How Public Relations Drives Small Business Success

By: Sim Collins, Rock PRSSA Member 
Senior Digital Media Production Student at Slippery Rock University
Owner, Maraki

Have you thought about starting your own business? As a senior communication student at Slippery Rock University, I look back on my success in developing a brand that highlights my culture and identity. Rock PRSSA helped me learn how to develop strategic messages for my business, Maraki. In my freshman year, I took a big leap and started a clothing brand that donates the profits to non-profit organizations that provide for susceptible communities in African countries. The process of creating small business and a personal brand wasn’t easy, but seeing it come to life has made it all worth it.

At the beginning of creating Maraki’s brand identity, I didn’t realize that I was practicing public relations through my business. Using strategic public relations methods can be crucial for any successful organization, especially because our organization operates as a charity. Being able to use strong communication tactics with our audience is important to make sales and receive donations. Sometimes people misinterpret our brand’s message, and it's my responsibility to ensure the brand identity is perceived in the way that I hope. Public relations play a vital role in small business and our organization implemented strategies that reached the general public through using tactics, such as interviews, pop-up events, special events and leveraging social media.

Although starting a business might feel like a huge investment, I highly encourage anyone to try. Creating your own messaging, logo and branding from scratch offers a set of challenges and experiences you won’t find anywhere else. I was able to attend some of the Rock PRSSA meetings that has allowed me to navigate this obstacle. Creating this brand allowed me to understand project management, creativity, collaboration, marketing and public relations. These tasks highlight the importance of communication and demonstrate a unique learning experience with new opportunities for growth.

One of my favorite parts of owning a business is the connections I get to make with members of my community and other business entrepreneurs. I get an opportunity to work with people who have their own unique talents, and we get to share our creativity with one another. This organization was a great way to build relationships while giving back to the African community.
Starting a business can be both challenging and exciting. Building your own personalized brand requires a lot of dedication, attention to detail and commitment. You have to be ready to face failure. Sometimes it might even be in the public eye, but it's important to have a crisis communication strategy set in place for when something like this happens. The journey is what matters most and learning to embrace it is key.
If you have a business idea, you need to put it out there and have trust in yourself. It may take time to get any successful results but with consistency and strategic public relations methods, you’ll be grateful for taking that bold step.
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Interested in checking out Maraki? Head over to marakiattractive.com.
Interested in learning more about PR and marketing communication? Join Rock PRSSA and head over to our Instagram @srurockpr.