For many small businesses, PR is not typically top of mind, but it should be. Public relations agencies have an arsenal of tools unique to them that, when used effectively, produces serious brand recognition and audience reach that everyday advertising just can’t match.

PR can cover everything from interviews with members of the media to branding, promotions, leadership and experiential events, social media, and content creation. 

Are you wondering if PR is a good fit for your business or organization?  You need PR if you say yes to any of these three questions.

Are you being left out of the story? 

Are you reading, seeing or hearing about your competitors but your organization is not included? 

There are now more opportunities than ever to promote your brand via different platforms. A public relations agency, through a brand audit, can discover what methods and platforms will work best for you.

As the book “Strategic Planning for Public Relations” states, sometimes the interests of differing audiences and stakeholders common to a public relations effort necessitate the creation of several distinct but complementary messages. These messages must be relevant to each other, thus creating a consistency to the overall message and theme. 

At its core, effective PR is about telling a story. A professional agency like Chemistry PR and Multimedia can develop a compelling brand story that strives to influence perception, behaviors, and reputation, capturing the attention of both the press and your target audience. 

Do you need to reach a wider audience? 

Especially for small businesses, PR opens doors of opportunity to drive more visitors to a website or business location than traditional advertising. Advertising has its place, of course. But ads are often overlooked when a person is reading a feature article digitally or in print. When a reader latches onto one of these great articles that include inbound links to a business website, click rates skyrocket. 

Today’s buyers are more likely to be influenced by a blog, social media post, or video. Studies show that more than 80 percent of business decision-makers turn to articles (versus advertisements) to gain information before initiating a relationship or pulling the trigger on a purchase. Additionally, more than 90 percent of B2B purchasing decisions start online via various digital channels. 

Conversely, according to recent HubSpot B2C research, over 50 percent of consumers say they want to see videos from the brands they interact with. When people hear information, they’re likely to remember only 10 percent of that information three days later. If relevant imagery is paired with that same information, people retained 65 percent of the information three days later, according to the book “Brain Rules”.

It’s important to note that these decisions are often made before ever engaging with your company or sales representative and this is where PR comes in. Well-researched and well-crafted PR campaigns are directed and deployed to where audiences are.

Do you have a new product or service to launch?     

Are you already well known for products and services, but are ready to add new ones? Diversifying is key to expanding market share and can take the business to new heights. Well executed PR campaigns introduce new products and services to audiences, identifying problems or “pain points” and creating solutions to those problems. 

Launching a new product or service is exciting but can also be intimidating. PR provides a way to get the right kind of attention and create widespread brand awareness. PR can be more effective at projecting the story behind the business, thereby creating legitimacy for the business and credibility for the products and services represented. 

For new product launches, you need PR, but don’t wait until the last minute! PR campaigns take time—developing the strategy, deploying tactics, monitoring and evaluating, and then re-adjusting accordingly are all part of the process. 

If you answered any or all of these questions in the affirmative, we want to hear from you. Our team of diverse professionals can help you develop your message and get your business noticed with a custom-tailored PR strategy. Call us today to schedule your consultation.