Public Relations Firms

Public relations firms can help a business sink or swim. Public relations is a time-consuming aspect of any business, so it is always a good decision to look at outside sources for help. Public relations firms specialize in a variety of features including:

• Different perspective on aspects of the business
  
• Increase the overall visibility of an organization
  
• Fresh, creative ideas to help in product design, development, and distribution
  
• Open the lines of communication between employees and supervisors
  
• Keep the customers and investors up-to-date with information about the company
  
• Organize and host media events

Finding a good PR firm can be a hard decision to make. Before a company can begin shopping for a PR firm, they need to sit down and discuss the needs of the organization first. One of the best places to start is by determining the amount of media attention you want to generate. Several magazines will only accept information from certain PR firms and they will be happy to inform you which PR firms they typically work with. Once you have a listing of the different PR firms, you can begin contacting them directly and asking for information.

A common problem several companies make when selecting a PR firm is to choose a large company simply because you think they are better equipped to handle the needs of your organization. PR actually can be handled by a small team of people and they will be in charge of writing press releases and distributing them. A larger company may offer more services like campaign development and advertising. If you already have marketers and advertisers working for your company, then it is a good idea to look at smaller PR firms.

It is important to write down all the reasons a company may need a PR firm. First, decide what expertise you have at your company and if a PR firm really can help to improve your needs. Does the PR firm have the networking ability to gain awareness for your product or service? Can the PR firm promote your product to your target audience? The objective of the company needs to be one of the key factors used when deciding upon a PR firm. A PR firm needs to understand the mission and goal of the company before they are chosen to represent the company. There are several different pricing structures followed by PR firms, most will ask for payment as a flat fee or monthly charge. Other PR firms tend to ask for payment in the form of a retainer fee or project fee.

Before you sign up with the PR firm, you need to discuss the payment form that works best for your companies needs. A company must also decide what aspects of PR they would like to have handled. Some companies have excellent newspaper and radio contacts, but they are lacking with television and magazine journalists. Make a list of all the media contact you have that are current and decide what media you would like the PR firm to handle. It is also important to keep in regular contact with the PR firm to ensure they are keeping the needs of your company at hand. Larger firms tend to become overwhelmed with numerous philosophies and can quickly lose sight of the philosophy of their clients.

When you are selecting a PR firm, you will probably meet with a team of people from various companies. Most PR firms send their senior staff agents out to pitch for your business. Ask the PR firm for a written proposal that will outline how they will provide PR services to your company. Once you have a firm in mind, get references from other clients and make sure the price they gave you is comparable to others in the industry. Keep in mind that the team of people that are pitching for your business will not be the same people that represent your company.

It is important to meet with some of the people that will be working on your account directly. Individuals need to have passion and enthusiasm for their job and take your needs to heart. The people that represent your company need to thoroughly understand your mission and goals and properly deliver that to the media. The person talking to the media in your behalf needs to be open and easy to talk to. This individual needs to be enthusiastic and make a good impression over the phone without being pushy or annoying to members of the media. The team in charge of representing your company needs to understand the facts of the company before they send out press releases and other things. When members of the media contact them, they must be able to fully explain their answers to journalist's questions and support their answers with facts. Since PR is so unpredictable, the PR agents need to have the ability to handle unexpected situations. PR agents need to have problem-solving attitudes and quickly resolve situations.

Every PR firm will try to sell you on the amount of media contacts they have. While it does help to know how many contacts a PR firm has, they are invaluable to your organization if they cant find a journalist to cover your story. The story is what sells a journalist and makes them run a story, without a good press release and an interesting topic, your story may not get covered.

Before offering the job to a PR firm, decide on exactly how much money you can afford to spend and inform the PR Company that you will not tolerate hidden charges. Unfortunately, many PR firms have added in hidden costs for extra features to their services. Some clients have begun seeing fees for photocopying and other small mark ups. The contract you sign with the PR firm needs to clearly state what services you are paying for and which ones are included with the service.

A PR firm needs to clearly show what type of presence they have in the media. Some larger companies have presence with the national and international media, but for a small business, local media contacts are better. The larger the firm, the more capital they will require because they have an international presence. The best option is to pick the PR firm that will give you the best exposure for your area.

Another important thing businesses need to have ready when they meet with PR firms is a marketing plan. The marketing plan needs to list past, current, and future marketing efforts. The marketing plan must also discuss the following:

• Trade show listings of shows your business expects to attend
  
• Magazines, Newspapers, and other media material you are targeting
  
• Other advertising media you are currently using such as radio, TV, internet, billboards, etc.
  
• Target audience marketing plan. How have you identified your target market and how do you plan to reach them?
  
• Goals for the marketing department.
  
• The company message clearly stated in the marketing plan.

A PR firm needs to have a good portfolio that shows they have the ability to work with different target markets. Having multiple clients in different fields will help the company know if they have the ability to successfully target your audience and get information published by successful journalists. Several PR firms also have the ability to publish more information for their clients. Large PR firms often have advertising teams that will devise an entire strategy for your company and will make sure it aligns with the PR strategy. If your business is in a highly competitive field, it is a good option to seek out a PR firm that specializes in clipping services. A PR firm with clipping service will simply send you clippings of current press on your competitors and help you stay competitive in a timely manner.

It is important to find a PR firm that understands the needs of their clients. PR firms need to read through the marketing plan, objectives, and goals of their customers before they start pitching ideas. Once they have all the facts about your company, they should be able to devise a successful PR strategy that has new ideas for your firm. When you initially meet with the PR firms, ask for samples of press releases and to see a list of speaking engagements they have attended. Trade show information is also helpful as it can give you a good feel for their reach.

The PR firm needs to have a team of people you get along with. Since the marketing team will be working hand-in-hand with these people, they need to have solid chemistry and have the ability to effectively communicate ideas. Compare the bids of each PR firm and make sure you are selecting the best one to fit your company's needs. The PR plan needs to correspond with the marketing plan and be able to effectively convey the message of the company.