As a business owner you might have established great services and excellent products, but they mean little if no-one knows you exist, which is where PR and marketing come in.

PR and marketing are the essential channels to have your message heard either through the media or your own focus areas like newsletters, advertising, and e-books.

But like mastering the ever-evolving skills of social media (which we cover here), getting your head around solid marketing strategies that work for your business takes a whole lot of time and effort, and until you really know what you’re doing, it can be hit and miss.

Here are some fabulous free resources to help with the task:

Marketing

Technically defined as “the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising”, marketing is a hugely broad realm, and one that’s becoming increasingly complex as business shifts to an omni-channel environment.

Marketing is a strategy that needs to be carefully planned out and nurtured as your business changes and grows.

That said, here are the services to assist:

  • Holly Martin of Just Holly offers a free marketing plan template
  • PR, branding and business solutions firm Smart Solutions provides a free marketing momentum session valued at $479.
  • Command Coaching teaches you how to create your own course to engage with customers.
  • Creative Creations is donating one high-end corporate video production a month to a charity organisation that applies through their website.

 

Public Relations

Although in the same realm as marketing, Public Relations includes a specific focus on having your story told through the media, and it’s a strategy that continues to work well for many businesses.

Media coverage lends authority to a business, establishing them as a leader or expert in their field. But there’s an art to having a business story picked up by journalists.  

The following free services can assist:

 

  • PR and Marketing “go-to girl” Linda Reed-Enever provides a host of free tips and advice on PR strategy and marketing in her regular blogs. As well a her FREE eCourse Newsworthy Moments in Business
  • I do my own PR offers a free PR assessment for businesses wanting to do their own PR so they can gauge the likelihood of getting media coverage for their story.
  • Media coach and publicity expert Susan Harrow shares The 100 Word Email That Can Get The Media To Call You.

The final word

Great marketing and good PR is an art that can transform a business and allow it to be recognised as a market leader or authority.

Used well, they’re powerful weapons in any business arsenal, but of course they’re not the only ones, and we have further free resources covering a host of business areas as part of this Business Business Business campaign.

Don’t forget there’s also a wealth of information on a wide variety of business interests and issues available at the Business Business Business Learn Magazine.