/ Articles by Katherine McDermott - Guest Contributor

A positive customer experience is paramount for small business leaders, and customer service and customer support are two important pillars of building that sentiment. However, you might be wondering about the difference between the two and how each plays a unique role in the overall customer experience.

As a small business leader or communications professional, you're probably familiar with the importance of a strong brand strategy that grows revenue and improves customer retention. But what about an employer brand to attract top talent?

For small businesses interested in building stronger relationships with their target audience, public relations (PR) is a strategic communications effort that facilitates positive perceptions with different audience segments. PR for small businesses is incredibly important as it helps launch new products, reach new customers, garner publicity, create relationships with the media and other influential voices, and, ultimately, help grow your company.

For small to midsize businesses, word-of-mouth and positive recommendations are among the oldest and most effective growth strategies. For modern companies, public relations campaigns are the solution to a strong brand reputation and perception. PR campaigns help raise awareness about products and services through planned activities designed to give a business positive publicity, and they're often part of a larger, holistic PR strategy.

An effective public relations strategy builds positive brand sentiment and perception in the minds of your target audience. For small to midsize business leaders, a PR strategy is meant to inform, educate, and entertain the public and garner traction within your target audience.

Looking to hire a PR agency in the new year? For small-business owners and leaders, focusing on public relations (PR) helps build your brand and reach a wider audience. In a noisy, competitive landscape, it can be difficult to stand out amongst other small businesses and gain market traction with your ideal audience.

Information technology (IT) is a core function of modern small businesses, playing a critical role in operations, performance, and efficiency. IT’s ultimate goal is to leverage technology to support overall business goals and objectives, and for small to midsize business leaders, IT plays a crucial role in enhancing efficiency and productivity when teams are short on bandwidth and resources.

As a small to midsize business leader, you’re probably already thinking about how to allocate the annual budget for 2024, dividing funds between marketing, operations, sales, logistics, IT, and more. IT is one of the most critical and vital functions of a modern small business, improving operational efficiency, performance, and more. For many small to midsize businesses, a specified IT budget gives them room to scale operations, enhance cybersecurity, and dedicate resources to innovation. Let’s discuss how to develop an IT budget, how to track and manage it, and how to ensure it fits within your company’s overall financial goals.

In a competitive job and economic landscape, business leaders and hiring managers face a handful of obstacles when it comes to recruiting, hiring, and retaining top talent. Not only is the traditional work environment itself changing, but the recruitment process is evolving rapidly.