Yes, it’s here—the last quarter of 2017. The last three whooshed by quickly, didn’t they? As we head into Q4, it can be a good time for small businesses to take stock of where their marketing budgets were spent.
Statistics show that while businesses are cutting back on traditional print and broadcast advertising, spending on digital marketing continues to increase. 66 percent of small businesses are maintaining or increasing their spend on digital marketing[i]. Makes sense, as more and more buyers turn to online sources to gather information and make purchases.
As spending on digital marketing increases, so does spending on social media, content creation and public relations[ii]. But, other statistics reveal that many small businesses still don’t have a social media presence. According to a survey, 67 of small business owners are new to social media, while another 18 percent don’t have a social media presence at all[iii].
Why don’t small businesses see the value in social media? One reason may be that they don’t know what to post. I often hear this from business owners I speak with. “I know I should be on social media–but what should I post?” Of course, if you have your own content, you’ll want to share that. Curating others’ content is also important. (For more ideas on how to curate content, see this piece, “The small business owner’s answer to, ‘What Should I Post on Social Media?’”)
Does your marketing budget include PR?
And, how can public relations help? PR can generate earned media in the form of articles that can be used as content on your site and shared via social media. A focused PR effort can also help you land opportunities for contributed articles in vertical industry publications that can then be shared on your social media channels and on your site.
And what about a company blog? Do you have one? If so, you need content for that blog. Many PR pros are also skilled writers who can help craft content. And, you can then repurpose those blog posts by self-publishing that content via platforms like Linkedin Pulse and Medium.
Another way to create content is to look to your customers for ideas. Are there customer stories you could share? Testimonials? Photos of customers using your product or service? These are all great content for social media and can also be plugged into your PR and marketing efforts in various ways.
So, as you consider your Q4 marketing budget, don’t discount the value of PR in feeding the content creation and social media machine.
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[i] https://localvox.com/resources/marketing-statistics/#small-business
[ii] https://www.webstrategiesinc.com/blog/how-much-budget-for-online-marketing-in-2014
[iii] https://www.inc.com/john-brandon/new-survey-59-of-entrepreneurs-dont-view-social-media-as-essential.html#515
