Become Unforgettable: The Simplest Ways to Make the Best of Personal PR

Branding
personal-pr 09.25.14

Public relations is crucial for all businesses, large and small. You don’t necessarily have to hire a PR firm to handle this for you. Everyone, including solo entrepreneurs, must find ways to generate positive publicity in today’s competitive marketplace. Learning how to effectively brand yourself as well as handle a basic personal public relations strategy is crucial to your success.

The Importance of Personal PR and Branding

It’s important to brand yourself as well as your products. The way you go about this depends on the type of business you have, of course. Individuals and small businesses can take advantage of the opportunity to make their branding very personal. Yet even larger companies must not lose the personal touch.

Make sure you maintain a personal touch in your communications. Use personal photos rather than logos in social media site profiles. When you post on your blog and on social media sites, let some of your real personality shine through. People respond best to other people, as opposed to corporate logos or slogans.

How to Make You and Your Products Stand Out

No matter what you are selling, you will have competition. While this presents a challenge, it also gives you the opportunity to focus on what sets you apart. This is often called USP or unique selling proposition when it comes to products and services. In order to identify this, it’s essential to know your target audience very well.

You want to be able to connect with the kind of people who will be most interested in what you’re offering. Your marketing and PR tactics will differ depending on the age, gender, interests, income level and other demographics of your audience.

Manage Your Reputation

Reputation management is another crucial aspect of public relations. When you start to become better known, people will start talking about you. This includes everything from customer reviews to stories about you in the media. Unless you are unusually lucky, not everything people say will be positive. You shouldn’t let bad press upset you, but you should always be ready to respond to it.

The first part of reputation management is keeping up with what people are saying. Monitor your social media sites and have Google Alerts set for you and your company. If someone criticizes you or your business, respond in a rational and measured way. If there’s a specific problem, do everything you can to remedy the situation. Also take the time to show your appreciation when people make favorable comments.

Tips to Optimize Your Personal Public Relations

There are many ways to promote yourself in a powerful way, even if you don’t have a gigantic marketing budget. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  • Be active and interactive on social media sites. For example, monitor your Facebook page and respond to comments and questions.
  • Promote yourself using a variety of media. Create articles, videos and podcasts.
  • Send out press releases whenever you come out with a new product or your business does anything notable.
  • Brand yourself offline and locally as well as online. Attend local business events and trade shows related to your industry.

 

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