Public relations are a big part of staying in the light and remaining visible and relevant within your market and among your customers and prospects.  Many business owners feel that good PR either takes a great deal of money (through hiring a corporate public relations company) or a great deal of time (spending hours of each day on outreach).  Neither is true… though both are also true.

It’s true that a public relations agency can be expensive but there are plenty that are built on the concept of structured PR and marketing without breaking a clients budget.  They’re designed for small business owners.  Likewise, there are plenty of PR activities that you can do as a business owner to improve your customer relationship management and PR on a personal level to bypass working with an agency or supplement what they’re doing to reduce your overhead cost.

The important thing is that you should do something – and that something doesn’t have to be budget or time consuming.

Still at a loss?  Here are some things that you can personally do to improve your visibility and brand within your local community

Hold an Event or Seminar

The people you do business with are only going to envision you as a leader in your market if you position yourself as such.  A seminar, held either for free or for a small ticket price, is a great way to build immediate visibility for your target audience.  Through a seminar you can educate prospects on various topics and offer simple solutions, answers to frequently asked questions, etc.  Overall, provide something of value that they can take away.  In the end they see you as a topical expert and will consider your business the next time the need arises – for some that’s immediately.

Reach Into the Community

There are numerous ways that your business can take part in the community and you can do more than just sponsor a local baseball team.  Numerous organizations (especially non-profits) operate under the radar because they don’t have the funding to market like you do.  Partner with these organizations to improve their visibility among your target audience.  You can run joint offers that promote the non-profit.  The benefit to your business is that people see your outreach and support of charitable organizations, improving the overall opinion of your business and those who run it.  You’re also giving back a little which provides a long term economic benefit within your community.

Team Up with Business Owners

Many areas have business groups and referral networks that work together to improve business for local companies.  They share referrals to one another as customers look for relevant services.  This is great PR if you can align yourself with other well-known businesses.  By getting a recommendation from a trusted company in the area you’re more likely to gain visibility from word of mouth.

Engage

You can gain the most visibility by directly engaging your target audience.  If you want good public relations and boosts on public opinion then find your customers and prospects online within social media and other communities – then start talking.  Just don’t try to sell them on anything.  You’re there to make conversation and share what you know.  Give them some value to take away and people will start to remember your contribution.

All of these methods don’t require a great deal of time or investment – you just need to apply a few hours where you can spare them.  For any time you put in though, the return on your investment will almost always cover what you put in.  Do things right and the investment could be much greater.