Why outsource PR? The missing piece to your marketing puzzle

Behind every great company is a great PR pro.

Okay, we may have altered that old saying a bit, but it still holds true; a company’s public relations team can help the world learn about the amazing work its doing. Would the company still be great without PR? You bet. But how would its audience ever know and, in turn, would it profit and grow without it?

As you can see, PR and marketing work hand-in-hand to help achieve a company’s goals. Marketing teams can come in many shapes and sizes – some are a one-man show, some are small and in-house, some are big and outsourced, and some teams are a combination. Regardless of a company’s current marketing team – or lack thereof – outsourcing PR expertise can strengthen your current marketing efforts and bring enormous benefits to your business.

So why outsource the PR function? Here are a few reasons why bringing it in-house won’t reap you the same caliber of benefits:

It’s who you know

When a company outsources a public relations agency with experience in its industry, it gains all of the hard-earned connections and relationships that the agency has built over years with reporters, analysts and other influencers in the community. This is a huge advantage when a company is trying to secure media coverage and increase brand awareness, as many reporters give special attention to the pitches and releases they receive from recognized contacts who they know will always bring them a worthwhile story idea.

Aside from their networks, PR agencies can also help target reporters that not only cover an industry, but that are currently writing about trending topics that pertain to your business –

allowing a company to position itself as a thought-leader to a wider audience. Outsourcing PR means that you’ll have access to all the top industry publications, reporters, analysts and influencers without doing the time-consuming research and relationship-building.

Creativity – and efficiency –  in numbers

Regardless of the size of a company’s marketing team, outsourced PR can be an advantage. If a team is small or nonexistent, outsourced agencies can help fill the gaps where extra manpower is needed, and can speed up project completion while meeting deadlines. If a team is large, an agency can still bring countless benefits. This added expertise to an internal team brings more diverse, creative and insightful ideas that may not have been explored, and can help break up the groupthink pattern that sometimes develop within internal teams. They also bring extensive knowledge of industry trends, new PR/marketing tactics and tools, and thoughts based on what their other clients are doing.

And sometimes, the best ideas come from someone who is not submerged in the topic every day. You know how it’s important to have someone else proof read an important memo before sending it off – despite the fact you’ve proofed it 20 times for errors? The same can go for creating a successful marketing campaign. A fresh pair of eyes – or brain – can do wonders.

A team of pros

There are many facets of PR and marketing. There’s social media management, content writing, media relations, web development, data/analytics reporting – and that doesn’t even scratch the surface of it all. Trying to hire a professional in each space internally will be extremely difficult – and expensive – or you’ll settle for a few generalists who can do everything 80 percent well. Sometimes, that’s fine: 80 percent might be enough in certain areas. Other times, you want a professional who knows the ins and outs of one focus area, and can really elevate your game accordingly. When you partner with an agency, you can trust that they have a pro in each space – saving the time, effort and money to find them internally. Outsourcing PR is like granting your current marketing team or company instant access to the best in each area.

Whether your company hasn’t yet developed its own marketing team, or its well on its way to marketing gold, outsourcing a PR agency that specializes in your industry can bring countless benefits. Between the added relationships, creative ideas and expertise, you’ll be adding a team of people who care about your company’s success as much as you do to the mix – and the possibilities will be endless.

Learn more about how Corporate Ink can assist your PR and marketing efforts today.