This article mentions what exactly is Public Relations(PR) & why it is essential for small businesses & how it benefits them.

1. 7 Reasons why PR is
Essential for All Small
Businesses.
What’s about a Mom-&-Pop store that a large chain finds hard to replicate?
Bluntly put, and in the minimum of words, it’s ‘personalized relations.’
And how do they do that? By getting into Public Relations through the Personal route!

2. Yes, every business irrespective of size, volume, reach, and respectability needs PR. And
for obvious reasons including
● Steady two-way communication with dedicated clients who can give authentic
feedback.
● Steady two-way communication about things other than products/ services to
include issues like employment, CSR, subsidiaries etc.
● A third-party perspective on issues be it related to products/ services, quality
issues, extraneous happenings (scandals, gossip, grapevine, Chinese whispers
etc) and all that which calls for information from an authoritative third source.
● User-experience, more so positive user-experience, even more so when people
don’t get the hang of a good product due to faulty explanations and instructions.
● Influencers with the right reputation can bring better results than most
advertisement campaigns.
● PR as a matter of fact is the best addendum to any advertisement campaign.
Given all that’s great about PR, how does a small concern, a small business with small
budgets and resources gain from it?
It does, in the following ways:
● PR tells a small-business’ customers of their story of struggle (if any) and
continuing victory! Ever heard of an advertisement campaign doing anything
even close? This is the exclusive domain of PR, and if done correctly, can form a
permanent place in a customer’s heart given that stories of struggle and that too
of the ‘small chaps’ does touch the right chords.
● PR bolsters an ad campaign! Small businesses being short on resources to mount
advertising campaigns (traditional or digital) unlike bigger firms, PR as an

3. exercise with the right firm, can help even the smallest and most modest of
advertising efforts get the right traction, and as a consequence, the right output.
● PR brings out the real information through user experiences! Public Relations
invariably has an element of user experience (without which its existence can be
doubtful) which with the right set of influencers and the use of technology
(videos, online testimonials etc) can go a long, long way in creating the right
impression in the eyes of everyone from would-be employees, associates, and
customers.
● PR can be used to influence perceptions from the enterprise’s point of view. Small
businesses with limited budgets may find it hard to counter apparent oversights
and wrong doings. Running full-page advertisements in prominent newspapers
explaining one’s viewpoint could be very expensive for them. Instead, a carefully
created video explaining one’s point that finds traction on all the right
social-media sites can do the trick at a fraction of the cost- while retaining the
business’s name and reputation.
● PR is more malleable and adjustable to certain audiences! While an
advertisement is standard to all, a PR exercise can be made to appeal to certain
sections while completely excluding others. In fact, it’s for this reason that small
firms with niche products and services find it better than a full-scale ad campaign
which in any case, takes more time, money and patience.
● PR creates two-way communication instead of broadcasting which is the norm
with advertisements! Small businesses invariably need more engagement because
it’s through such engagements that they create the essential relation with their
clientele. It’s precisely for this reason that PR campaigns are more approachable
and doable in the context of smaller enterprises.
● PR needn’t always be about products, services and business. It can be about an
entity’s views and thoughts about certain issues within a certain geographical
area or about a particular industry. With an emotional appeal, it thus works best

4. for smaller firms who nevertheless may have to do a lot to get themselves heard
and seen.
PR as an exercise has many forms. These days, it includes the entire gamut of activities
which fall within the purview of digital marketing and social-media marketing. That
said, the best ways to get the most out of Public relations would include doing the
following exercise:
● Extensive use of technology where a small enterprise may put forth its views
without feeling left out, as is the case with advertisements. These could include
everything from responsive websites to ultra-responsive apps including the likes
of WhatsApp and others where the enterprises’ viewpoint is put forth with clarity
and a certain sense of purpose. In the field of PR, blogs and white-papers are of
special significance as they put forth viewpoints like nothing else. These
especially should be used extensively- though with some study on topics of
significance.

5. ● Influencers! Influencers are a great way to create public relations! In fact, in these
times of social-media overload, there’s a surfeit of influencers who can bring in
the right publicity with just the right public. But caution one must exercise given
that not all that shines is necessarily gold. Quite a few, in fact could be brass. It is
thus best to go with those with the right reputation of being impartial, yet
accommodative and realistic.
● Use dedicated customers! You can’t have a better convert than an actual user who
is happy using one’s services! The same applies to the field of PR, and more so
when the one wanting to do the exercise is a small firm. A happy customer who
has been with the firm for a reasonable time is the best bet to get the right
message across to the world. There is always the danger of such a person or
agency going overboard and for that, one must be clear with one’s expectations
which should be highlighted much before the exercise begins.
● Take up issues be it related to product, services or localities! One of the best ways
to get the maximum bang out of a PR exercise is to concentrate on issues relating
to one’s products and services and/ or connecting the same to a particular area or
group of users. In doing so, it brings about the chance of addressing a defined
group whose responses can form the start of a meaningful dialogue. If handled
the right way, such exercises can even lead to the establishment and promotion of
one’s identity as a brand!