Digital marketing is a way to distinguish yourself, make yourself more visible, and ultimately generate more sales. But it’s a lot to tackle everything on your own, even if you have your own internal marketing team. Hiring a PR firm can help you achieve more and yield a higher ROI.
But when does it make sense to hire one?
The Perks of Working With a PR Firm
There are many benefits associated with working with a PR firm, including:
- PR and marketing expertise. When you work with a dedicated PR firm, you’ll get access to all their PR and marketing expertise. Even relatively small firms have talented teams full of highly experienced, knowledgeable people who can help you solve almost any conceivable PR or marketing problem. Even if you have talented PR and marketing experts in your own business, their potential can be greatly expanded by working with other experts in the industry.
- Resources, technologies, and tools. Most PR firms have ample access to a variety of resources, including human resources as well as technologies and tools. With assistance from a PR firm, you can execute bigger strategies, get published in more prominent publications, and ultimately expand the scope of your strategies. This is especially powerful if your business is currently growing, or if you don’t have the internal resources to support the PRN marketing strategy you desire.
- External, neutral perspective. Some businesses appreciate working with a PR firm because it gives them an opportunity to see their own strategies from a neutral, third party perspective. Your PR firm is invested in your success, but they don’t have the same blind spots that you do. Therefore, they’re able to see things that you can’t and make recommendations that you wouldn’t be able to consider on your own.
- Experience and previous results. Most competent PR firms can prove their past results. They likely have experience working with dozens of clients like you, and they’ve probably been in operation for many years. Although this is not a guarantee that they’ll be able to help you in the exact same ways, it is a generally good indication of how much value they can provide if you hire them.
- Flexible contracts and service combinations. In most cases, you’ll have the ability to tap into flexible contracts and variable service combinations so that you can find the right service package for your needs. You may not need all the PR and marketing services that this firm offers, and you may not need their services for more than a few months. Most PR firms are willing to work with you to find the right approach for your situation.
- Ongoing support and customer service. PR firms want to see you succeed, and they have a vested interest in maintaining their own reputation. Accordingly, they’re going to provide you with ongoing support and excellent customer service, doing whatever it takes to give you your money’s worth.
Ultimately, that means:
- Reaching more people. With the help of a PR firm, you’ll be able to reach more people in more ways. You’ll also be able to target your specific demographics and reach them with more compelling messaging.
- Improving your brand image. PR firms can also help you improve your brand image, regardless of how long your brand has been around. People will be more likely to recognize, trust, and value your brand across all your market segments.
- Contending with the competition. Exercising an effective PR and marketing strategy is tough in an industry with lots of competition. But a PR firm can make it easier for you to contend with your biggest rivals.
- Landing more consistent sales. And of course, better PR and marketing strategies typically lead to more sales – and more consistent sales.
The Costs of Working With a PR Firm
The costs of working with a PR firm vary considerably. What you pay is going to be dependent on the nature of the firm, your location, the scope of the services you require, the length of your engagement, and much more. However, it’s probably going to cost at least a few thousand dollars per month to get the services you want. There are also some time costs associated with onboarding, meeting, and collaborating with your PR firm.
Accordingly, hiring a PR firm doesn’t make sense for every business. That said, considering the broad scope and heavy impact of the benefits, the costs are typically worth it.
When Does It Make Sense?
When does hiring a PR firm make sense?
- You aren’t seeing the results you want. If you want to see better results in your PR or digital marketing strategies, a PR firm will likely be able to provide them for you.
- Your momentum is in decline. You may also want to hire a PR firm if you’ve consistently seen good momentum, but that momentum is currently in decline. This could be a sign of an underlying issue that a PR firm can help you solve.
- You want to serve a new market. If you’re used to serving a specific market segment and you’re branching out into a new direction, it’s a wise move to work with a PR firm to better grasp the intricacies of that audience – and target them more effectively.
- You want to accelerate your growth. PR firms are also indispensable for accelerating your growth, especially if you’re trying to get the most bang for your buck.
- You have the budget for it. If the costs of a PR firm aren’t a concern, hiring them is likely a wise move.
- You’re ready to take your digital marketing to the next level. Generally, if you want to take your digital marketing efforts to the next level, a PR firm can take you to the next plateau.
If you want to better support or rebuild your digital marketing strategies, hiring a PR firm might be the right move. With access to better resources, better technologies, and more expertise, they might have exactly what you need to reach your target audience effectively.
