Outsourcing PR: When to say the timing is right?

As a startup business owner, you want every penny spent on your marketing efforts to yield sales and attract new customers who will buy your product or service. To some Australian enterprises who are cognizant of the competitive business landscape, they keep their marketing and PR functions in-house.

But there is always a ‘but’ in here. Of course you are aware that you have a few resources left to deal with all your core and non-core business functions, including PR and social media, time and dollars. Now, do you still think you can manage? Least to say, can you meet your projected output versus your available resources?

Or, it might be time to outsource your PR to another company?

Here, we’ll take a look at some reasons why.

Admit it, PR is not your core competency

Let’s just say, even big businesses do not have a monopoly of all talents or business functions. So, if PR is not within your core competency, maybe you should heed the advice of some experts: try outsourcing. For some valid reasons, outsourcing can save you tons of time because you are liberated from doing some business functions to focus on the things you are most passionate of doing or expert at. Outsourcing opens you to the possibility of hiring or getting a PR professional at a fraction of cost yet can deliver effective results.

It’s professional, polished writing that you need

It’s hard to please your subject media network or the editor running the publication if you’ll submit a poorly written media release. You know the ending for bad press releases and the smells stinky. Consider hiring an experienced PR writer or publicity officer whose years of experience writing and churning out exciting and news-worthy spin on your brand story. Their expertise increases the chances to get the attention you need and badly deserve.

Publicity is the territory of the experienced

Similar with other industries, there’s so-called “tricks of the trade” around public relations. Those with a couple of years doing this job are already adept in the trades of publicity, including having amassed important media contacts. Who you know and what you know are the secret sauce that you need from an experienced publicity professional to get your brand message or press release out.

Wanted: More creative input

Any marketing or public relations effort are often best made when you are with a team. If you are the technical type of person, you will surely find invaluable the creative inputs from your PR peers. Their experience in engaging customers and producing marketing materials could offer the biggest boost to having your message out.

Outsourcing is cheaper, cost-efficient

This cannot be more true in outsourcing public relations. Preparing your company’s publicity may be time consuming that you are left with little amount of time for tasks that you should actually be doing instead. When you get to the moment that the cost you spent doing a simple publicity campaign trumps the benefits, the argument of outsourcing should already convince you. Man, it’s probably time to look for some outsourcing help.

There are plenty of options when you finally decide to outsource your PR tasks. If you want someone who know the local market because geography is critical to your business, stick to PR consultants within your location.

If you’re national and operates international branches, hiring a PR expert outside of your area might be one best solution for you. If you will outsource a PR professional or a team, make sure that you base your selection on your budget and needs. Ask to see samples of their work and conduct interviews to match them to your needs and possibility of you working well with your staff. Ask for references, their results and work attitudes and commitments to your business.

Finally …

The final decision should also include aspects of creativity and ingenuity. Cost should be secondary only here but please be wary of paying unreasonably priced PR agent if you can find someone who are as capable and skilled to do the job you offered for less.

Timing is critical when it comes to outsourcing. Often, the compelling reasons arise out of your internal conditions and the context of your situation. So, set expectations and agreements in writing early and to measure your results afterwards.

Source:

http://www.businessthinktank.com.au/marketing-sales/when-is-it-time-to-outsource-your-pr