Sometimes You Gotta Toot Your Own Horn!

This is what I recently said to a client, who was hesitant about announcing a large donation the company had made to a non-profit organization, because he didn’t want to appear boastful.

I politely explained to him that it wasn’t bragging; it was SMART MARKETING.

And, what I like to call good ol’ fashion PR.

I have found public relations to be an overlooked marketing tool for many business owners, simply because they have a misconception about what it means…and how powerful it can be.

Think about it for a minute. Which gives a business more credibility and does a better job of telling its story: an advertisement or article?

This is also the primary differentiator of PR from other marketing activities: paid vs. free.

To clarify, I mean free in the sense that editorial coverage is [usually] provided at no cost…or what we PR pros call “earned media” because there is some work involved.

In the example above, the client paid me to write and distribute the press release announcing the donation. So, technically, it wasn’t free.

However, this can be done in-house with an easy-to-find template, some research and a few phone calls or emails.

So, put on your PR hat and promote your business!

FIVE REASONS TO TOOT YOUR OWN HORN:

🔶Community Service
If you want the community to support your business, you must support the community. Tip: If you’re able to tie into a holiday or national event, it helps your chances of getting noticed.
A recent article, that resulted from a press release, for one of my clients published on Veteran’s Day, making it very timely: https://bit.ly/3mC11gM.

🔶Award
Share achievements, including those received for the business, yourself or someone on your team. Tip: Be sure to send a photo of the award winner or your team.

🔶Anniversary
This is a no-brainer to promote milestone years in business and demonstrate your longevity. Tip: Include special pricing or host a public event to generate traffic.

🔶Fundraising Event
The holiday season is ripe for these kinds of stories, but they can be shared throughout the year. Tip: Invite media to attend for onsite coverage.

🔶Share Your Story
If you get asked to share your experience or expertise, don’t pass this up! It takes nothing but your time to do an interview or complete a questionnaire. Yours truly recently had the opportunity to do this and shared information about my work, accomplishments, lessons learned, non-profits I serve, and the city I live in. I took my own advice and tooted my own horn!

Once your story is published, don’t let the PR greatness end there! Share the article via your website, social media channels, email marketing and reprints.