When To Invest In Public Relations

14/07/2011

By Pete Hendrick, Managing Director, Rocket Communications

Leading industry analysts and the media believe that the UK’s economy is improving at last and that 2012 will be a key year for businesses across the UK. So with the next twelve months vital for the SME community – many are asking themselves how best to invest their money to ensure they capitalise on this potential up turn. With so many options available including recruitment, website design, sales, marketing and Public Relations (PR), it can sometimes be difficult to know where to invest. For instance, PR can have an immediate impact on a brand...

...but investing in sales could help secure more customer orders in the short-term. The permutations are endless. Put simply, for most Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) it’s impossible to invest in everything. If you are toying with the idea of investing in PR here are ten things to consider:

1) Is PR just a luxury for cash-rich SMEs?

One of the most common clichés I hear is that PR is an activity for large established organisations. This is simply not true. Many SMEs start with a modest retainer (around £2-3k a month) and then scale up once they see the benefits of receiving awareness in the press and potential customer base. It is true that the more money that is invested the more impact a programme will have - as an agency can invest more hours and use multiple tactics to reach prospects.

2) In house or an agency?

Hiring an agency provides an SME with access to a team of people who will have experience in the chosen market sector. This means that overnight an SME can gain 20-30 years of experience regarding which activities will create the best Return on Investment (ROI) and drive brand awareness.

3) Traditional media driven... continued on page two >

 

 

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