Leftovers are part of the holidays…after those big dinners, there are bound to be some goodies left to gobble up. But what about your budget leftovers? December is the time to spend any of your remaining budget, but what’s the best way to allocate those dollars? If you’re thinking about how to get the most bang for your buck, consider PR. Here are some PR-related ideas to help you:
- Write and issue a press release: For many businesses, press releases are an afterthought. They may fail to see the value—or maybe they’ve never tried a press release at all. I recently listened in on a webinar where content marketing experts discussed the value of press releases, even beyond the typical product or executive announcement. You can use press releases to talk about research you’ve done, a trend your company is leveraging, or maybe a white paper you’ve written. Use the press release to point back to the piece of original content on your site. Issue the release using a paid wire service, like PR Newswire or PRWeb, to increase the SEO value. The cost can range between $99 up to $1,000+, depending on your goals, plus the time to write the release (which you can do in-house). Wire service costs vary depending on the length of the release, whether you opt to use a photo and so on. It can be a very cost-effective way to get the word out. They are even free services, if you’re on a tight budget.
- Hire some writing help: Want to try writing a contributed article or a customer success story but don’t have the time or expertise? Try hiring some writing help. You can find a writer who’ll work by the hour, word or project. Depending on the length and complexity of the piece, the price could range between a couple of hundred and up. Once you have the piece, you can use it on your site/blog, post it on social media, publish it via LinkedIn, try placing it in an industry publication and so on.
- Hire a designer to update your logo, site or look, or to create an infographic: Maybe you realize your look needs some freshening up, but you’ve neglected to do anything about it. Now can be a great time to get that project started. Another worthwhile project, if you have research to tout, can be an infographic. These are increasingly popular and are great content to post to social media.
- Pay for some research: Looking for a way to build credibility? Hire a researcher or research firm to conduct a study for you. You can publish the results in a press release, blog post, contributed article and so on. This can be used via social media, of course.
- Find a photographer: Pay a photographer to take some high-quality shots of your product, your offices and/or your staff to include on your site. Again, you can use them on social media (are you seeing a theme here?!) and if reporters ask for high-resolution photos, you’ll be ready.
All of these will support any PR efforts you may decide to pursue, now or in the new year. How are you planning to spend your budget leftovers?
