Good PR forms the basis of any company, either big or small, and a tool that aids in the success story.

A strategic process of communication that gains people’s attention. It is coupled with free publicity that puts the businesses on a pedestal. Small businesses are price conscious and wary of hiring a PR Company.

It necessitates one to master the craft of PR skills and create perfect pitches for generating enough buzz within the competitive industry. All that is needed is to put in the directed effort and to chip in enough time, says celebrated Astro Strategist cum Business Astrologer™ Hirav shah.

What is PR (public relations)?

Hirav Shah defines it as a ‘strategic communication process.’ The aim is to build beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.

That’s a broad definition.

PR can also be seen as a way of earning–and not interrupting– the public’s attention. A savvy communicator knows how to create compelling stories. And with that, gain publicity for free from earned, unpaid, and even trusted channels.

Hirav Shah quotes Bill Gates who once said, “If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on PR.”

According to Hirav Shah, here are the six tips for effective PR that come in handy for smaller businesses:

Create a gripping brand story

A brand’s identity and presence in the market depend a lot on a compelling storyline.

Following the old-fashioned way of storytelling enables in engaging the audience and building a level of trust. It can culminate with stories of the brand and customer experiences, fuelled with the level of uniqueness.

It can be catering to the product or service and the persona or the way people have benefited.

Any specialized effort has to become the highlight of the pitch. Customization is mandatory to get across the brand’s message.

Building Relationships & Networking

Solid networking requires a lot of time and patience. Building relationships with the influencers and reporters must entail active engagement.

One must begin with identifying the bloggers, YouTubers, and other reporters covering the same industry as that of the brand.

It is followed up by knowing the nitty-gritty of their whereabouts from their focus to interests. One must not spam influencer’s inboxes with follow up requests. A subtle way is to note, comment, and engage on social media whenever it is the right time.

Good networking enables building a brand name and getting yourself known out there. It must be without any bragging and being as much as authentic.

Impressing the right person can land the biggest break, and all the spotlight might be on your brand in one go.

Pledge support for charities and participate in community events

Building good PR must involve reaching out to the community. Thereby supporting local non-profit organizations. It can be done through fundraisers, sponsoring as well as operating booths in local community events.

One can even create donation drives offering goods and services supporting worthy causes. This assists in spreading the word and works in favor of building a good reputation and brand image.

Tracking & Sharing Coverage

Good PR makes or break’s a brand’s image. Hence any eventuality of tracking PR coverage must not be wasted.

Sharing coverage can further lead to strengthening the goodwill. One can go all out by prompting Google Alerts for their own business. It can be shared across social media channels, highlighting a brand’s positioning.

Being Active on Social Media

Social media has eased our job to a great extent. The most organic of all methods to spread the word across is through social media channels. It enlists one to be active on social media.

Being consistent and specific to the brand and posting relevant material aids in the real-time growth of PR. The efforts are showcased through quicker gains in social outreach.

Creating a Promotional Media Kit

A media kit is the answer that comes in the form of packaged information stored in the cloud. A tool that has all the necessary and relevant data and images about the brand. Dropbox or PDF versions enable cloud storage.

Businesses must cater to building a media kit that enables in showcasing the professionalism of the brand.

The inclusion of media links for every pitch boosts the company’s PR by giving a glance at the highlights.

One has to understand the difference between advertising and PR. Advertising is what creators define their own brand to be. Whereas good PR is where the customers and people that have been impacted sing praises.

Small businesses do not have the funds like other bigger companies that rope in a PR agency to do the job.

Hirav Shah in conclusion says, “Public relations gives more ‘Bang!’ for the buck

PR trump’s advertising in price, credibility, effectiveness, quality, and usefulness. To wrap it up, small businesses don’t have the finance that big companies have. Nor do they have the same budgets for advertising.

PR will offer you more bang for your buck if you are a small or even medium business owner.”