Should you hire a PR firm?
Efficacy and results rely on an array of factors, so organizations looking to hire a public relations agency must identify their objectives and understand where PR ends and sales picks up.
It’s inevitable, but it also marks success.
As painful as it is to lose a client, when we lose one because we’ve taught them how to fish, it means we’ve done our job.
Consider questions such as this: Is a PR firm worth the money?
The answer, of course, is this: It depends on different factors.
What does PR do?
Most executives and even some PR pros think that if you can just get one more story (ideally on the front page of The New York Times), all your woes will be solved: Products will fly off the shelves, memberships will increase, services will be locked in for five-year contracts, the cash register will sing.
The problem, of course, is that media relations is difficult to measure in terms of business results. It drives a ton of website traffic, builds incredible awareness and provides credibility.
It does all the things you need so you can sell—but it does not, alone, create the sale. That is why, the day after a front-page story runs in The Wall Street Journal, you want more. You have to show a return on your PR firm investment.
Unfortunately, it does not work that way. That’s why entrepreneurs and other business leaders post questions like these:
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