Resources for PR Agencies

PR Agencies

PR agencies are concerned with improving and maintaining the reputation of nonprofit organizations, businesses, events, or distinguished personalities in politics and entertainment world. Basically, they handle communications between a company and the public. Public relations responsibilities usually include working with the media, talking at conferences, being involved in  social media, managing crises and communicating with employees.

If you are a business owner concerned with portraying a certain image to the public, you may need the services of a PR agency. Today, public relation agencies use the Internet to establish rapport with customers, investors, employees and the general public. This is done using different channels of communication, such as personal computers, gaming consoles and mobile phones with Internet connection.

Benefits

Contacts

A good PR agency will have extensive number of useful contacts for creating advertisements and establishing branding of a company. These contacts can include the heads of different media departments, other PR agencies, and editors and heads of important news publications. No matter what form the contact list takes, any good PR agency will have a large catalogue of contacts at its disposal.

Staying Ahead of Advertising

The new technologies employed by PR agencies to spread the word are always changing and can be extremely confusing or daunting. By using a PR agency, a business can concentrate on what it is good at, rather than having to constantly stay ahead of the ever-evolving media market. A PR agency will specialize in being ahead of the norm, and if it does not, it is not worth employing.

Creativity

When you outsource your advertising and branding to a PR team, you also end up outsourcing the amount of creativity that is being pushed towards your project. With a PR agency, you have the opportunity to have your business be the next big thing, because of the creative advertising that is used. A PR team allows outside influences to be used when creating media for your brand, which can be important when relating the brand to as many users as possible.

Chaos Control

The worst thing a business owner can deal with is a blowout from a customer or client who is unsatisfied and decides to slander the company. With a PR agency, you won’t have to deal with any type of media or answering questions to the general public. This is their job, and it is what they thrive at doing. The best marketing companies of 2006 were Omnicom Group, WPP Group, Interpublic Group and Publicis Groupe. These four companies own 35 of the 50 biggest advertising agencies in America and account for almost 55 percent of American marketing.

Pitfalls

Whether or not to engage the services of any PR agencies is a significant decision, so before you do, it's important to know some relevant facts. It's well known in the PR world that there's a dearth of training for young professionals entering the industry. In a lot of agencies, new employees tend to go through a sink-or-swim period. So, if your publicity is being handled by a new employee, there's always a chance things could go wrong.

What's My Target?

Something you need to think about is the target media for your product or service. Many agencies target all media outlets, while others are much more specific in their scope. If your product is a specialized niche, it would be a mistake to use a PR company that has a target that is too broad.

How Big Are They?

The size of a PR agency and where they're based are both very important considerations when thinking about using their services. Bigger companies have the connections and capabilities to reach a wider audience, but they often cost a lot more and reach a more non-specific audience. Location is important when considering which PR agency to hire. Agencies that are not local to your company won't target your area as specifically as you need. Also, they won't be as familiar with the area or as focused on the publicity in it.

How Do They Measure Success?

Most agencies use media impressions, clippings, and PR value as a means of measuring success. Generating media coverage online and offline is important, but at the end of the day, that coverage must attain measurable results. If your target is more internet-based, you should concern yourself more with inbound links, search engine rankings, Web site traffic, leads, and sales. If a particular agency's focus doesn't line up with yours, then it's best to move on.

Pricing

In a recent study done by the Council of PR Firms, over 56% of PR firms said that most new business prospects became stronger over the last year. Over 76% of the firms reported that social media is one of the largest areas for expected growth. Of the firms reported, 58% said they expected growth in consumer marketing, 31% said that issues and crisis management were also expected to grow, and only 27% were expecting growth in corporate communication. These statistics show that PR agencies are a secure investment because of industry expansion and growth. Most companies charge very little for basic press releases, usually around $100. Prices will fluctuate depending on how much creativity is needed and how long the services are required. Larger PR firms charge upwards of $10,000 for long or extensive projects.

Conclusion

PR agencies will save you the trouble of facing the media and giving answers to the queries of the general public. Thus, you will have more time to handle other equally important tasks. In one way or another, stable marketing companies employ a PR agency of some sort. To choose the right PR agency for your business, make certain that the agency has a target media consistent with yours, has the capacity to reach a wide audience and is familiar with the area you are focusing the publicity. Keep in mind that your PR requirements may come at a greater cost, as the service of a renowned PR agency is usually pricey.