What do the Nixon administration, Netflix, and the newly minted Meta have in common with your business? All of them could benefit from the services of a communications firm.
Why? Because despite all the hype around the demise of the newspaper industry, print and online publications saw daily weekday circulation rates of 24.3 million in 2020. And when you throw in social media, hobby sites, and YouTube, the ability to put your name out there isn’t just a matter of respectability — it’s a legitimate opportunity to attract clients.
Is hiring a communication firm a good idea? Is an agency worth the investment you’re making? Read on to see our list of 11 really good reasons to consider hiring a communications firm for your PR needs.Â
1. PR Has Amazing ROI
Let’s cut to the chase.
In the world of journalism, there are two ways for businesses to get media attention:
- They can be the news
- They can pay for coverage
One of the biggest advantages of working with a communications agency is that the team can get you headlines for a fraction of the price that it would normally cost. And if your team plays its cards right, you may even be able to parlay that coverage into app downloads and sales.Â
In 1975, Gary Dahl became a millionaire after generating buzz around his Pet Rock concept. And if he was able to pull that off by going viral, how much more can your brand accomplish with a top-notch communications firm on your side?
2. Agencies Are Cost-Effective
With most reputable PR firms charging a four or five-figure monthly retainer, terms like “cheap” and “cost-effective” are probably the furthest thing from your mind. But when you think about the direct ROI that comes from being in the news, there’s no question that communications experts can deliver a lot of bang for your buck.
But here’s the thing:
Hiring multiple PR specialists for your in-house marketing team is expensive. And expecting one or two people to do the work of an entire team can lead to a less-than-ideal work product. If you want the experience of a high-powered team for the price of a junior specialist, an agency can deliver on all fronts.
3. You Can Build Critical Mass
Imagine your business is launching a new product line and you’ve got nothing but a Facebook page to promote yourself with. One or two likes in response to your new announcement probably won’t move the needle. But when your product is coming up on everyone’s news feeds and all their friends are taking notice, that’s when you have a real shot at building serious momentum.
Your communications firm can amplify your message so that your products can get on the radar of people’s social circles. And with 92 percent of people trusting friends and family over the press, the agency’s ability to put your company in front of customers will pay for itself multiple times.
4. You Have Crisis Communications Expertise in Payroll
Pop quiz.Â
You wake up tomorrow and you discover that your company has just had another customer data breach. What do you do?
Your company’s internal meme channel goes public and the media has been blowing up your inbox. What are your next steps?
They say that every PR crisis is actually a business communication failure. But mistakes made at this stage could cost you everything.
When your business is in crisis, you need a media strategy that will help you protect, salvage, and repair your reputation. A skilled PR firm will be able to keep your company’s communication steady in stormy weather.
5. The Team Can Refine Your Message
If you’ve spent any amount of time hanging out with people, chances are that you’ve run into this type of person. No. Not the I-can-never-be-serious acquaintance — the one with that means well but has a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease.
In your personal life, that individual might be quietly left out of your important social events. But from a professional standpoint, you don’t want customers to see your business as the corporate version of that person who’s always saying the wrong thing.
An experienced business communication firm will be able to assess the pros and cons of your proposed messaging. They’ll make sure that every piece of content you put out is aligned with the image you want to present.
6. You’ll Have an Easier Time Differentiating Your Brand
In advertising circles, people are all about unique sales propositions. More often than not, it’s not because management teams enjoy the work of putting together buyer personas and customer funnels. It’s because brand differentiation is often a company’s best shot at getting the attention of prospects.
Here’s what we mean.
At the end of the day, Nike sells shoes. When you get right down to it, 99 percent of the developed world wears shoes every day in some capacity. Some people would look at these facts and say, “Great. They should be marketing to everybody.” — but that’s not what Nike has done.
Instead, the company has built a name for itself by selling to athletes and fitness-inclined individuals. They work with famous athletes, they use dramatic backdrops while tossing in sporty slogans like “Just Do It”, and they rarely put out a shoe commercial that doesn’t highlight a sport.
Of course, the differentiating work doesn’t stop there. Everything, from the company’s pricing strategy to its casual shoe and clothing offerings, is designed to target a certain core demographic. And it’s safe to say that the company has been extremely successful while pursuing this strategy.
If your business has laid a solid foundation, you’ll already have an idea of who your ideal clients are. Chances are that you’ve designed your product and your website accordingly. All you need is the right strategic communication strategy.
