You don’t need to blow your budget to keep your business in the public eye. Even a cash-strapped business can use public relations (PR) effectively and reap the benefits.

When setting out to promote your business, it’s important to be clear about what you want to achieve – for example, increased sales, increased visits to your website or more awareness of your product or service.

Promote your business
Some of the more cost-effective ways to promote your business can be to:

make your business stand out – eg by offering a unique product or service, or by offering savings
join relevant professional or social groups so you can network with other people
tell people or write a press release if your business wins an award or contract
specialise – you will be more attractive to customers if you are an expert in what you do
use technology to reach your customers – promote yourself as an expert to local media, write an article or start a blog
lead a trend or solve a problem that you have spotted
volunteer to speak at meetings or seminars related to your field
PR ideas
If your budget allows, you could try these PR methods:

relaunch your website, shop or product/service
if you have a car or van, use vehicle branding or magnetic signs to advertise your business’ phone number or website
get involved in charity – offer to host an event on your premises and invite the media
get involved with the community – try fundraising or offer your product or service as a competition prize
use corporate social responsibility (CSR) to set your business apart from competitors
survey your customers – get to know their needs and future wants
With a little time and creativity, you can create effective PR campaigns quickly and cheaply.