PR – a necessity or nice to have?

Picture the scene, you’ve closed your warehouse and a whole team of people have lost their job because of it. Before long you’ll have the local papers on the phone, and your inbox will be full of questions from the trade media wanting to know why the closure has happened and what you’ll be doing next. Who in your team has the time, qualifications or experience to handle this level of crisis management?

Perhaps you have a new product. It’s innovative, it’s stylish and it’s going to revolutionise the way we undertake a regular chore. But how do you tell the market about it? How do you encourage retailers to stock it?

Do you have access to media lists that have been honed over years and years of close working relationships with editors? Do you have the tools to move into new markets? Do you know how to contact blogger and vloggers to maximise this ‘new media’? Do you have the time or resource to put together meaningful and hardworking press packs every time you take part in an exhibition? Are you confident that you have an effective crisis management plan in place? Is there someone in your organisation that knows how to build a strategic PR plan, safe in the knowledge that they understand the difference between a product placement and advertorial, or that they know the lead times of each key publication?

I’m going to guess that for many, the answers to the above will be ‘no’. So often PR is perceived as a ‘nice to have’ and not a necessity, yet if asked whether brand awareness is a priority the answer will be ‘yes’. PR is about building brand awareness, that’s exactly the job we are appointed to do. Forget PR fluff, and images of airheads quaffing champagne – trust me, that is not my job. It’s not even close. As a proper PR professional, with many years’ experience, I can categorically say that we are here for one reason – and that’s to help our clients to build positive brand awareness, to communicate with the market in which they operate, to generate buzz and excitement around new products, and to give the brand a proper authoritative voice. Yes, we have to meet and greet on your behalf, there will be events and we sometimes come away with a goody bag. But those opportunities are few and far between, and only ever undertaken on behalf of the clients as we look to build relationships with our editors.

We’re also only good at our job because we’ve been doing this for a long time, plus it’s what we do all day, every day. PR isn’t a part of what we do. It’s the only thing we do. It’s who we are. You wouldn’t cut your own hair, or fix a faulty boiler on your own, so why are you leaving your company’s reputation in the hands of an under qualified team member, or viewing PR as a thing ‘to do later’. That attitude leaves people with wonky fringes, and carbon monoxide poisoning. Dramatic yes, people don’t die from lack of PR, but an analogy that perhaps provides food for thought?

So, when it comes to building your brand’s reputation, why not consider utilising a professional to help. Contrary to popular belief PR is not as expensive as you think, nor does it require a huge investment of your time. A good PR team – such as Hornby Whitefoot PR – will take the time to learn your plans for the year ahead, your business strategy, and help you to understand what you want PR to achieve. Together we can build a PR campaign that provides you with ownership, and also the confidence to see how PR can – and will – build a continuation of a story, hitting your key touchpoints throughout the year, with the ultimate aim of helping to develop and advance your brand awareness, whether that’s within the garden retail sector, further afield, or amongst consumers.

Don’t believe us – why not give us a call to find out more. No obligation. But give PR a chance. Your business’ reputation deserves it.

Ends

Editors notes

Comprising a uniquely collaborative network of senior PR professionals based at offices around England, Hornby Whitefoot PR has helped a wide range of companies and brands to communicate their news, build business and reposition their reputations since 2015. From strategy to tactics, project management to copy-writing, Hornby Whitefoot PR offers flexible, proactive public relations expertise, founded on real business and marcomms understanding. And our ‘open book’, annual budget or project-based approach – with no murky retainers to hide behind – means you can trust us to make your money go further. Specialisms include the garden, home and lifestyle sector, and the automotive aftermarket industry.