No matter what you read in textbooks, online, or hear from someone else, you have to realize that traditional advertising in traditional media doesn’t work. I mean, it can work if you have millions of dollars in ad budget, but for most companies it’s not an effective tool.
Public relations techniques become the best option for home-based business owners, especially when considering the possibilities presented by using both online and offline techniques.
The purpose of this article is to share with home-based business owners 5 tips that you can use relatively quickly.
Learn how to write a basic press release- The press release follows a basic template that almost any business owner will be able to follow. He should learn how to write a basic press release so that whenever his company does something newsworthy, he can send out a press release to try and get media coverage.
Start a blog and use social media. I definitely think you can’t bypass mainstream media coverage, but you should also start your own blog, set up a Facebook page, and set up a Twitter account so that you can reach your audience directly without having to worry about your message be mediated.
Join an online networking forum- You should also consider joining an online networking forum. There are many groups online that you can join and there is bound to be one related to your niche. You should join one or more of these forums to build your reputation as a reputable business owner.
Referral marketing is the best way to grow your business. Getting out and dirty can be tough. It is much better to make referral marketing a major part of your business plan. You should aim to get as much of your business through referrals as possible. My personal preference would be 100% of business through referrals.
Credibility is more important than visibility- As a home-based business owner, credibility is much more important than visibility. Now it’s much more about what you say and what others say about you than how many times people see your name.
The old rules of advertising no longer apply. You need to make sure that you use the PR tips I mentioned above so that you can effectively grow your business in this new economy. Otherwise, you will discover that you are doomed to fail.