It has been a long time since I discussed about PR outsourcing, thus, I decided to plunge into the subject this time. Remember my discussion on choosing between outsourcing or in-house public relations? I laid down all the advantages and disadvantages of both sides but did not really come up with a definite answer on which one is to choose best.
My last discussion on PR outsourcing focused on looking both sides at their best and worst cases. The choice of what suits a company depends on the size, budget, and situation. This time, however, I would like to add something, which may help you further decide on which kind of public relations firm to choose from.
I have written over and over again that the Internet helped PR professionals to establish good PR service firm while at the same time proved that public relations campaigns are effective, and above all, give quantitative results. As much as this has already been an embraced fact, the Internet also paved way to giving businesses a cheaper option of these PR services.
Todd F. Brabender, a PR professional himself, noticed the same importance the Internet has over entrepreneurs. In his blog, he discussed:
A few months back, I got an email from a California client who discovered that the local part-time freelance publicity specialist he had hired was charging three times the amount I charge and providing half the services I offered. Because of that, the client hired me to work with the freelancer in heading up this nationwide campaign launch. The freelancer told me that because of West coast cost of living/overhead, he was forced to charge the higher fees—surprisingly, he was one of the cheapest publicity pros in that area! I have heard stories like this time and time again from clients who hit the ‘net in search of a cheaper alternative to PR services listed in their local directory.
There are really many cases as this one. And I must agree that the Internet helped entrepreneurs to look for cheaper PR services when they find local PR firms too costly. This advantage will greatly save costs; however, we should not look at things in general. I’ll still say that the best and the right PR service for a specific company depends on the situation.
Yes, it is difficult to find a cheaper PR service locally, but if your company’s products or services target only customers in your area, you might as well resort to local PR firms. These professionals fittingly have the knowledge and the right hands-on with people on your area as well as the media. Of course, this boils down that when your business targets a nationwide market, then the Internet is open for your hunt to cheaper public relations services.
Further, Brabender has several good points (which I’ll take as advices) to make it easier for you to decide on the right PR service that would be right for your company and worth all your expenses:
•Most PR firms do almost the same thing only that the difference lies on creativity, ingenuity, and professionalism.
•Cheaper is not always better. Remember that the saying, “you get what you pay for” also has meaning.
• A good PR campaign will give you a service from start to finish complete with all data, PR tool kits, reports, monitoring, etc.
• Research more on your eyed PR firm——its past records, past clients, media relations, writing samples, etc.—- before even hiring them.
Original article source: http://onlinepr.gbwatch.com/online-pr/107.html
The Politics of the Third Gender: Gay People in the Workplace
I so believed that the top rated reality show, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy has put gay men into the “respect” zone when the show itself proved that there is nothing wrong with gay people and their sexual orientation. Well, for one, the show did prove something worthy aside that it is very interesting. However, amidst the fact that the famous Fab 5 conquered the hearts of straight men as well as of straight women (in another gay reality show, Queer Eye for the Straight Girl) on the airwaves, the show did not actually changed the state of most queer people around the globe.
Make Your “Tail” Long By Producing Contents With Value
It has been a long time since we talk about “content”. As on my previous discussions, I have emphasized often that content drives traffic to your site. Needless to say, we already knew about this. But what exactly are the ways that make content valuable?
Corporate Websites: Surely Not the Last People Standing on the Web
The Internet perhaps, serves to create and cater a form of pop culture rather than be considered effective medium for communication. Arguments on semantics through written texts and other forms of miscommunication proved this point. Yes, this kind of cases happen everyday on chat, forums, blog posts, etc. However, just like CE’s discussion about online communication, this fault should not be blamed on the medium itself but on the people who are getting the wrong notions about how the Internet can be both a powerful and effective tool for communication.
