I’ll never forget the best piece of advice I received from Angela Jia Kim, owner of Om Aroma Spa and Savor the Success, when I asked the question, “Should I hire a PR firm?” Angela shared that at times she had multiple PR agencies working for her, and that PR was an essential part of her business strategy for growth; she advised that I carefully consider the choice to hire a PR firm myself. First and foremost she explained that a good agency is expensive – you really get what you pay for in this market place. Next, she recommended that I take the time to learn what it is that a PR firm really does – truth be told, I had an idea about public relations, but definitely needed to learn more. And, last but not least she reminded me that public relations is part of a business and marketing strategy – it’s not the strategy. I am so grateful to Angela and Savor the Success for creating a forum where women can share information.
Following Angela’s advice, I decided learn as much as I could about public relations – what PR firms do and whether or not it made sense for me to consider it for my business. I turned to my friend, Jennefer Witter, the founder and chief executive officer of The Boreland Group, a boutique public relations firm, and the author of “The Little Book of Big PR: 100 Quick Ways to Grow Your Small Business.” Here are some of the insights that she shared with me: The first thing Jennefer emphasized is proper positioning and branding. She gave me gentle suggestions on how I could streamline my blog content and social media platforms. Jennefer also suggested that I redo my website to reflect my revised positioning. I implemented Jennefer’s suggestions one by one; it took time, but now my branding and messaging are consistent. Consistent branding puts us in a better position to properly utilize public relations as a business strategy.
Thanks to Jennefer, and The Boreland Group, I have received a number of media placement spress including Market Watch Radio), Legacy Leaders Radio, Business RadioX, Business News Daily and Madamenoire.com. I have also become a recognized speaker for numerous organizations on government contracting, procurement, and MWBE certification. What public relations has done for my firm is that it has heightened our business profile and increased the “know, like and trust” factor with corporate clients and government agencies, both of which are primary client categories for me. I have found that when you are looking to take your business to the next level, there is an expectation of a strong a media presence to enhance credibility. It’s one thing to say you are great, it’s quite another when you get that recognition from a third-party source – it substantially increases your credibility. It also helps to define and differentiate you from your competition, critical elements when pitching for business with private and government contractors.
So to answer the question – can hiring a PR firm impact MWBE Success? The answer really depends on where you are in your business, what type of clients you are looking to attract and your commitment to marketing. For me, the addition of a PR function in my business has had an immediate impact and we’ll be investing more in this area in 2015.
I should also mention that Jennefer Witter has graciously offered to partner with us to create a webinar series outlining her tips and strategies for public relations. This webinar series will be released in the fall, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter of have not already done so to receive notification.
