Nashville PR maven brings forward-thinking communications and lasting results to clients

As more new small businesses are started each year, the business landscape becomes more competitive. It’s increasingly difficult for business owners to set themselves apart from their competitors. While some focus on differentiating themselves through their products and services, many just want to be seen. They want their voices to be heard and their bold ideas to be acknowledged. Yet, they aren’t sure how to get the visibility and publicity they desire to take their business to the next level. That’s where Julie Lilliston steps in with one of the most underrated and overlooked weapons that can be a game-changer for small business marketing— public relations.

Lilliston is the founder and president of Julie Lilliston Communications, a certified women’s business enterprise (WBE) public relations agency, specializing in business-to-business communications and thought leadership in Nashville. For more than 10 years, she has been strategically amplifying business owners’ positive brand perception, reputation, and image, while helping them drive business growth.

As a WBE, Lilliston is intentional about working with and supporting women- and minority-owned businesses. She credits her affiliation with the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and its regional partner organization the Women’s Business Enterprise Council South (WBEC South), as well as the creative vibe and entrepreneurial spirit of Nashville with inspiring and cultivating a network of WBEs who support each other’s endeavors.

“Being part of WBEC South, there’s a lot of support for resources and opportunities for women-owned businesses. It’s also just the nature of Nashville and, of course, the music community; it’s a very collaborative and creative town,” she says. “Women’s businesses here collaborate quite frequently. I team up with other women business owners so I can offer an array of different services, whether it’s content marketing, social media, photographers, or videographers. I’ll bring them in on clients that I’m working with, and they’ll bring me in on clients that they’re working on. Then we go after larger contracts together. There are strong networks that you can build. That’s the beauty of what attracted me to going out on my own.”

Lilliston’s 20-year PR career was honed at marketing and communications giants Weber Shandwick and MSLGroup in Austin and Chicago. Between the two global firms, she had the opportunity to work with various brands across multiple disciplines, giving her the experience and expertise needed to build her own agency.

“I had a fabulous boss who taught me so much in the business and the industry. I had an incredible experience learning how to launch products, how to do executive visibility and corporate communications. I had great experiences and exposure to learn and grow my career over the years as I had the opportunity to do global communications and work with different kinds of brands,” she recalls.

Ten years into her entrepreneurial journey, Lilliston has worked with businesses throughout the country in a range of industries from tech to healthcare. Along the way, she has used her expertise to transform businesses by helping them increase their brand visibility and enhance their reputations. One of her most successful clients is Sharon Reynolds, CEO of DevMar Products, LLC, a leading wholesale distributor of green and environmentally conscience janitorial and sanitary cleaning supplies, disinfectants, and office supplies.

Lilliston and Reynolds began their PR journey together in 2018. Before their collaboration, Reynolds was moderately well-known in her field but had not utilized a formal PR strategy. Since working with Lilliston, she has experienced new levels of brand visibility. Reynolds has been featured in several local, regional, and national publications, including the 2019 winter issue of MBE magazine. She’s also received WBENC’s highest recognition—the WBE Star Award for excellence among women-owned businesses, as well as various other awards from local and national organizations.

“[When] we started working together, it was the right time. And to be able to elevate her to the level when she was being awarded the WBE Star, there was just so much that we were able to do and work with. She was always ready for whatever opportunity came her way, to seize it and maximize it. Building up that reputation and that visibility helped her. People know her and know of her. I’m proud of the caliber of work that we did together and the partnership that we had. It’s great to be able to see how she’s been able to grow her business as a result,” Lilliston says.

The admiration is mutual as Reynolds admits in a prior statement, “Partnering with Julie Lilliston Communications has catapulted my businesses to the next level in media exposure, branding, and marketing excellence. I know I’m in good hands…and they are an extension of my team.”

Although Reynolds was a relatively known commodity before she began working with Lilliston, some entrepreneurs are starting from scratch but want to increase their visibility. Lilliston encourages emerging entrepreneurs to begin with a DIY approach to gain traction before calling in a professional agency.

 “There’s a lot that you can do, yourself, to get some news out about your organization, like press releases and [forming] relationships with media. I think that’s key. Certainly, some entrepreneurs are much more comfortable with that than others who want to be behind the scenes. [They] feel like it’s too self-promotional to put themselves out there,” she explains. “Once they have a little bit under their belt in terms of testimonials, I have enough to work with. At least three years in, is probably a better place for me to come in and be able to help them because they’ve got a little bit of a track record, and I can help them build that momentum.“

On the other hand, Lilliston advises established businesses to “figure out where it is that they want to go and how they want to grow.”

No matter how long they’ve been in business, once Lilliston takes on a client, she builds out the PR framework by determining how to position and grow the brand, as well as the messaging. Everything must be done to support their business objectives. “There are lots of different angles and things that I can help position that may not have gotten recognition within their industry before. I help elevate and package the work that they’ve already been doing and make sure that I’m hitting the right targets for them,” she elaborates. “It’s getting them in front of potential buyers and decision-makers. Where do they go for their news and their resources to learn about potential companies that could provide a product or service that they’re looking for? That’s where I want my client to be. That’s ultimately the true measure of PR; business is growing, you’re able to expand, you’re able to hire, the phone is ringing.”