Gabriel Press & Relationships (Gabriel PR) recently delivered a presentation to help Ontario startup businesses understand the use and benefits of public relations and social media as an essential part of their business marketing.

"It's important for new and existing businesses to capitalize on the opportunities that result from effective PR and social media practices," says Sandra Gabriel, Chief Relationship Officer at Gabriel PR. "Our goal is to give entrepreneurs insight and ideas when they're putting together their marketing strategies."

Small businesses with limited budgets find PR to be cost-effective and better suited to taking advantage of social networking opportunities. In Canada, 60 per cent of medium-sized companies and 34 per cent of small companies won new customers through social media.  A survey of more than 200 Canadian small businesses found that 43 per cent of respondents believed PR was their most important marketing tool.

"Most business owners are too busy with running their business to even learn about social media and PR; let alone manage it," adds Gabriel. "Our presentation is meant to to give them the basic knowledge to at least understand it and get them started.