Ronn Torossian, CEO, 5WPR

Most public relations efforts are done with a focus on all the people that fall into the group of a company’s target audience. However, companies should also be building positive relationships and interacting with media outlets, thought leaders, and influencers, which are all essential to developing trust with target audiences. 

Nevertheless, many companies don’t have big budgets to spend on PR professionals or public relations agencies. That’s why there are some effective yet affordable strategies that companies can use to be able to reach that target audience with a limited budget. 

LinkedIn Networking

LinkedIn is mainly considered a social media platform for professionals, it’s also very useful for businesses. That’s because it allows companies to network with other businesses and improve their business profile. The only investment that’s necessary with this platform is time and effort with regards to contributions to the website. 

That means companies should be ready to help individuals that will contact their business through the platform, which is a great way to reach the target audience that’s on the platform. It’s quite easy for companies to target ads on this platform, especially given the extended features that LinkedIn provides its users, which is another useful way to engage and connect with target audiences. 

Connecting With Consumers

As Alexei Orlov of MTM notes, “One of the keys to public relations is maintaining regular communication with customers . That’s why companies should create a contact list of all their customers, and then reach out to them directly for special events, announcements, or simply fun holiday greetings. However, before any consumers are included on the contact list, companies  should ask for their permission.” 

Whenever possible, companies should also be using what they already know about their consumers when reaching out to them, in order to make sure that each consumer will only receive the message that they need. There is no need to use that connection to fill up their inbox folder, which might lead them to unsubscribe from newsletters. 

Relevant Company Anniversaries and Holidays

Big holidays such as Christmas are a great time for some PR efforts. That’s because people generally have a positive spirit during those times, and tend to appreciate any sort of goodwill gesture from companies. That means supporting any charities or endorsing positive campaigns is a great way to reach the target audience during holiday periods. 

For businesses that have lasted for a significant period of time, they can think about using that notable anniversary for their PR efforts. Aside from anniversaries, a company’s milestones are also newsworthy by nature, and local media outlets can share the story about a company and its successes through the years. 

Website and Testimonials

Finally, a company should always have a website, as it’s a great way to reach a target audience, as well as any other potential consumers that are looking for information from a given company itself. 

The best way to connect with those potential consumers is through PR that comes from other people, and testimonials essentially are PR from others. What other people say about a company, such as suppliers, consumers, or business partners, is very credible and powerful, and can improve a company’s branding as well as reach target audiences effectively.