PR TIMES AFRICA PR TIMES AFRICA Magazine june 2015 | Page 30

When to hire a
PR/Marketing Firm
W
e live in a world where
small businesses are
created every day.
Technology has made it easier for
us to communicate, and social
media has allowed us to connect
and engage with our consumers.
While this may be beneficial to
small business owners, it also adds
more tasks to their already full
plates.
The key element for any business
to thrive is marketing and public
relations. If you build it, no, they
will not come because consumers
must first know that your product
or service even exists. Marketing
can be an arduous yet fun and
rewarding task, but it does take
time, communication skills, and a
true understanding of the current
media landscape.
When determining if you should
hire a marketing or public relations
firm you should ask yourself the
following questions:
Do I have the knowledge or
expertise?
No longer is marketing and PR
simply a classified ad or TV
commercial. Small businesses
owners must know how to create a
social media presence on top of
other tasks including print ads,
submitting press releases, search
28
engine marketing, and much more.
In addition, it is imperative to know
who your target market is and the
vehicles that they use to consume
media. If you fail to research these
things, your message may not reach
the right audience at the right time.
Do I have the bandwidth to
effectively manage a campaign?
To be frank, marketing and PR
takes time from conducting
research, building relationships,
and building an effective strategy.
Small business owners have a ton
of other things to focus on, so at
times, their communications efforts
may be treated like a step child
when they have an "I can do it all
myself" mentality. If your company
consistently has new updates,
product launches, or events, it is
best to work with a small firm or
freelance partner so that you can
focus solely on growing your
business.
Do I have the contacts, and do I
know how to properly reach out to
or approach the media?
Besides the contacts in your
personal email list, do you have a
robust network? PR firms are
trained in pitching the media and
they usually have a robust contact
list that they can tap into for your
advantage. By working with a PR
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1ST EDITION
professional you can also plug into
pre-existing relationships that they
may have which would benefit
your company when trying to
release a story to the public.
Can my business handle the
benefits that PR or marketing can
bring?
So let's say you do decide to hire a
firm and the response is
overwhelming. Does your company
have the bandwidth to take on new
business or clients? These are key
factors to think about before
putting any type of
communications program in place
because you always want to keep
your current and potential
customers satisfied.
In a nutshell, if your small business
needs more exposure and you
simply do not have the time nor the
expertise, I would suggest working
with a small firm even it it's on a
case-by-case basis. Most of the
time you will find that small firms
and freelancers have reasonable
pricing from a fee standpoint and
usually they also are able to pay
closer attention to your brand. They
can provide fresh new ideas and
give insight, while allowing owners
to have one less thing to worry
about while orchestrating the day-
to-day tasks of their small business.
PR TIMES AFRICA