Why Hire a PR Agency Right Now (& How To Get C-Suite Buy-In)

Believe it or not, hiring a public relations (PR) agency is a cost-effective way to increase brand awareness, boost brand reputation, and so much more. Read on to learn why right now is the time to hire a PR agency and get tips on how to get C-suite buy-in so you can take immediate action.

15 Reasons Why You Need to Hire a PR Agency Right Away

In today’s dynamic digital world, the decision to enlist the services of a PR agency is not just a choice; it is a strategic imperative. Elevating your brand’s market presence in a sea of sameness requires next-level storytelling expertise and extensive connections. A savvy PR approach can be the catalyst for transformative success, earning long-term dividends in increased recognition and enhanced reputation.

Here are 15 reasons why you need to embrace the expertise and connections of an experienced PR agency sooner rather than later:

1. Boost your brand’s visibility and recognition

According to the latest 6sense Buyer Experience Report, 84% of deals are won or lost before B2B brands even know about them. This makes increasing brand visibility and recognition more important than ever right now.

Partner with a PR agency to propel your brand into the spotlight, ensuring it gets seen and remembered in a crowded marketplace.

2. Sharpen your brand’s messaging

Craft a powerful narrative that resonates with your target audience, forging meaningful connections that transcend the ordinary.

3. Elevate your brand’s reputation

Enhance and reinforce your brand’s reputation through communication initiatives that build trust and credibility.

4. Forge strategic media relationships

Maintain strong connections with influential media outlets, securing valuable coverage that takes your brand to new heights.

Related Read – The New Definition of “Top-Tier” Media

5. Demonstrate thought leadership

Establish your leadership and expertise in your industry, positioning yourself as a go-to authority for insights and innovation.

6. Curate your digital presence

Leverage digital platforms to create a compelling online presence, enabling company executives and in-house subject-matter experts to shine as authentic brand beacons.

7. Safeguard your brand with crisis management

Shield your brand from potential crises and navigate through challenges with a proactive and well-prepared PR and social media crisis communication strategy.

8. Amplify events and event attendance

Maximize the impact of PR for events with orchestrated strategies that extend their reach and influence.

9. Engage your employees

Foster a positive internal culture by communicating company successes and values, empowering employees to become brand ambassadors.

10. Target campaigns with laser-like precision

Create tailored campaigns that resonate with specific demographics, ensuring your message reaches the right audience with the right content at the right place and right time.

11. Gain a competitive edge

Acquire a competitive advantage by differentiating your brand in a way that captivates your audience and outclasses the competition.

12. Strengthen investor relations

Fortify relationships with stakeholders, investors, and funders through transparent and effective communication.

13. Showcase social impact

Share your brand’s commitment to social responsibility in ways that resonate with socially conscious audiences and enhance your environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy.

14. Embrace agility

Navigate industry changes and trends in real time, ensuring your brand remains relevant and ahead of the curve.

15. Accelerate growth

Witness a tangible return on investment (ROI) as your PR initiatives translate into greater brand awareness, customer loyalty, and company growth.

What Does a PR Agency Do, Exactly?

The best PR agencies are architects of perception, working with your team to craft narratives that resonate across earned media. PR agencies are not just storytellers; they are orchestrators of influence, shaping brands’ reputations through editorial coverage.

Watch the Short Video Below – PAN VP Ashley Wallace Jones and CivicPlus^® CMO Emily Harnish discuss the value of having an agency partner who works with your team.

While both PR and advertising share the common goal of enhancing brands’ images, the paths they tread are vastly distinct. Advertisements, bought and paid for, often face skepticism. On the contrary, earned media enjoys the credibility of third-party validation, making articles or appearances in reputable outlets more favorably received.

The Public Relations Society of America defines PR as a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. Whether supporting brand-building via thought leadership, PR influencer or media relations, speech writing for public speaking, or super-charging social media campaigns for greater audience reach and engagement, PR agencies keep brands front-and-center in the conversations that matter.

