Here are some of the biggest news stories impacting entrepreneurs seeking small business public relations during the week of January 16-21. The following stories are part of the UnderstandingMarketing.com “PITCH” series, helping entrepreneurs and small business owners generate Publicity Ideas That Create Headlines.
1: Martin Luther King Jr. Observance - Always a very significant holiday for everyone to remember the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., this day offers minority business owners a chance to talk about their mission and journey in becoming a small business owner. Reporters all over the country will spend the day covering everything from parades to feature stories on what the day means to local businesses and organizations. Minority entrepreneurs looking for small business public relations can reach out to their local media outlets and invite them to the store for perspective on what the day means for their business and how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has inspired them.
2: Concordia Cruise Ship Disaster - A horrible story that unfolded before the world’s eyes over the weekend, any business that plays a part in the billion-dollar industry of cruising will want to pay special attention to this ongoing saga. A lot of the industry players will be on crisis PR mode, but smaller cruise travel agents will want to go in the opposite direction and take this opportunity to do damage control by giving updates to the local media and serving as a local cruise resource ready to answer all kinds of questions to members of the local press doing stories and updates on the Costa Concordia ship disaster and rescue. This week will be filled with questions of “is cruising safe?” and local travel agents need to be as proactive as possible to address these issues in order to keep their business from plummeting as a result of the hundreds of thousands of images and videos being paraded over the Internet.
3: Get To Know Your Customers Day (Jan. 19th) - Turning to the lighter side, January 19th is annually “Get To Know Your Customers Day.” This is one of those soft story ideas giving entrepreneurs and small business owners a chance to host events that celebrate their customers. Entrepreneurs looking to generate small business public relations around this day can develop story pitches that focus on the significant stories of their customers and why their customers shop from them.
4: Housing Starts and Existing Home Sales Data - Always a great way for builders, remodelers, realtors and designers to get small business public relations coverage, the business media will be watching this week with a close eye to see the latest trends on home building data. The industry publishes data each month addressing the number of homes that started under construction the previous month, as well as the latest figures on home sales. Any entrepreneurs or small businesses that touch the home building, sales or remodeling industries should be sending out their own reports to the media this week offering up perspectives on what they’re seeing in their respective parts of the world.
5: GOP South Carolina Primary - Last week we talked about how the spotlight was on New Hampshire and the GOP primary in the Northeast. Candidates spent several days visiting locals and small businesses with plenty of photo opps along the way. Now it’s South Carolina’s turn. The photo here is a great example of a local establishment getting some small business public relations coverage with their signage in the background. Small businesses and entrepreneurs in South Carolina should be contacting news media in their regions this week explaining how their business climate has been.
Are there any stories taking place that you feel should be added to this list? Be sure to add a comment at the end and help the community. Be sure to check in with UnderstandingMarketing.com each Monday to see which news stories are hot for entrepreneurs seeking small business public relations.
John Sternal is co-founder of Sternal Consulting, a PR and marketing consultancy helping businesses get noticed through publicity in the media. He is the author of the PR Toolkit for Small Business and currently authoring a book about DIY public relations for small business owners. For questions email John Sternal.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 0 comments… add one now }