It would be fair to say that a lot of people associate PR with those big-hitting brands which ultimately, have millions of dollars to spend. We’re used to seeing the likes of Red Bull investing huge amounts of money in their PR campaigns – all in the aim of enhancing their brand.
It means that many dismiss the notion that PR could be used successfully for a small or medium business.
Suffice to say, this isn’t the case. The marketing and advertising industries mean that you don’t necessarily have to have big bucks to create compelling campaigns and you only have to view some of the work of Jonathan Disegi to realize this.
Following on from the above, let’s take a look at just why PR is more important than ever before for those SMEs that maybe didn’t even consider it an option at one point.
The credibility factor
Umpteen studies have been conducted which have proven the effectiveness of a successful PR campaign, when pitted against a successful standalone advert. Business leaders from around the world have concluded that even if you took out a front page ad, any well-executed PR story is always going to beat it hands-down.
Nowadays, people just like to learn about companies “naturally”. In the case of PR, it gives companies a word-of-mouth factor – something that can fuel plenty of business later down the line.
An advert isn’t something that can necessarily build this credibility. Anyone can take out an advert, but not everyone can devise a story that hits the headlines and brings a company into the limelight for the right reasons.
It’s incredibly good value for money
If we stay on the topic of adverts versus PR campaigns, it goes without saying that unless you are targeting very small audiences, advertising is incredibly expensive. We’re not going to speculate figures here, but for an SME it’s usually out of the equation.
PR doesn’t necessarily have to be like this. There have been plenty of cases of companies barely spending a dime and being splashed all over the media thanks to great PR campaigns.
In the case of being value for money, PR is regarded as something which is a two-way form of communication between your brand and audience. It again means that the rewards can come much later down the line – the impact doesn’t have to be immediate.
You’ll constantly build relationships with your audience and influencers
As we’ve just mentioned, building relationships is part and parcel of good public relations. Furthermore, for every good PR story that your business produces, the likelihood of this occurring again just multiplies.
Not only will you be developing relationships with your audience for eternity, but you’ll also be doing the same with those that circulate your stories (i.e., journalists). There’s a reason why some brands always seem to be in the news for a good PR story; it’s because they have become established, have the contacts and these contacts know that the public love to read about them.
Again, these relationships are priceless and it’s another reason why you don’t need big bucks to execute good public relations campaigns.
