Public relations is not viewed by all as a critical part of operating a business. In fact it’s viewed by many businesses as something that’s not needed until the going truly gets rough. Once that happens, companies will call-in crisis communications specialists that in some cases can cost companies an arm and a leg. But why do so many companies feel the need to hire some of the biggest firms in size, when there are boutique firms that run efficiently like Josh Nass PR that’s work clearly rivals any work-product produced and generated by the major agencies.
It’s been a question lingering in the public relations, advertising and marketing industries for some time. Boutique firms like Josh Nass PR provide careful attention to detail; and because of their lean operations, they are able to devote a level of attention and dedication to their clients’ work that most of the behemoths simply cannot afford to.
This is an advantage that a number of very effective boutique PR firms offer, even besides that of Josh Nass PR and other well-known NYC based firms. The reality is that some customers in the PR space are looking to hire a well-known name. It’s no different than the difference between hiring an enormous law firm that’s employing 500 people at any given time, as opposed to hiring a boutique firm that’s got six or seven incredibly skilled attorneys that are going to work their hearts out for their clients.
The difference can be dramatic in terms of the value and quality of the work-product that’s produced. But whether one is going to hire a big public relations firm or a boutique one, the nonnegotiable reality is that the value of having a prepared communications strategy for any business no matter its size, is unparalleled. It is critical to the survival of any business for there to be a proper communications plan in place, in the event a crisis were to ever emerge.
We’ve seen it with the COVID-19 crisis, where companies that had already invested in public relations in a proactive fashion previously, did not succumb to the crisis in an adversely economic fashion the same way that companies that had absolutely no PR bandwidth, unfortunately did. The reason is simple.
Being ill-prepared can be a devastating blow to any sized business when it comes to navigating the waters of a crisis. Especially one of such substantial proportions like that of the Coronavirus. How are your staff members supposed to be kept abreast about the way you intend on managing it? There are countless variables that need to be made clear to your staff. And of course, you also have your customer base as an audience that you need to demonstrate both loyalty and commitment to.
Times of crisis do not give businesses a pass in terms of their need to keep an aura of stability for their employees; and to also ensure that their consumers are aware of the changes that the crisis may have brought in terms of the way they manage their business. There is no excuse to not have a proper public relations program in place in order to be reactive. Every business should employ a nimble strategic communications approach in times of crisis. But unfortunately, the difference between the professionally run businesses and those that weren’t can be seen based on whether they were in a position to manage this proactively or reactively. Those companies that were best prepared came out of this crisis less scathed than the others.
