What can small business learn from the PR missteps made by companies such as Toyota, BP and Goldman Sachs? But it’s not just companies that have had to deal with brand defense. People like Mel Gibson, Tiger Woods and Lebron James have also been under fire for negative PR. Associations, too, like mining and the egg industry have all joined the ranks as entities fighting to save face. The importan...

A while back we offered insight into the right kind of colors to use in your small business marketing. Do they really matter and, if so, what kind of guidance can help you choose the right mix for your small business. Today we pose a topic that will reverberate throughout the marketing and business community since it has to deal with the ongoing BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and its affect...

There are roughly 10,000 BP gas stations in the United States and nearly all of them are independently owned. What does this mean? It means if you drive by a BP gas station because you’ve decided the oil spill has had an adverse affect on your gas-buying decision, you are really only hurting a small business owner by driving to a different gas station. The Wall Street Journal had an interest...

Have you ever wondered about how to get an editorial in the newspaper for your business? Getting an editorial in your favor is quite tricky because rarely are they ever promotional. In addition, you have to convince the editorial board, made up of several journalist professionals, not just one reporter when going after a regular story. Oh and one other thing, don’t count on the editorial promoti...

Have you ever watched a CNN or Fox News Channel report on a small business or entrepreneur talking about his or her company? Readers ask all the time how can I get my small business on CNN? If you’re a regular reader of this blog you’ll know what I’m going to say next: Do you know that you CAN get that kind of coverage? All you have to do is really understand two very important things. We co...

Are you an entrepreneur looking for new ways to use photos in small business PR efforts? Check out this list of useful tips that explain how to use photos, images and illustrations to obtain publicity for your small business. First, a quick story on the use of photos, which can make a good PR opportunity really great. I worked with an advocacy company that was once involved with drilling sites for...