For small and medium-sized businesses, particularly in the technology sector, an investment in PR and digital marketing becomes crucial to building broader brand awareness and credibility.
Partnering with an agency gives the access to specialist skills and expertise and also the industry experience to ensure that their communications efforts are aligned with business objectives.
Balancing cost with expertise: The DIY conundrum
While it is common for smaller businesses to manage their PR, marketing and social media internally in order to save on costs, they need to recognise that there are numerous elements to delivering effective PR and digital marketing.
This includes various types of content, media relations, SEO, organic and paid social media, and lead generation, which often require specialised skills. This usually means that having a holistic strategy, with support from experienced strategists and specialists, tends to yield the best results.
For DIY efforts, advice includes:
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Define goals, messaging and audiences before tactics.
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Align your conversations with trending topics (newsjacking)
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Tailor your approach if aiming at media beyond South Africa
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Establish clear measurement criteria for spending and set realistic ROI expectations
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Allocate budget for testing to inform future strategy.
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Focus on the 1-2 most impactful activities for your specific objectives.
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Measure everything – clear metrics tied to business goals are essential to determine if your DIY efforts yield a real return
Remember, experience is built, not just purchased, and building media relationships and gaining broad exposure takes considerable time and persistence. This learning curve and relationship building are the substitutes for hiring existing expertise.
PR as an extension of business strategy
PR and digital marketing are closely intertwined with a businesses’ strategy, and cannot be carried out in isolation, especially when the intention is to strengthen brand awareness and credibility, build loyalty, and drive leads and eventually sales.
Strategy itself is a core communication service, with experienced strategists providing direction and guidance.
For tech companies, this means translating complex technical concepts into clear business and commercial value. A holistic, integrated strategy, amplifying PR with digital marketing, is vital for best results and ROI, demanding full accountability to demonstrate real value.
PR non-negotiables for small business
Starting off, it is vital that small businesses have a brand story and consistent messaging for their key audiences. This not only helps the brand stand out from the competition, but acts as the foundation on which to build trust and credibility.
Editorial coverage is crucial to building credibility, and brands need to ensure that they build relationships with local media and journalists, and provide high quality content – including visuals such as photos, infographics and video – that provides value for readers.
Having an online presence is also non-negotiable, especially if a brand is considering lead generation as a final step. Being active on relevant social media platforms and forums not only extends visibility, but helps brands reach right audiences, and engage them through authentic, human stories and visuals that leave a lasting impression.
Proving value: Measurement and accountability
Ensuring value from PR means linking efforts directly to tangible business results, with consistent monitoring and measurement. To get value:
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Know exactly what ‘value’ eans: Align this definition with the CEO’s view to avoid failure. Value is delivering concrete results matching business objectives, not just online activity or mentions.
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Establish measurement criteria before starting: Track contributions to lead generation, revenue growth, or brand visibility. Success depends on statistics and data.
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Focus on few things that deliver value: Value is proven when tracking shows real ROI by moving the needle on core business objectives – driving leads, revenue, and brand loyalty.
For small businesses – and even businesses in general – a strategic, measurable, and accountable approach to PR and digital marketing is vital to ensuring success.
Aligning efforts with business goals, continuous learning, and rigorous measurement transforms PR into an engine for growth, trust and competitive advantage.
Anish Abraham is digital enablement director at DUO Marketing + Communications.
