What are you doing to help your business succeed?

During a tough economy, media exposure can accelerate business growth. Learning to leverage the power of the media helps your company stand out from the competition. There are simple media strategies to consider that may help your business succeed.

You may have heard the phrase, “no news is good news,” but that is not always the case. For many businesses, no news may mean the company no longer exists. It is for that reason you should continue to communicate with the media, even if you don’t always have specific news to share.

Just because your company may not have a new product or a new hire to announce through a press release, doesn’t mean your company doesn’t have worthwhile media opportunities. Consider the following ideas:

Offer to write a regular column in an industry magazine

Apply for newspaper or magazine awards such as, “Best Company to Work For.”

Pitch human-interest stories that involve your company, such as participation in a charitable activity or an employee’s outstanding efforts to give back to the community

Serve as a subject matter expert for trend articles in which your company executives could be quoted

Look for editorial opportunities in which you can highlight past successful case studies.

Also, think of ways to keep your company’s name out there in social media and visible to your target audiences. Create a company Facebook page, blog, or “tweet” to share company information about new hires, promotions, industry or community awards, and board appointments.

Extra, extra, read all about it! Is your business doing everything it can to succeed? Adding media relations to your business plans is an essential component of your company’s overall success.

Authored by: Linda Leatherbury

Jumpstart Your Public Relations Efforts as Recession Ends

During these tough economic times, many companies have cut their budgets and shelved their public relations and marketing efforts. However, they have not recognized that the role of public relations during a recession is more important than ever before.

How will your key target audiences know the benefits of your viable company if you are not communicating with them? Recession or not, communicating with your target audiences is essential to help your firm stand out in a crowded marketplace where many businesses are failing.

An economic downturn provides an excellent opportunity for marketers to find the most effective ways to gain value for their communications dollars. Here are my picks for the top three most cost-effective ways to jumpstart your public relations efforts as the recession ends:

Upgrade Your Website: The most direct way people learn about your company is through your website. Now is the time to upgrade and update your site with fresh, consistent messaging, so your target audiences are aware of what your company has to offer and how they will benefit from your services.

Connect Through Social Media: Online communications using social media creates an instantaneous sharing of information and a two-way dialogue with your clients and prospects. Now is the time to create company buzz using social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.

Market Through Media Relations: Utilizing the media to tell your company’s story is an easy and inexpensive way to communicate with your target audiences. Now is the time to distribute press releases about relevant company news, serve as a “go-to” subject matter expert for an industry trend article or write a byline article for a trade or business publication. When the articles are published, be sure to merchandize your media coverage to build your brand. You can put a link to the article on your website and Facebook page and post the news to LinkedIn groups.

Don’t let your audiences think your business has gone under. Instead, use my three simple public relations strategies to get them texting, tweeting, and talking about your company. You’ll get a heads-up on your competitors and jumpstart your public relations program for better days ahead!