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Brian's
Introduction
By
Brian Walsh (Founder & CEO of
Entrepreneur.co.za)
In discussing public relations (PR) I refer to
all creative forms of ‘free’ exposure for you,
your company and its products. Richard Branson,
arguably the most successful entrepreneur in the
world, is a master of public relations. He
created a great amount of exposure for himself
and his brand by fulfilling his dream of doing a
crazy thing like trying to circumnavigate the
world in a hot air balloon! Whilst I am not
suggesting you go that far (and of course that
kind of stunt costs a fortune!), there are many
creative ways of getting exposure for your
company.
First, look at the kinds of things you are
already doing. Maybe you cycle or play sport –
you could sponsor yourself or a team and get
exposure that way. Such options will still cost
money, so be careful in your approach. The
up-side is that you get exposure whilst doing
what you love!
Classic PR revolves around media coverage. By
doing something that gets attention or by simply
launching your product, you can get a fair
amount of free media coverage. You should plan
this sort of event or activity meticulously
because the better you do this, the better the
coverage will be.
Media coverage is not only about events though;
you could simply send out press releases on a
regular basis to relevant media as a means to
promote your business. Just remember, the media
won’t feature anything unless it is newsworthy.
Do your market research, and if you need
professional help and advice, approach a PR
company or consultant to assist you.
The bottom line is that many successful
businesses have used creative means to get
ongoing exposure. These strategies have often
produced millions of Rands worth of exposure for
a fraction of the cost of some expensive,
gimmicky campaigns.
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