As a new entrepreneur, it is important to know and comprehend that the best organizations with the best ideas won’t succeed if nobody knows about them. What numerous new companies neglect to perceive at this stage is the distinct advantage Public Relations (PR) can bring to their growth story. A good PR can make a startup a superstar overnight, whereas a PR disaster can spell doom for even the established companies.

Interesting read: PR important for a new startup

What exactly is PR?

Public relations (PR) is defined as the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) and the public.

Public Relations is all about reputation. It’s the after effect of what you do, what you say, and what others say in regards to you. It is utilized to pick up trust and establish reputation between an organization and its different public subsets like representatives, clients, associates, investors, and the people at large.

What PR can do for your business?

• Offers credibility – You can utilize non-biased sources that can build the believability of your brand.
• Increases sales – Your PR campaign will make a legitimate climate for expanding your deals and market share.
• Creates awareness – The consumers need to know you before they pay you. As simple as that.

Importance for startups

In the early phases of a business, when no one knows you, it is imperative to build a name and a reputation for yourself. Funds are scarce, and hiring a PR firm would be like committing hara-kiri. Thankfully, the new technology has made PR easy for the startups that cannot finance mega events like the IPL or Mumbai Marathon.

No-cost PR ideas for startups:

A little technology and a lot of innovation can get some great press at little or no cost, using the below ideas:

Go social

Never underestimate the power of Facebook, Twitter, and even Foursquare as marketing devices to help you emerge. Utilizing social media to advance client motivating forces and reliability projects will keep your business in a good light and in minds of your clients.

Interesting reads: Social media powerful and free marketing tool for startups

Share your knowledge

Giving out free eBooks; free counseling and regularly sharing your knowledge through publishing blogs; white papers; or newsletters can get you a loyal fan following that can eventually lead to a great word of mouth PR.

Volunteer

Being a startup has its own benefits. Your CFO might be okay volunteering to teach the finance class at the local management college once a month for no fee. Not only would it get you great publicity, but it would also make the stressed CFO feel good. Kill two birds with one stone!

Hire interns

This one should be a no-brainer. The Interns are struggling to find good internships (even the ones that do not pay). All that you need to give him might be a certificate, but this would put your logo in the heart of the university in this job-starved economy.

The above are practical, no-cost ideas to get some great PR for a startup, use them and build a reputation. Remember, a good reputation ultimately leads to good business.

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