As brand awareness becomes increasingly important for business growth and development, Tina Clough from Poppy-PR offers her take on why PR should not be reserved for the larger enterprise, but something obtainable by the SME.
Tina Clough, owner of the Derbyshire PR agency, Poppy-PR, said: “It is all too common for businesses to assume that advertising is the only marketing tool within their reach due to status and budget restrictions. Historically this was the case, but in recent months the more progressive PR agencies have started offering PR packages which aim to boost the business start up and SME.
“More and more smaller businesses are coming forward and enquiring about PR in these difficult economic times and it is without a doubt the smaller enterprise that requires the extra marketing boost delivered by PR.
“Charging average monthly fees of between £1500 and £6000, PR firms have previously taken a ‘survival of the richest’ approach to client retention. Costing between £500-£1000 a month, the new generation of PR firms are giving the smaller firm a plethora of options within the PR sphere.
“When clients meet with the Poppy-PR team we ask them if they have tried PR in the past, to which the reply is always ‘no but we have tried advertising’. The huge difference between the two is that advertising can be extremely costly and return on investment is generally very low. PR is coverage that is not paid for in cash and as a result it requires a huge amount of skill.
The advantages of using a PR agency are extensive, but are not limited to:
• Cost: PR is extremely cost effective and when spread out over a number of months can include, article production, social media management, crisis communications, events management, forward features research, content production and even the process of booking speaking opportunities at leading industry events.
• Placement: No matter how much you pay for an advert, you will never secure a big front page placement or coverage in the main run of the publication. These spaces are reserved for news. Offering the editors with great PR is the only way of securing this space.
• Credibility. People know that adverts are paid for and they take them with a pinch of salt. While a good advert can convert into sales, the reader is often conscious of the sales pitch being offered in print. The media coverage generated by PR is assumed to be unbiased and this makes the value of PR three times that of advertising.
• Details. An article allows you to convey so much more information than an advert. This enables you to put forward company details, product information, prices and your location.
There are many reasons to choose PR over advertising, to find out more, please contact Tina Clough on 07805716959, or alternatively, visit the Poppy-PR website at www.poppy-pr.co.uk
