Anthony Ricigliano - Optimizing Your PR Company

Oct. 28, 2010 - PRLog -- Author Anthony Ricigliano: Many small businesses get to the point where going outside their four walls to have someone else tell their story sounds like it might make sense. In many cases it does, and in some it probably doesn’t. The key here is in knowing the difference. This is the first issue to sort out in terms of deciding whether you should hire an outside public relations firm or not. Let’s start out by eliminating a couple of business types which either won’t benefit by hiring outside PR or which could get their story out in a more efficient manner.

* Businesses with a local or regional target market – A PR firm might help here but there are a number of other ways to highlight your company. Local search is becoming so specialized at search engines like Google that you can probably engage a firm to search engine optimize your business at a fraction of the cost of a PR firm.

* Businesses with a highly technical product or service that a PR company simply isn’t going to get. PR from a firm that has no idea what you do is probably going to do more harm than good.

* Companies which have just gone public and are listed on the pink sheets or the bulletin board. Brokers can’t recommend your stock, trade mags aren’t going to be happy with ”buy our stock” solicitations, and going direct to the public can be prohibitively expensive.

The types of companies which can benefit are those with national markets, branding objectives, and the ability to stick with a marketing strategy for the long term. Once the decision has been made to hire a PR firm, there are several actions you can take to maximize the relationship. These include:

* Making sure that the company understands your products and/or services.

* Defining your target market and your marketing strategy so that the firm understands what your objectives are.

* Do not let the PR company take you in a direction you don’t want to go.

* Controlling your company’s message. It’s amazing how often a line like “Trust us, we’re professionals” neuters a business owner to a point where the PR firm starts defining the company from the inside out.

* Demand measurable results. Hiring a PR firm is about getting a return on your investment. Make sure you’re getting results.

Most relationships fail with PR companies due to poor planning and insufficient communication. Don’t expect miracles from your PR company. In fact, they’re really going to be only as good as the direction and guidance you give them as they roll out your campaign. Plan on participating in the process and you’ll stand a much better chance at having a successful relationship with your PR firm.

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Today’s businesses are grappling to stay ahead of the daily changes brought on by the evolution of technology. It’s a challenging environment but one where Anthony Ricigliano thrives. With 25 years of integrating the latest technological advances.....