GOOD SMALL BUSINESS PR - TAKE A LOOK

While flicking through the local newspaper I recently came across an article that made me smile. It didn’t contain jokes or humorous quips, it was simply such a good example of how any small business can achieve media coverage that it brought an instant grin to my face. The story was about a local nursery, and the owner was discussing how local residents were actively reversing their “carbon footprint” (could there be a bigger buzz word right now?) by making their gardens eco-friendly. The nursery talked about an increase in composting (as opposed to disposing of organic waste in landfill), a reduction in garden chemical sales and an increase in customers wanting saplings to create natural barriers against the elements. The nursery was given full credit in the article, which was accompanied by a 13 x 8 cm colour photo of the nursery. If I’m a local resident and I’m wondering what I can do to environmentally improve my garden – which nursery do you think I’m going to go to?

One of the very successful tactics small businesses can use to secure coverage in their local publications is to localise a national or international issue – show how your business or your customers are dealing with a wider issue on a local scale. It might be an environmental, financial or social issue, just to name a few. Look around at what topics are currently making headlines in the news – carbon footprints, housing affordability, the next election. It’s time to get creative and figure out how you can step into the media spotlight that these issues and others are already attracting.