Since this meme seems to have run its natural course… I figured now is as good a time as any to bring up the opposing viewpoint. So here are my best reasons, based on 15 years in this business, that you should go out right now and hire a PR agency or outside consultant… (disclosure, some of my best friends think PR is bunk).
Going outside the company means going outside the bubble - Face it, every company, even start-ups, suffer from group-think. In my agency days we used to call it drinking the kool-aid. There’s pressure to agree with every decision, to bow to the notion of ‘consensus.’ To go along and get along. A good agency or outside resource will be able to look at something with freash eyes and an open mind and if the idea is completely wrong, should have the guts to say so.
A different point of view - Building on the previous idea, an outside resource can bring a fresh perspective to a problem. A good PR agency has a great deal of institutional memory and smarts and it’s likely that they’ve seen whatever problems or circumstances you are facing before.
Connections matter - A good PR agency can put you in contact with other entities. Not just journalists (although that’s still a major part of the business) but potential customers and partners who you wouldn’t have known of otherwise.
Knowing which way the wind is blowing - Most of us in PR have been there in the literal sense of the phrase. We got through the last tech boom and bust and we have a bit of perspective. The senior staff at a good firm should know the difference between a flash in the pan and a real live trend and if you are smart, you’ll listen when they say ‘this too shall pass.’
Bang for the buck - It’s still more cost effective to bring on an outside agency or consultant than to develop in-house staff. For a reasonable monthly retainer, you have access not only to your account team but to their colleagues when needed. And PR is still cheaper than advertising.
There. I’ve come up with five. Discuss.
Thanks David, If you look at my post and read it carefully, I actually already wrote what works. The elevated PR firms have already adopted and are applying these techniques, and understanding the mind-shift.