Small Business’ Guide to Setting PR or Social Media Goals

Every company should set goals for their communications outreach strategy.   Quite often small businesses, many of which already have a “marketing” plan, feel that this is already done.  However, without including public relations and a social media presence there are a lot of potential tools, and opportunities, being left on the table.

As a small business owner you may begin your outreach with a single-pronged approach, simply by paying for advertising, thinking public relations activities fall outside your budget.  Or perhaps you are not certain what public relations is and how it can help you.  Whatever the case there is always a time to start hitting the ground running, and that time is now.  And with many small agencies and consulting firms sprouting throughout the downturn, you have more affordable options than ever before.

Begin first by setting a goal.  If your company has never been featured in the newspaper or even sent out a news release, make that your first goal for 2010.  If social media outreach scares you but you are interested, discuss with a consultant about starting a Twitter or Facebook page.  They can assess the correct outlet for your targeted audience.

Secondly, set a realistic timeline to meet your goals.  Develop an obtainable plan built around the “news” your company is creating.  Are you expanding your business?  Do you plan to close a big contract soon?  You can’t send out six releases in one month if you have no news to announce, so gauge your media coverage expectations around what you feel is “newsworthy” about your company.  Does this process sound daunting?  Your PR professional, who handles these decisions on a daily basis, will be there to help.

Be patient with the process and realize consistency is the name of the game.  If you reach out to your targeted audience through multiple outlets whenever you actually have something interesting to say, you are slowly meeting your goals.

And remember to celebrate your success.  Your first story in print or 100 twitter followers is just the beginning, but something to be proud of.

JustRed it here.

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean