Getting Good PR—on a Budget

Marketing is a vital part of your business, but that doesn't mean it's always fun—or cheap. In fact, with all of the day-to-day responsibilities on your plate, it can be easy to put it in the back burner or rely only on paid advertising for exposure. But before you throw up your hands or shell out the big bucks to hire a firm to handle your marketing, consider the power of public relations, or PR—something you don't necessarily need a professional to do well. In this Wall Street Journal Online article, business columnist Kelly K. Spors offers a few cost-effective ways to spread the good news about your business, including:

•Get online. The Internet provides many ways grab good publicity for your business through blogs, search-engine marketing and social media sites like MySpace, Facebook and UTube.
•Hire out press releases. Got a story to tell, but no media contacts? Just submit text, and press-release distribution services like PRWeb.com and MyPRGenie will distribute the information to news sites like Yahoo news.
•Package positive information about your company to share with others. Need to raise your business' profile? Give away free press kits to customers and prospects or enter local and national small-business contests.

For more shoestring marketing strategies, visit "PR" in the "Sales and Marketing" section of www.NFIB.com/toolsandtips.