If you found this blog by searching “public relations firms in Virginia,” there’s a good chance you or your organization need PR help. Don’t worry, you’re in the right place for a short insightful read, so stick around.
In today’s fast-paced world and 24-hour news cycle, many companies feel like they are getting left in the public relations dust by their competition. Even those companies that have internal marketing and PR staff sometimes can’t handle the load required in their day-to-day activities.
With this in mind and more than a decade of experience collaborating with for-profit and non-profit clients, here are five red flags that signal a company may need help with their communications to achieve their overall business goals, strategies and objectives.
1. Crisis keeping you up at night
Since the beginning of 2019, our agency has had more calls about crisis communications support than the last two years combined. Something is in the water, and while it could be paranoia, it’s smart to prioritize your crisis communications planning so you’re ready if something happens. If you don’t have a crisis plan, it’s time to give us or someone with crisis experience a call. You’ll rest better the first night.
2. Can’t keep up
We have heard from clients that they just can’t keep up. Typically, in these cases, there is not enough PR or marketing staff to meet the daily needs of the organization. The great thing about a PR firm is that we can be an extension of your team, handling either the big things like strategy and planning, or more tactical activities such as writing, data tracking, reporting, etc. There are only so many hours in the day, and outside help can help you check those items off your to-do list.
3. Lack of PR leadership in the C-suite
Most organizations have the brightest and the best experts in their specific field or industry; however, when it comes to the executive level or C-suite, many organizations are missing PR and marketing personnel. The result is often a tactical approach to communications and marketing that doesn’t end up meeting overall business goals or objectives. It takes lots of experience to be able to have a seat at the executive table and influence that team to make strategic PR and marketing decisions. That’s where an outside agency like ours can be of assistance.
4. You’re not into pitching the media
Let’s face it, not everyone can grind through a media list. It’s difficult to make 30 phone calls to pitch reporters and send 30 emails, then follow up with them a few days later to see if they want to do a story. If you want to get a story placed, you often have to be very persistent and follow up multiple times. Agencies like ours are trained in media relations and have the results to show we know how to do it the right way. We also have the relationships with reporters – not only in Virginia, but nationwide – which can lead to a level of trust that is appreciated by the media. The result is a better acceptance of the stories we are pitching.
5. Content doesn’t grow on trees![]()
Most companies today are thinking about how to keep the content river flowing – whether it’s social media posts, blogs, newsletter articles, press materials, native or sponsored content, or general letter writing. If you don’t have the time or resources in-house to produce enough content to stay competitive, it might be time to reach outside of your organization. As former journalists, we thrive on writing and producing good, solid content for multiple mediums. Our approach is to put our journalism hats on and ask good questions, then produce the content with a strategic PR focus and outcome in mind.
Have you noticed any of these red flags at your company? Or, have you found others that aren’t included and wonder if there’s help available? We’re just an email or phone call away if you need us.
Interested in checking out more of our expertise? Need PR help in other areas of your business? Check out the rest of our blogs by clicking here!
