6 FAQ FOR BUSINESSES CONSIDERING A PR AGENCY
Considering a PR agency but have a few questions first? We get it. Here are the top ten frequently asked questions we get from businesses big and small who are considering a PR agency.
DOES MY BUSINESS NEED PR?
The short answer is yes. Whether you outsource it or not, PR is the communications hub of your business. Bad comms can be the difference between whether a business survives or thrives.
WHAT EXACTLY IS PR?
Well only the brave come right out and ask us that after they’ve made a new business enquiry. Assuming they’ve Googled and are still unclear. Don’t worry you’re not alone (link to article which explains PR). A simple answer is this. If advertising is what you say about yourself. Then PR is what everyone else says about you.
WHAT WOULD PR DO FOR MY BUSINESS?
PR in a nutshell gives you access to a broader network. PR aims to connect your business with audiences you didn’t know you could or should have and couldn’t reach yourself. Our approach is different for every business. PR isn’t an exact science. We customise our approach based on the outcomes we’re trying to achieve, the budget and the lead-time. For one business it might be a media launch event, for another it might be a solid two year retail calendar execution on social media. Whatever provides the best return on investment and is sustainable is the way we roll.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
It’s always an odd thing to get a call from a business who has decided they need PR but hasn’t considered how much they’ve got to spend on it. Maybe ask yourself this… How much are you willing to lose? Don’t be confused by my approach which appears to diminish the actual benefits of PR and the accountability of it working. What I’m really saying is; if you haven’t considered what your marketing budget is or could realistically be; then you’re probably not ready for PR. What you spend on PR should be a considered cost investment for your business.
How much you have to dedicate to PR helps to shape what we can do with your budget. i.e. our approach for a multi-national and iconic luxury retail brand is different to what our approach would be for a mumpreneur starting a kidswear label. Take time to consider your available budget. The incredibly rewarding thing about raraPR is that we can work to any budget. We prescribe the best approach depending on the business type, with the available time. If your business wins then so do we.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
Good things take time. And while I certainly believe in the quick or the dead when it comes to business, don’t be in such a rush. PR is a fee for service-based offering. The bigger the budget, the more time we have to dedicate to it. It’s not realistic to be start-up that onboards with an entry-level budget and then expects the PR and business to take off in months. The more hours we have to dedicate to a business the higher the impact. Like all good things, PR takes time and patience.
HOW DO I MEASURE PR RESULTS?
There’s no getting around it. PR conversion is hard to measure. We look at sales, we look at market research (if you can afford it; most can’t), we look at spikes in web traffic and social media engagement. We look at tasks completed, which add incredible value because you couldn’t do it yourself.
But it’s near impossible to measure the value of informing someone about the benefits of or changing someone’s opinion or perception of your business? For example, there’s a retail brand I fell in love with about four years ago. The PR and marketing is what dreams are made of.
I bought an item from them and have loved it. And three years later I’m yet to circle back and re-purchase. But I will. I’ve told everyone at raraHQ (and now I’m telling you. That’s a lot of people who can’t be measured). Their EDMs bring weekly joy. Does that mean that because I haven’t repurchased yet and spiked their sales in the last few years that their PR efforts haven’t worked?! No. I may have indirectly contributed to sales or social platform visits. I’m an unofficial ambassador. Simply because what they do reached me and resonates. That is PR. That is priceless. That is the long game.
Unless you’re a national retailer, or blue chip corporate you probably don’t have a budget for market research to really get forensic on the results of real-life target audience feedback.
What we can measure is the number of tasks completed that add value to what you do. And we can monitor the bottom line and shopping behaviours, website visits, increased engagement against PR initiatives. It can be said, that the true value of PR is felt when you take it away and then realise what it was doing. The investment in networking, connecting and learning how to position and share your story is invaluable.
Words by Jade Roberts raraPR Founder and Director.
raraPR is above all the sum of people who together help build brands and share stories. We are present in our determination to make a positive difference to the world by representing individuals and businesses that are doing good. We are an extension of the personal stories within us, those that we exist for and those within you that need to be heard.
