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Guest post by: Thomas J. Madden Become an Author

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Why PR is a smart bet in any start-up budget

One enterprising woman wrote in INC recently that "as a start-up, I have a single line item on my marketing budget: PR."

Surprised? Here's a little insight into her boldness. Or madness.

First, she notes correctly PR gets a bad rap. That's for sure. There's a bias throughout corporate America that if you can't measure it, forget it. Too many corporations and small start-up businesses think of PR as foreign, fraught with mystery and the role it plays as undefined. As a support function not quantifiable in terms of ROI, many think of PR as just another vague line item in a marketing budget.

Even the industry's top professional organization, PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) is currently undertaking a "redefinition" of PR. So is the organization itself unsure what its members do? The results will be announced in early 2012. It's probably safe to say our writer for INC is not waiting with bated breath.

Many entrepreneurs leave a big corporate job to build a start-up. Their vision is one day to build a budget from the bottom up, with multiple line items. Yet the focus should be instead building the product, developing the business and motivating partners and stakeholders and most importantly-customers.

That's why any marketing budget should have PR as a line item. Here are two reasons why that's a smart idea.

PR Builds Brands

As consumers we look to media to help define what's innovative, what's clever, and what's significant. The most effective thing any entrepreneur can do is generate editorial coverage in publications targeting markets they must reach, which in turn can propel and highlight a brand.

Many young entrepreneurs aren't exactly sure what business they're going to be a giant in. So they create a product like I did when I invented Knife and Forklift. Then they prove their concept as I did by selling thousands of units online. Consumer demand will ultimate judge if you've hit on something. My goal was to create a strong brand that resonates with a customers as training wheels for over eaters. And getting it shown on NBC TODAY SHOW and ELLEN DEGENERES certainly made my patented invention, a combination of 1.5 lb dumbbells and utensils, a hit with dieters. PR was a giant help in doing that as I couldn't afford to buy the media exposure this product has received in national publications like FITNESS MAGAZINE and LA TIMES.

PR Generates Awareness (Fast)

"I strongly believe in building a brand via brand loyalists. Get people in the door and have them try your product: If they love your product, they'll tell their friends and you build a groundswell," says one very smart entrepreneur Caroline Limpert. "But this strategy takes time. PR allows you to spread the word quickly. It creates widespread awareness and builds a list. The rest is up to you."



PR Isn't Just Press Anymore

The Internet has empowered PR as never before. Historically, effective PR resulted in media coverage across traditional media (print, TV, radio). Today, PR taps the outreach power of the Internet, which has given everyone a voice and where media coverage can endlessly spread. From print and online media to personal blogs and social media pages, there is no longer that one-dimensional single press hit.

So tap the power of PR and fuel your marketing with the most effective way to incite what every entrepreneur needs to be successful-positive word of mouth that heightens image and drives sales.

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