Make sure to use the same profile picture across your social media profiles. That way people recognize you between LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other networks. 

Consistency is key and helps build your profile as an expert in your field.

Small businesses often have more work than resources and less budget for marketing and PR. Here are some PR tips for small businesses to build on. 

Think local and build a media list in your area. Check Patch and get to know your local journalist. Become a resource. Be sure to publicize any local events and charitable activities. 

Network. Join your local industry organization and get involved. Offer to speak or sponsor an event. 

Offer helpful advice to customers and prospects. Start blogging. Write an FAQ page and answer customers' top questions. Make sure the blog is included on your web site. Wordpress is an easy to use system.

Go social. Set up a free LinkedIn company page. Add products and services. Link your blog to the page. Add a Facebook Page and start a Twitter feed for the company. 

Listen, Monitor and Engage. Check Social Mention and set up Gmail alerts for industry keywords including your company. 

Find out what people are saying in your industry, about competitors, about you! Respond and resonate with people and join in the conversation. 

What other PR tips would you like to see?

Always remember to say thank you. After Christmas, I had my daughter create a picture and I scanned it and made a thank you card with a picture of the girls as well as the crayon drawing. The family loved it and commented about it.

A few years ago I was working for an online ecommerce company and was struggling with getting some graphics created. A colleague stepped in to help me out and he created the graphic. I sent him a Hallmark ecard as a thank you. He later told me that no one had ever thanked him like that and he was so happy. I had thought about not sending one – thinking it might seem hokey to him, but after hearing that I was glad that I did.

In business, you can simply verbally thank an employee for a job well done, send an ecard to a vendor or partner or run a campaign and thank your customers. It is a simple thing that you can do for a cheap price and believe it or not, makes a world of difference!

Small businesses are learning that they should be in social media sites, but not sure why or how to do it. Here is a brief explanation of social media and its importance. 

Here are the key things you'll learn in this article:

1. That you don't need big budgets to make a big impact in public relations;

2. That there are several social media tools you can use to create buzz about your business.

I was thinking about small businesses and how they are especially hit hard in a down economy. I wanted to post some tips that you can do for free that will help continue your business building efforts even in a recession.

1) Get local with search.

Make sure your company is listed in Google and Yahoo local directories. They are free and you can even link to your web site.

2) Get local in business/service directories.

With directories like Angie's List and CitySearch popping up, be sure your company is listed in the relevant local directories. Be sure to ask customers to write a recommendation for your company as well.

3) Build a local media list at smaller newspapers and start a relationship.

Offer advice, take a reporter to lunch. Local media is easier to reach and if you are doing neat things with the community, be sure they know about it. Having an event for charity? Send a media advisory.

4) Remember your employees. PR isn't all about outside relations.

Make sure your employees are motivated and happy. You can reward them with small things like praise (employee of the month/quarter), pizza in the office for a job well done, etc.

5) Discover social media.

Start a blog on WordPress and talk about your industry, not just the company. Give tips, advice, general observations. Sign up for Twitter, a microblogging site, and follow people that interest you and join the conversation. Create an account in LinkedIn and Facebook (and free business pages) and reconnect with old friends and colleagues. You can even ask business questions in LinkedIn and answer others' questions and be seen as an expert in your field.

6) Okay, I said five but here's a bonus tip.

Sign up for Help A Reporter.com's newsletter and get PR queries from journalists looking for sources. But be sure if you answer, that your pitch is on target, short and sweet and do not send attachments. Include contact info in your email and links if needed.