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You Don’t Have to Be in a Major Media Market to Benefit from Public Relations

Guest post by: Anthony Mora

Article Overview: If you’re looking to promote your business company or product and you’re not in one of the major markets such as Los Angeles or New York, PR should be high on your marketing to do list. The upside is that a public relations campaign offers you an affordable option to take your message directly to your target market. If you’re in a smaller media market, and you professionally present your story to the local media your chances of landing a story are maximized.

You Don’t Have to Be in a Major Media Market to Benefit from Public Relations

If you're looking to promote your business, company or product and you're not in one of the major markets such as Los Angeles or New York, PR should be high on your marketing to do list. Public relations is a way to position yourself as an expert in your field and to gain the credibility and validation to allow you to compete with the competition in larger markets. This type of media coverage can benefit you in several ways. It can garner you media coverage in your target market, it can establish you as an expert nationally and locally and it can gain you the same credibility as your larger competitors. If you're a small business, chances are you could never compete with your larger competitors when it comes to traditional advertising or direct marketing. Doing so is just too cost prohibitive. But media relations can help level the playing field. Being featured in a newspaper, magazine or TV segment presents you as the expert, and your company or product becomes the news.

The upside is that a public relations campaign offers you an affordable option to take your message directly to your target market. If you're in a smaller media market, and you professionally present your story to the local media, your chances of landing a story are maximized. The large markets have heavy competition. Everyone is looking for coverage there. By initially focusing on the smaller markets you can gain local coverage and start establishing your business. You can then take that media and magnify it online. Post it on your blog, Tweet the link to the article, post it on Facebook and other social media sites. The internet allows you to turn a local story into an international story.

You can then use your local media to pitch the national outlets. Once you've landed local media coverage, you are legitimately a story. Use that initial coverage to position yourself as an expert and pitch your story to larger media outlets.

If you have a locally based business, the local and regional media reaches your market. It speaks directly to your clients and customers. The national media then offers your business the validation and credibility of the major players in your field. Both have their uses, but by combining the two approaches you'll get the most bang for your PR buck. Remember, media begets media. It's a cumulative process. Start local and then build.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2011

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Article Tags: Entrepreneur PR, Marketing local and regional media, marketing media coverage, Media Relations, media relations los angeles, media relations services, national media coverage, pitching local media, pitching the media, PR, PR Campaign, pr services, press coverage, Public Relations Campaign, speak directly to prospects



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