As a consultant in the early 1980s, I stumbled upon the use and value of public relations in marketing my practice, which focused on transportation law and regulatory compliance. In 1982, I managed to link a computer in my office to a computer at the Interstate Commerce Commission in Washington, D.C., permitting the first electronic transmission of a certain formatted document.

I was so excited that I submitted a two-paragraph description of what I had done to Traffic World, a trade journal. To my surprise, it was published (albeit buried in the middle of the publication). To my greater surprise, the article was obviously read, for suddenly, I became an "expert." People saw my name and started calling. I was even invited to share my views at a prestigious industry conference.

The Power of PR

This experience not only taught me the value of public relations, or PR, but convinced me to exploit it for the benefit of my businesses. In doing so, I've learned two lessons that I believe are invaluable for all entrepreneurs.

Lesson No. 1

You, the entrepreneur, can make PR happen. You don't have to wait for it to happen to you.

Lesson No. 2

You don't need to be featured in the national media for PR to benefit your business. The best PR opportunities are local, or in your own industry or trade.

In short, PR hones even the most sophisticated sales strategy. It embellishes your formal marketing efforts (everything from printed brochures to cold calling by your sales people) that cost hard dollars with a validity and credibility that money can't buy. If this weren't good enough, PR is perhaps the only business resource that money, in fact, can't buy: It is entirely free!

Putting PR Into Action

So why look a gift horse in the mouth? If you've been so inclined, consider the following three suggestions for putting this powerful tool into practice for your business.

1. Do It Yourself

Once I grasped the power of PR, I began courting the press rather than waiting for the press to come to me. In 1984, when I was involved in turning around a Caldwell, Idaho-based trucking company, Batt Trucking Inc., I simply picked up the telephone and called the editor of the county newspaper, suggesting that he publish a story about the business.

I didn't stop there. I offered to assemble notes for the article. I figured I'd have a better chance of getting what I wanted into the article if I provided the information myself rather than submit to an interview. I had pictures taken of our management group and our operations. Then, I sat down and actually wrote the piece, putting the company at its best.

The result? The editor published my article and pictures exactly as I submitted them. The only difference was that he took the by-line credit for himself!
 

2. Do It Modestly

Notice that in Idaho, I approached our Po-dunk county monthly, not The Wall Street Journal. Gift horses don't necessarily come in prestigious national packages. The upshot was that I acquired one of Batt Trucking's most valuable sales tools, one that enabled the company to land several pieces of new business.

Once, I showed the article to representatives from Procter & Gamble, whose business we were courting, immediately legitimizing us with that Fortune 500 company. I would tuck the piece into our marketing brochures, for which we had paid plenty. It was always the article that hadn't cost a cent that established our credibility with customers and prospects. It didn't seem to matter that the story had been published in a tiny rural newspaper; just the fact that Batt Trucking had made it into print seemed to be all that counted.
 

3. Just Do It

Of course, you need to consider the needs of the various types of publications that comprise "the media." At Aasche Transportation Services Inc., a public company of which I was the president, we were required by the Securities and Exchange Commission to release financial information, such as quarterly and annual earnings. We did this through PRNewswire, which disseminates press releases for a fee to the national news wires.

In addition, I targeted and approached specific media, among them trade and industry journals, local newspapers, and even national publications, that might have an interest in Aasche and would consider publishing articles that feature the company in a positive way.

What's key, however, is just doing it, namely making the media aware of what's happening at your company. You do that by writing and sending out press releases. Like that rural monthly in Idaho, the newspapers and radio and TV outlets in your area, as well as trade journals and newsletters in your industry, are hungry for what you alone can provide: news!

Writing for the press isn't a daunting task. You needn't be a journalist. News releases are written so that a sixth grader would understand them. Think about your market and your customers. Figure out which publications reach them. Tailor your news release for that market. Then send it out! See what happens, and try again with other publications. Along the way, you'll be compiling a list of names and addresses of media contacts for future news releases. You'll be constantly pruning and updating that list.

Soon you'll be succeeding in the PR arena. Once that happens, you'll understand how valuable this gift horse can be. Good luck!