Brands often turn to PR agency services when safeguarding, enhancing, or building their reputations becomes essential. A proficient agency delves deep into organizational dynamics, extracting positive messages and translating them into compelling narratives. In times of adversity or crisis, a PR agency carefully formulates responses to mitigate damage and preserve brand integrity.

In a media landscape evolving by the day, where few stories make the front page of the New York Times, a skilled PR agency propels brands into the spotlight through a myriad of respected editorial platforms. PR, as an investment in brand and visibility, can help secure share of voice, igniting an influx of leads, sales, and revenue for greater profitability.

Related Read – The Role of Earned Media in Lead Generation

How To Convince Your C-Suite You Need To Hire a PR Agency Fast

It is vital to emphasize strategic alignment, data-driven measurement, and cost-effectiveness or ROI when seeking C-suite buy-in to hire a PR agency. Here are some tips to help you do just that:

Tip #1. Show how PR moves the needle when strategically aligned with key business goals

Identify tangible business objectives to which PR efforts can be tied directly. Often key business goals, such as increasing sales, attracting investors or launching new products, provide measurable outcomes to influence.

Feel free to cite the following example to convey the value of PR, while prioritizing clarity, brevity, and relevance in your pitch to acquire C-suite buy-in:

Searching for a new and more compatible agency partner, ThreatX partnered with PAN with goals to increase brand visibility, strengthen thought leadership, capitalize on trending news topics, build awareness in priority verticals, formalize a robust research arm, and amplify product and innovation storylines. Read the full story.

Tip #2. Illustrate how a data-driven PR approach drives better, more informed decision-making

Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics culled from media placements, monitoring activities, sentiment analyses, and stakeholder surveys, a data-driven PR approach can provide performative benchmarks for your brand as well as reveal strategic market opportunities.

For example, the recent PAN HealthPulse Report — in which a full year’s worth of data on the top conversations taking place in the B2B health information technology (HIT), life sciences, and digital health spaces is analyzed — indicates a strategic market opportunity in 2024 for brands to leverage more actionable insights to demonstrate how their solutions accelerate key tenets of healthcare, such as achieving greater health equity, care efficiency, and better outcomes.

Brands that heed this type of data-driven advice can make better, more informed decisions that drive bottom-line business results.

Related Read – PR Measurement Using the 3 O’s

Tip #3. Discuss the potential ROI from a PR agency relationship to illustrate cost-effectiveness

Comprehensive PR measurement requires brands to:

Define key performance indicators (KPIs) for each PR initiative.
Implement attribution models to trace PR’s impact across the customer journey.
Recognize the cumulative effect of PR efforts on overall ROI.

That last point is the most difficult. Short-term PR gains often appear as increased website traffic, conversion rates and sales. However, long-term gains from greater exposure and enhanced industry credibility can be tougher to correlate.

A quote pulled from the text to emphasize the importance of hiring a PR agency capable of integrating brand and lead acquisition efforts. It reads, "Research by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) shows that running brand and acquisition efforts together is six times more effective than running acquisition campaigns alone."

That’s why, in terms of forecasting, PR ROI cannot be reduced to a simple equation. Instead, the focus should be on maximizing PR ROI potential with a multichannel brand-to-demand approach.

“Brand to demand” is an integrated PR and marketing strategy that focuses on building brand awareness and recognition, and then using those efforts to generate leads and demand for products or services. Research by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) shows that running brand and acquisition efforts together is six times more effective than running acquisition campaigns alone. By integrating awareness and recognition with lead and demand generation tactics, brands can cohesively address the entire buyer journey.

How To Hire a PR Agency Immediately

In the realm of B2B enterprises, the decision to partner with a PR agency is not just about staying relevant — it is about thriving, evolving, and leaving an indelible mark on your industry. Embrace the transformative power of strategic communication and watch your company ascend to unprecedented heights of success with help from PAN, the brand-to-demand PR agency that empowers possibility.