Importance of Good PR Agency for Small Businesses and Startups
Gosh, we are struggling with creating awareness and visibility for our brand…
No one knows that we exist or what products or service we offer…
We need to go beyond the norm and do something to create a buzz…
If the above discussions sound familiar, you, my friend are in luck. Start-ups have multiple problems that may or may not include-
- Approaching the right skill and building effective workforce
- Constrained financial resources and inadequate funds
- Overburdened and multi-tasking employees that are unproductive
- Competition with far more established brands and businesses
However, one common problem that plagues almost all start-ups in this area is awareness, visibility, and gaining exposure.
In this article, we look to answer a solution to the above problems by pointing towards Public relations or PR.
List of 5 Important Things to know about PR for Start-Ups
1. PR is Not Expensive and is Majorly Cost-Effective
There is a lot of misconception about hiring PR agencies as far as start-ups are concerned. They feel that they are expensive and only the big companies can engage or work with them.
This is false. There are great PR agencies that are now offering tailormade solutions for start-ups. They are affordable and when you compare the ROIs you will experience, they sound like a bargain.
2. They can Talk on Behalf of your Brand
There is a very blurred distinction in the manner a startup pr agency works. Rather than the brand talking about itself, a PR agency ensures that it creates mediums that talk on behalf of the brand.
This creates a favorable impression of the brand. It also creates credibility when other start speaking about your start-up in a positive light. This helps in branding a company.
3. Integration of Online and Offline Activities
As a start-up born in the digital age, you might think that you do not need offline activities and promotions. However, you are wrong.
A good PR agency understands that the offline market is still very strong, especially if you are in developing countries. It can ensure that both your offline and online presence is taken care of without much trouble or problems.
4. Building Brand Perception and Awareness
We started off the article by stating how for start-ups awareness is a major problem. A PR agency that has experience working with start-ups knows the best way to spread awareness about the brand in front of its target audiences.
This can be done on both online as well as offline platforms and channels. Media reports, social media, publications, etc, all help.
5. Understanding the Product, Service, and Company
There is no doubt that start-ups thrive on innovation. In fact, in some instances, they can be so innovative that the common public might fail to understand them.
Their solutions might be easy and convenient, but breaking down the understanding barrier is critical. This is where a good PR agency can step in and help sort the issue. Through demos, they can help in this.
Why Start-Ups try to go for In-House Solutions and why is it a Bad Idea?
You would have noticed how most start-ups have their own social media teams, digital marketing professionals, and so on. Do you know why leading experts think that this is a bad idea?
For starters, they point out that at the start of your journey, you should be only concerned about improving your product or service. This means that the entire focus of the organization should be on the product!
Secondly, getting distracted by marketing or advertising is just going to eat up your time. The time that could have been better spent on product development.
By leaving the job to professional companies that offer tried and tested results, you are ensuring that those activities are taken care of.
Lastly, this will reduce the workforce, lower your salary and other costs and ensure that you are investing everything that you have in the development of your product. It will also guarantee you can take an agency to task if they are not performing adequately.
The Bottom Line
Once you start working with a PR agency that specializes in handling start-ups, you will start seeing the positive impact of their engagement. This will boost awareness levels, create credibility and get conversations around your brand going. If you have any questions you would like us to answer, let us know in the comments section below.
