THE REAR VIEW MIRROR: How to persuade the higher-ups to invest in their Public Relations
“We love your proposals and think you would be a great fit, but the Board is just a bit cautious at the moment. Sorry.”
Economic cycles impact business investment. Of course they do. And at the moment, caution is the attitude in many parts of the world. It’s certainly the case in Europe, where growth is anaemic at best. Perhaps less so in the US, where the economy has defied beginning of the year predictions, and has performed strongly. India and China continue to grow strongly, even if with slightly less vigour than in the past in the case of the latter.
Therefore it is hardly surprising that many companies are hesitant to make that investment in PR right now. It’s a pattern I’ve seen repeated regularly throughout my 30-year career in this industry. And while confidence may be fragile presently, it will return.
So, how do we persuade cautious boards to invest?
If not now, then when?
Is your company’s reputation important? Of course it is. Are you working proactively to protect and enhance this reputation? Well, if you’re not running some form of public relations activity, you are not. You would not leave your company’s finances to chance. That would be reckless. Neither can you afford to neglect your company’s reputation.
Get ahead of the competition
Reputation management programmes take time. This is not a message you necessarily want to hear, and it’s one we in the Public Relations industry don’t tend to talk about much. It’s not a great sales pitch, is it? “Hire us, and we will take some time before delivering great results for you.” But it’s the reality. Everyone in our industry knows this.
If your company is hesitant to invest in PR, then it is not alone. But invest now, ahead of the competition, and you gain the opportunity to dominate the airwaves before they become crowded with your competitors.
It’s harder to sell if few people have heard of you. Phrased more positively, it’s easier to sell if people have heard of you
Familiarity breeds favourability. A significant part of many PR campaigns focuses on persuading third parties to say or write positive things about you. You’re bound to say you're great. Reading other people saying you’re great provides you with an incalculable sales advantage.
Entry level PR campaigns are affordable
It’s not even that expensive. In most cases a spend of around 5000 euros per month will buy you a great PR campaign led by outstanding, experienced consultants.
Everyone has a story to tell
The same is true of a company. Who is going to articulate the story? Most often, but not always, it will be the founder or leader. We will help them shape and tell that story. Sometimes great founders are nervous communicators.
I remember working with the top man at a huge Anglo Dutch IT services firm around 20 years ago. I helped him to develop a story which attracted national TV interest. But when it came to the interview, he tried to cancel it two hours in advance. It was quite simply a case of stagefright (Lampenfieber in Deutsch. Ein wunderbares deutsches Wort). The interview went ahead. He was excellent and this turned out to be the first of many media appearances. But, dare I say it, without my support, he’d have made none of them.
The internal battle to fund an ongoing PR programme is not a new one. But it becomes harder in times of economic uncertainty. Use these techniques I’ve deployed successfully over the years, and you can look forward to enhancing your company’s reputation through 2024 and beyond.