One of the least expensive and most effective ways that small businesses can grow is through the strategic application of public relations. PR can be executed on a modest budget, and the awareness and word-of-mouth that can be attained is priceless for a small company.

PR is typically a mix of social media, community participation, public speaking opportunities (including appearances at trade shows and conferences), bylined articles or media commentary, and long-term relationships with reporters (both local and national) leading to press and online coverage.

There are dozens of inexpensive PR tactics and resources that small companies can leverage, and in this post we will explore a few best practices, DIY approaches, and valuable strategies that small businesses can leverage to great effect.

A couple of weeks ago, Ross wrote about setting goals for your company, and this is critical in your approach to PR. You should determine exactly what it is you are trying to accomplish through public relations efforts and then measure your progress towards that goal. Want 3 national press mentions in the next 12 months? Inclusion in 15 local media stories? 2,500 Twitter followers? Determine exactly what you want to accomplish and measure your progress against those goals. If the tactics you are executing are working, great. If not, be ready to move on to the next one; try lots of different ideas and, as in all aspects of your business, don’t be afraid to fail.

Here are some tips and resources that we leverage, utilize, or otherwise live by in our own PR efforts:

Know your audience. It is critically important that you understand your audience, whether these are your own customers (or potential customers), magazine writers, academics, or influencers of other stripes. Take the time to understand who you are trying to reach and target your efforts towards them. For instance, if your customer base is accountants and your geographical strategy is national, take the time to identify the journals accountants subscribe to, the conferences they attend, and the blogs they read. When you have a good picture of how they consume information and the information they need, you can strategically target  your message and tailor your content for them them.

Create a budget. Like most small businesses, you are probably working with limited resources and while PR is important, you may not have much of a marketing budget to work with. Determine for yourself how much you can spend over a given period of time and prioritize how you will do so. Fortunately many of the resources we discuss here are free and much of the work can be done by you, so save up the funds for swag, meals,  and contests that may require modest outlay of real cash.

Have a plan. Without a PR plan, these tactics can be disconnected from a larger strategy and will not return the results you are looking for. Set goals and then “back into” those goals with solid strategy and concrete tactics designed to reach them. Set up a calendar and be disciplined about sticking with it; you might consider a monthly “focus” such as geographical, industry, or even media outlet. Create lists of reporters, blogs, and Twitter users that you will target and use these lists to support your strategy and stick to your calendar.

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