How can you raise your profile and get noticed by lots more potential customers and do it in a cost effective, time efficient way?

The answer: invest in your public relations. Public relations is about communicating with everyone that has an interest in your business. It's about managing your reputation and making sure that you have a voice.

There are so many demands on budgets and it can be difficult to know what to cut back on and where to invest. But in a recession you want more people to know about you so it makes sense to focus on your PR – it’s cheaper and more flexible than advertising.

Here are some simple tips to help you increase your profile

Identify your target audience

The first step in any effective PR campaign is to decide who you want to communicate with. Is it your customers? Potential new customers? Suppliers? Employees? Spend some time thinking about exactly who you want to see your messages.

Define the message

Next, what do you want to say to them? You need to be very clear about what you want to communicate and don’t over complicate the messages. If you are looking to generate media coverage of your product or service you need to think about whether you are targeting the trade or local media for instance. Local media will only be interested in very local stories, for example, a local business that has won a prestigious contract or an award. Trade media will be more interested in new products or services or how your company is growing.

Think about the medium

Your story may be relevant to both the trade press and the local media. But don’t forget social media. Are there any websites that may be relevant, for example could you set up a group on Facebook or Twitter? Do you have any video of your product or service in action that you could post on YouTube?

Embrace the net

Any materials you produce such as media materials, newsletters, free guides and so on, should be added to your internet site – they really help improve search engine optimisation. Where possible include hyperlinks that link back to relevant pages on your website. This helps drive web traffic and will improve your page ranking.

Blog it!

Blogs are simple to set up and again play a vital role in helping increase your search engine ranking. Blogs are a great way of connecting with a wider audience and sharing your knowledge and expertise and can help create an online community.

Consistency is king

Finally, take a look at all your marketing materials including your website, newsletters, brochures, flyers and so on. Are they well written and professional? Are they consistent? Are you happy that they accurately reflect your business and positioning in the marketplace? People will judge your business on the basis of these materials. Make sure they work for you, not against you.

If you spend time ensuring you are communicating effectively with your audiences now, your business will be top of mind when people start making buying decisions again.

By Janet Rafferty of The Message Consultancy
This article first appeared on Everywoman