Guest Post from Beck and Call PR: Growing your business with PR (it's easier than you think!)

​So, you understand what PR is (well done, my mum still looks at me blankly when I talk about my work and I have been doing it for 20 years) and you want to start using it to promote your business. You’ve got a great product or service that you want everybody to know about, that’s great. But before you rush to call your local paper or start looking to hire a PR consultant here are three things you should ask yourself before taking the next step

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What’s your story?
Lots of people may offer a similar service to you or sell a product like yours but there is only one you and your story is unique. What is it that people should know about you and what you do? What led to you starting your business was it born out of frustration, lifestyle, a gap in the market or something else? What did you do before you started the business, is this a total career change or a diversion into something that has always been your passion?

People buy from people so getting to the bottom of your story is key. If you don’t think you have a story, talk through your journey with somebody else, somebody who is good at asking questions. The bits where they raise their eyebrow, say ‘oh wow I never knew that’ or ‘that’s amazing’ are probably good indicators as to what your story is. Once you know your story share it far and wide, get it on your website, tell your followers on social, blog about it. Share that story far and wide.

What are your customers and potential customers reading, listening to and following?
If I had a penny for every time a new client has come to me fixated on getting seen in a particular publication, I’d be a lot richer than I am now. It is understandable that you may want to see all your hard work on a national website or in your favourite glossy magazine, but it is more important to think about where and how your customers consume their media. For example if you are a local boutique and you want to increase your footfall seeing your business in a national women’s magazine will be, but it probably won’t achieve your goal of getting more people into the shop. You’d get a better return from doing things in the community, utilising social media to engage with local people and trying to get a piece or regular column in your local paper or on radio. Whereas if you are an online business and location isn’t relevant national coverage and online publications (where people can click straight through to your site) will be more likely to work

What do you want to achieve?
On the face it this may sound simple. I get it, you want media coverage, to start a popular blog, engage with influencers or maybe all those things and more but think about it, what do you actually want to achieve. Do you want to drive more people to your website, increase sales, convert more people from browsing to buying, to raise your profile, expand your customer base or let current customers and clients know about something new? If you can pin down what it is you want your PR to achieve it will influence your approach, what channels you use, the angle you take and your call to action.

If you are struggling to answer these questions and need somebody to help you dig deeper to find your story or want to bounce an idea around with then I can help. Book a discovery call with me and I will help ease your PR woes 
Email sayhello@beckandcallpr.co.uk

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