Can you do your own PR and marketing?

As a PR marketing consultant, you might be surprised to hear that I believe it is completely possible to do your own PR and marketing of your own business. That is, if you have the time to do it. PR and marketing and working with the media, whether this is printed or digital, does take time. Not just in terms of producing the content that they need in a timely fashion, but also forming the contacts. It has taken me years and years to form the list of contacts I have now, and I now have a very impressive list. This isn’t me boasting, it’s just me explaining one of the things that you are paying for when you work with PR and marketing professional.

Skills you need to do your own PR and marketing

So, I’ve said it is completely possible to do your own PR and marketing. And it is. So don’t be overwhelmed by what you should and shouldn’t be doing, or that it’s a the dark art, or this form of witchcraft, it isn’t. However it does take hard work and dedication. You also need to have an ability with the written word. You need to look for people to collaborate with. You need industry knowledge that can help you in every situation. And you need to be creative in order to get the best out of every opportunity you can. The creativity also allows you to come up with ingenious ideas and stories that really capture the attention of not just the target market for your product, but the editor or website editor that you’re pitching to. The person that you want to take your idea and relay it to their audience. And of course, you need the contacts.

The champagne-swilling myth

Some people believe that PR and marketing is about the champagne swilling and the social aspect. It isn’t – sadly! Day-to-day it involves looking at features lists, dealing with editors, working with companies, producing video content, creating plans, working on a schedule for social media, allocating budget, and building your database to ensure that the message that you want is reaching the people it needs to reach. It’s also important to be able to write. Now, I’m sure you’re thinking that everybody can write and obviously you’re correct in the very literal sense. However, it’s not just writing like you did the school. You need to be able to craft a press release that catches the attention of the person you’re sending it to. That gets your point across quickly and concisely, and potentially inviting them to find out more if they want to. It’s writing information to make the lives of the editors and web editors or blog owners easier. Because you want them to include you in their features. And if you make it difficult and a pain in the neck to work with you, the chances are they won’t. This can be massive shame. I have seen some fabulous products get overlooked because the press releases that have been sent out just aren’t easy to read or usable by the publication, the blogger, or the website.

If you’re doing your own PR, you need to really focus on what the person you’re sending your press releases to needs for their publication and their platform. And that’s before we look at specific features and articles that you negotiated with them to write.

You know your product better than anyone else

However there is no doubt that you as the company owner or the creator know your product better than anybody. And this is something that when I work as as PR and marketing consultant, I am very aware of. In fact I rely on it. I need your input in whatever I do to make sure your authentic message is being put across. The key attributes that make your product stand out from the crowd get mentioned.

And if you’re not sure you can do your PR and marketing on your own…

So you can do your own PR and marketing if you have the skills in place, the contacts and the time. You can do it yourself, but you might find your time is much better spent working with a consultant who can help you. Whether this is help you keep on track and help you keep focused, brainstorming ideas, or someone who will help you actually do the work and send out to their database.

PR and marketing isn’t the dark art. It’s actually very logical process a lot of the time. But the contacts, the ability with the written word and a variety of other elements play really important roles. If you’re small business owner, you might not have the time to dedicate to this. Any PR and marketing consultant worth their salt will value your input with what they do. Because you are an important part of the business. So don’t feel you’re losing control of your message. If you employ someone else to help you, that could be a really smart move, and it will probably allow you to get to where you want to go faster, but of course, it comes at a cost.

So what I’m saying to you is it is completely possible to do your own PR and marketing. Completely possible. If you’re short of time, lack the connections, need a sounding board or really just want someone to help you manage a strategy, keep you on track…or maybe you’re not great at writing in a PR-y way, working with a PR and marketing professional, in whatever capacity, could be a real game changer.

Support to help you market yourself effectively

I offer a PR, marketing and social media consultancy service, aimed at the small businesses, that can help you keep your PR, marketing and social media on track if you are doing your own. This can allow you to create plans, launches, bring all your social elements as well, to create a really cohesive plan that will deliver the results you want. To find out more visit this page on my website.