Small businesses lack PR strategy
Survey reveals the majority of small businesses lack a PR strategy
My recent survey on small business PR and marketing habits has revealed that more than half of micro businesses lack a PR strategy or marketing plan for promoting themselves.
Survey respondents revealed that 60% do no planning for their marketing or PR. However, the good news is that, among those who do plan, some 20% say they review their PR strategy regularly.
The survey also revealed that most micro businesses in the Bromley area (those with 1-5 employees or sole-traders) do their own PR or marketing (80%) and that the main channels they use are social media (100%), their websites (80%) and business cards (73%).
Considering that most small businesses, especially one-man or one-woman bands, are pushed for time and resources, it’s natural to want to do their own marketing. While this approach will save money, it means their marketing might be haphazard and therefore not as effective as that done by a specialist, ultimately affecting the bottom line.
Failing to plan is planning to fail
The big risk when doing your own marketing without a strategy is that you might find you’re only pursuing new clients when you need them. This means you could miss out on opportunities to grow your business. Instead, planning and investing in a constant stream of activity will help to keep your business ticking along nicely and avoid those peaks and troughs.
Planning how you will promote your business is key to helping you raise your profile and generating more leads. Knowing what you’re going to do and when helps you stay organised and ensure you’ve a constant flow of marketing activity happening. It also helps you deal with the unexpected.
The survey results
Here are the key figures broken down in more detail:
- Most do their own marketing (80%)
- Most don’t have a strategy (60%), however those that do and review it regularly 20%
- 100% use social media, 80% a website, 73% business cards, 46% blog, 40% email marketing
- The most popular social media tools are: Facebook page, Twitter, LinkedIn & Pinterest
- Businesses are interested in: strategy development (50%), blogs, social media support & developing materials (each 35.7%)
Competition winner
As a thank you for responding to the survey, I held a prize-draw for a free PR planning session with me (worth £160.00). I’m delighted to announce that the winner of that session is Jane Altree of Altree Rose baby massage and reflexology. I look forward to working with Jane and giving her some constructive ways to help her promote her business.
Want to get on top of your own PR and marketing? To book your 2-hour PR planning session with me, contact me now. You’ll also find my monthly newsletter packed with PR tips helpful. Sign up to my mailing list so you don’t miss out.