Your PR agency will know exactly how to position your brand for maximum appeal. And with so many businesses fighting for the hearts and wallets of consumers, brand alignment can make a world of difference.
7. Your Agency Can Grow With YouÂ
At the end of the day, your average small business simply doesn’t need the same number of resources that a multinational corporation would. When you’re hiring PR specialists in-house, you’ll have to spend time recruiting, hiring, and paying more individuals.Â
But with an agency, you can have as much or as little day-to-day help as you need. As your business grows, you can grow your account to match without any hassles or stress.
8. You Can Establish Your Expertise
Have you ever wondered why the media seems to have a few select go-to people on certain subjects? As it turns out, it’s not entirely by luck. In many cases, these people have PR firms that have made them available as journalism sources.
And when you’re looking to fill up your client calendar, being known as the local marriage expert or wedding planning specialist can do a lot to boost your professional credibility. Your PR agency can put you in front of the camera and on the local news to the point where people are able to hear your name and say, “Whoa. I know that person!”.Â
9. Agencies Can Give You Objective Marketing Advice
Have you ever sat through a commercial or seen a Facebook ad and said, “Wow. I can’t believe that company thought it was a good idea to greenlight this!”. If you spend any amount of time-consuming digital and traditional media, your answer to that question is “Too many.”.Â
Far too often, businesses try to be innovative. They attempt to experiment and find new ways to promote their products and services. But due to bad timing, bad luck, or bad concepts, their marketing efforts tend to backfire in a big way.Â
The communications firm you hire is staffed from top to bottom with highly experienced advertising professionals. These folks will be able to look at your strategy and let you know if you’re about to make a mistake. And, in the alternative, if your killer communications concept actually is that awesome, your agency will be able to refine your messaging until it gleams.
Many businesses don’t have the luxury of being able to get an outside perspective on the decisions they make. A PR agency is a resource that you won’t be able to overlook.
10. You Can Leverage the Agency’s Media Relationships
Remember what we said earlier about how PR firms often make their clients available to the press as media sources? The advantages of working with a well-connected business communication firm don’t stop there.Â
If you need headlines and to push your product to certain publications, your agency can connect with journalists and get you mentioned. If you’re looking for follow-up coverage or a consistent, long-running media campaign, you can count on your team to work the phones on your behalf.Â
Now you might be looking at this and thinking, “If I have a newsworthy story to tell, does it really matter if it’s the agency or a newcomer sending the email?”. And the answer is, “Yes.”.Â
Put yourself in the shoes of your average beat journalist. You’ve been up late, you’re struggling to beat your next deadline, and your editor has just finished telling you that they’d like you to pitch your next story before the end of the week. You take a break between cups of coffee and you check your email inbox for news.
All things being equal, who’s email are you more likely to read? The subject line that looks like it was cobbled together by yet another business that wants coverage at the expense of news? Or the one that’s been written by the communications professional that always sends you a dynamite story?
If you care about your career, you’ll take the second one.Â
A well-established PR firm can accomplish all of this and more with relative ease. The relationships they’ve built with journalists and publications coupled with their reputations within the industry can lead to more clicks and more coverage in less time than you think.
11. Your Agency Will Be Able to Tell Your StoryÂ
Imagine living in a world where Batman and Superman didn’t have a consistent backstory. Would the fans be as invested in the superhero universe? Would people cheer for the characters in the same way?
For businesses, having a consistent narrative isn’t just about making sure that the fans don’t riot at the movie theater. It’s about making sure that future customers can relate to the company on an emotional level.
Why did your company choose to develop its product or service? What’s your origin story? Is there anything unique about your process that the competition just doesn’t do?
PR agencies have a superpower that many businesses aren’t aware of – they’re highly skilled at being able to craft a narrative that tells your story. Once the team has had an opportunity to develop your story, the level of polish in your company communication will surprise you.
Should You Hire a Communications Firm?
In our fast-paced modern world, communication can be the difference between a successful launch and a PR crisis that you’re not able to recover from. To that end, a skilled communications firm can help you amplify your message while deftly leveraging its media relationships to get incredible results for your business.
Here’s the bottom line:
If you want to have the kind of internal and external business communication that makes people say, “That’s a company that knows what it’s doing!”, you’ll want to start exploring your communication firm options today.Â
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