Word of mouth is a critical element of small business success but so is good public relations. When you get the chance to be interviewed, what do you do? I found a recent article on Entrepreneur.com that discusses 12 Media Myths. It's an interesting perspective on what to (and what not to) say to the media and how to get the article to represent your words in the context you said them. Seattle's Lorraine Howell of Media Skills Training in Seattle provides one-on-one and group workshops to business people to assist in presentations, interviews, message development and crisis management.
A more relevant question for many small business owners is, "How do I get that interview in the first place?" Creating a PR packet and issuing press releases to local publications of interest to your clientele is a good start. You can use the Puget Sound Media Directory available at local libraries and bookstores to find the publications most suitable to contact with press releases or other PR materials. In addition, you may contact journalists who consistently write about topics relevant to your business and let them know you are a resource for interviews. It requires a bit of effort on your part but will pay off in clients coming in the door!
The Census Bureau recently reported that the number of women-owned businesses increased 20% between 1997 and 2002 which is twice the growth rate of businesses as a whole. Interestingly, Nevada had the highest level of growth of women-owned businesses followed by Georgia, Florida, and New York. 86% of these businesses have no employees and a third of them are in the services arena including health care and social services. The SBA has responded to this trend by launching a new website for women business owners called My Biz for Women that provides resources for starting a business and a state-by-state list of SBA Women Business Centers. It can be found at www.sba.gov/women/.
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