Many companies opt for publicity instead of advertising because they believe that “publicity” is free, while they must pay for advertising. Well, the truth is that if you get a story about your company or organization on the evening news or in your local newspaper, you obviously don’t pay for the story. But what did it cost you to get that story if a PR professional helped place it for you?
Good PR pros can be invaluable in getting your story told in the media. And a positive story in the press can lead to increased sales.
But unfortunately, too often the PR agency / client relationship sours and falls apart before it has a chance to take hold. Why is this?
There are several reasons. Perhaps it was a mismatch between the PR firm and the client. The client needed certain expertise and the PR firm didn’t have it. Or maybe the PR firm did what too many of the larger firms do, which is “bait and switch”. This means when the firm is pitching the account, they bring in the experienced smooth talkers. But when it comes to doing the work, they relegate it to young, inexperienced assistant account executives while the people you first met are off pitching more business.
Most of all, PR agency / client relationships don’t work out because clients don’t feel they are getting value for the money they are spending. Hiring a large PR firm today can cost upwards of $10,000 a month, and that is not even the higher end firms.
That is why many companies are switching to hiring smaller PR operations. A small firm has minimal overhead and can often produce higher quality work for less money. This is because smaller firms are headed by experienced PR pros who usually have worked for the large firms. They have the experience, but not the overhead, and can therefore give their clients more effort and produce more results for less money.
When searching for a PR firm, make sure you know what you are paying for. Will you be paying for the time, experience and talent you need to accomplish your objectives, or will you be paying for the PR firm’s fancy offices and getting inexperienced personnel to represent you?
The smart companies, of course, go for the latter.
To learn more about this author, visit Harvey Farr's Website.
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Harvey Farr
(Visit Harvey's Website)
Harvey Farr started his career in public
relations / marketing almost 30 years ago.
He spent much of that time as senior vice
president of Ruder Finn, an international
public relations and marketing firm. At
Ruder Finn, Mr. Farr representated such
concerns as Mitsubishi Motors Corp.,
Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Co., The
Academy Awards, CitiCorp, Union Bank,
Executive Life Insurance Co. and many
other national and international
corporations. His areas of expertise
include PR / marketing on behalf of the
financial services industry, crisis
communications (in conjuntion with law
firms), nonprofit organizational
campaigns, emerging companies and
community relations programs. He is a
sought-after speaker and currently offers
workshops and seminars for companies
seeking to provide employees with a better
understanding of the public relations
process. In addition to operating Farr
Marketing Group, he also teaches advanced
public relations at California State
University, Los Angeles and the Center for
Nonprofit Management.
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