day” from USA Today. Readers forward Richard’s weekly column, “Islands in the Clickstream,” to numerous friends and other online discussion groups. Richard receives frequent requests from many different countries to republish the column, for which he charges a reprint fee. So, although his original articles are available for free via his Web site, they are highly leveraged into other media, and speaking https://www.vritimes.com engagements.
Hopefully now you are inspired to look for free PR opportunities, and ready for some practical tips.
Integrating your PR message
One key factor is that your total message and corporate image should be consistent both in the real world and online. Used effectively, public relations activities in the traditional media can draw traffic to your Web site, and conversely, articles on your Web site can generate business. Jesse Weeks told me: “For each article I print, at least one inquiry for services results, often many.”