Business owners and entrepreneurs often doubt whether they can afford a publicity campaign. They say: "I'd love to hire someone to launch our publicity campaign professionally, but we can't afford it, so I'm just going to have to do it on my own." The majority simply overestimates the cost of a PR campaign because of their lack of knowledge on the topic. 102 people were asked: "How do you think a professional PR campaign would cost to your business?" The result were:
- $10,000 or more per month - 11 percent:
- $5,000 to $10,000 per month - 32 percent;
- $3,000 to $5,000 per month - 39 percent,
- $1,000 to $3,000 per month - 12 percent;
- less than $1,000 - 6 percent.
Actually, it is possible to get a public campaign in all of the price ranges mentioned above. But the question is how effective it will be.
The important rule one should remember before hiring a public relations agency is "Align With PR Business That Reflects Your Company Size". If you own a small business there is no need to hire a high-dollar PR firm, you should better find an agency, capabilities of which closely resemble to your business.
You should also remember that hiring a big and famous public relations agency does not guarantee that you will get exactly what you need. Sometimes it is better and more profitable to hire a small PR shop or individual PR specialist.
If you decided to do so, remember the next important rule: "Make Sure Smaller Firm or Individual Has the Same Tools As a Bigger Agency". This means they must have updated media lists, personalized media distribution capabilities, etc. If they do not have all the necessary tools, you should better spend some extra money on the services of a big agency and get a correctly launched public relations campaign.
Hiring a professional PR agency of individual has its benefits.
- Proper campaign implementation;
- Media contacts;
- Efficiency and effectiveness.
So if you have decided to work with a public relations agency or individual instead of making a PR campaign on your own, never forget that a higher priced campaign does not mean that you will get better results that a cheaper one. The inverse rule is also true. Of course, if you have the time, all necessary tools and desire to maintain your own public relations campaign do not hesitate to do so. Who knows your company or web site, its products or services better than you do? If you have no talent for public relations you can always find a professional who will do the job for you. All you need is to find the one whose fees and services are suitable for you.