I focus on technology for small and medium businesses, but I’m a little different (OK, take your free shot). Most of the newsletters and Web sites about small business focus on marketing rather than technology. However, since Ramon Ray and Anita Campbell sometimes talk tech, let me talk PR for just a bit. Technical people feel PR and marketing are “soft” sciences and unworthy. They like to quote the old “if you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door,” blather. Guess again. Today, if you just build a better mousetrap you will starve with a warehouse full of mousetraps. The company selling mousetraps will the one making good mousetraps and providing Google Maps to their door for their customers. One of the best Public Relations professionals I know, Cheryl Snapp Conner, allowed me to interview her during the Altiris user conference in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. I’ve enjoyed working with Cheryl for over ** years, starting back when Novell ruled the network world (yes, they did at one time, I promise).
Since she usually works with small companies getting into PR for the first time, I asked her multiple questions about how someone new at marketing and PR should approach this new and somewhat weird world. If you listen closely, you will get some of the best PR advice I’ve ever heard for small and growing businesses. When new technical companies ask me for PR firm recommendations, Cheryl is always on my list of three names I provide. Enjoy meeting Cheryl, and have your pen and paper ready to take notes.
