Smart Agency: Marketing & PR Leeds, Yorkshire, UK

Time to tell the world about your company or service? There are hundreds of magazines, newspapers and TV and radio stations out there. You don't want to make a mess of it. So how do you get the right headlines?

One way is get help from a company that understands the pressures on small businesses and offers a clear GAME plan (Goals, Audiences, Methods and Evaluation).

Aim for your GOALS

Consider what you want to achieve, which audiences are key to the success of your venture and then think about the best way to communicate with them.

Remember, the main point of coverage is to get your product or service more widely known. The advantage of media coverage is the third-party endorsement it confers.

Who’s your AUDIENCE?

Think about what’s likely to influence your audience's behaviour. Shooting off press releases in every direction isn’t always a good move, so concentrating on how your audience gets its information is the way forward. For instance, exhibitions might be where your industry goes to do business, so you need to be there. Online audiences are also worth considering as people often regard what they read on the web as a reliable source when it comes to deciding on where to spend their money.

METHODS

Talk to your agency about the best methods to get your message across (and those that fit within your budget). Publicity in local press might be good for local services, while trade press will target your potential business-to-business customers more accurately.  Journalists, especially local ones, are happy to talk about your business, especially if it gives them access to a news story down the line. Try to establish a working relationship. Don’t forget the local radio stations. They are often listened to by many more people than read the local press.

When you do have news, make it succinct, factual and provide company background. Don’t be shy about growth and profit projections. Better you say it rather than a journalist paint you into a corner. If you don’t report your own figures, try to provide an alternative indication of growth i.e. employee numbers, percentage sales etc.

Treat the media as a business, like yours, working in a fiercely competitive market of their own. Your story should enhance their circulation. Never expect them to publish your news from a sense of duty.

You’re the expert, so have a point of view. This is a good way to get media coverage and position yourself as an authority on an issue relevant to your sector and to your customers. By all means, be controversial, but only if you can back it up.

With a small enterprise, journalists expect to speak to the proprietor. Restrict media contact to as few people as possible to keep the message consistent

EVALUATE

Don't just bask in the glow of your press coverage, look at what it says about the business and whether the key messages are getting across. Ask new customers where they found out about you. Then think: "what can I do next to keep this momentum going?"

Affordable help is at hand for small and growing businesses. A new service has been launched by The Smart Agency offering pay-as-you-go bespoke services for small business, not-for-profit organisations and entrepreneurs.

Visit the Smart Start website >