How to Win High Visibility By Inexpensive Public Relations Tactics! By Basil Mbuna

How to Win High Visibility By Inexpensive Public Relations Tactics!

Even if you don't have a big marketing or public relations budget, you can still raise your organization's profile and build a strong brand among customers, members, potential members, the news media, and other opinion leaders if you use a few proven—and inexpensive—PR tactics to raise your visibility.

• Messages. Before you send out any communication, get your organization "on message." Write out a half dozen compelling statements that address the specific benefits of your organization and the issues or services you represent. Get your team using those messages for all formal and informal communication (the Web site, press releases, sales and marketing materials, media interviews, presentations, proposals, elevator speeches, and even the way in which the receptionist answers the phone). Unified and focused messages are powerful tools.
• Spotlight newsworthy people in your organization. For example, if a staffer is a noted writer, musician, civic volunteer, or athlete, pitch the story to the appropriate editors of the newspaper. That way you'll have a chance of getting your organization mentioned in the Arts, Sports, Local, or Business sections depending on the nature of the story.
• Use social media if you are ready (and you have useful information to share). Don't be daunted by blogging, Facebook, and Twitter. They are just tools. Learn about them even if they might not be right for you today. Using social media helps increase visitation to your Web site by creating fresh content that search engines will latch onto (if you send out a blog, for example, be sure to provide a link back to your Web site). To see how blogging works, go to Technorati.com and read others' blogs. Find those that interest you and leave comments. That will give you the "feel" of the medium before you start your own blog.
• Be the media. For now, sending a short, monthly e-newsletter with useful information might be all the social media you need—and a good way to make sure contacts remember you. Google "email marketing" to find inexpensive, template-based, e-newsletter tools (e.g., constantcontact.com) or hire a designer to create a template for you. Important: provide useful information, not just a "commercial" for your organization, products, or services.
• Article marketing. This is one of social media's best-kept secrets. There are thousands of legitimate Web sites that want content from people with your expertise. Write a short byline article, post it on one of those sites (start with ezinearticles.com, which has hundreds of topics). Be sure to include a link to your organization's Web site. Other Web sites will spread that article around the Internet, and it will boost your presence on Google searches. Don't have time to write an article? Somewhere in your organization is a white paper or speech that you can cut to 800 words and submit. Also send those articles to newspapers as Op-Eds or to trade publications or local business journals as "expert" columns. Buy reprints and add them to your marketing materials.

•  Network strategically. Once you have attended a few organizations' networking events, choose a group or two and join. Being part of the "family" gives you great exposure, especially if you are on a committee. Get key members of your team to do the same with other organizations. If you are attending a large event, find out if press is attending and be sure to meet them. Come prepared with a story pitch! If you are a member, event organizers often will give you the attendee and press lists in advance