Articles

Would Bill Gates ever be down to his last million dollars, let alone a single George Washington? No, the fact remains that it's a powerful endorsement of the power of PR.

The economy is tight and corporations tighten their belts down to that last notch, unfortunately PR is usually one of the first few items on the budget that's frozen or cut completely. If your marketing is tracked correctly, you will see the impact to your company. Tracking and analyzing your marketing efforts will allow you to see the impact to profit. Be smart with your marketing and PR to document the strategies and profitable impact to the company.

A cut in funding for company advertising and marketing hurts your company. These PR efforts give your company a bigger name and the opportunity for everyone to know your name. Search engines reach potential new clients worldwide. When you make cuts in the PR, you hurt your companies' profits.

PR also means networking and reaching out to everyone who is reading, listening and on the internet to let them know who you are and what you do. The results achieved with a performance-based agency give the client the PR results and exposure they were looking for. You never have a guarantee with a retainer-based PR firm. These types of firms sign you no as a client with no guarantees. You pay for the print, radio and local and national TV exposure. Performance-based firms care about you and want you to succeed in your publicity efforts.

The soul of advertising is repetition - which generally cost into the tens of thousands to run an effective campaign. The heart of PR is that clients will likely pay one-tenth or less of the cost of an advertising campaign.

Your name can be printed free in national magazines, you can be interviewed on radio or appear on national TV. Are you a financial guru? Appear on a national TV interview. An outlet like Barnes and Noble carries credibility. The book you wrote and the speaking of your ideas are special and can be heard by millions.

Gates was one of the few software geniuses of his era who also understood the differences between advertising and public relations, and was able to maximize both to his company's favor. But with performance-based PR agencies, companies don't need a Gates-sized bankroll to capitalize on the power of PR. You can start with a performance-based firm for about $3,500 for a standard national radio campaign.

At the end of the day, companies can't survive the lean times without a steady stream of customers coming to their doorsteps, and PR can deliver them without busting the bank.