May is Small Business Month, a time to recognize the vital role small businesses play in our nation’s economy. When it comes to choosing a PR firm, there are plenty of reasons to shop small.
Why should you choose a boutique PR firm? I asked my team and here’s what we came up with:
- People who start new PR firms often have bigger agency chops. When I worked for Havas, I was essentially running an agency inside an agency, working on notable brands, including United Airlines, Sony Electronics, Tommy Hilfiger, Consumer Reports, et al. Small firms don’t just work for small businesses!
- Independent PR firms are free to bring any idea to the table. RoseComm started 20+ years ago as a traditional PR firm, but today we’re doing so much more: paid and organic social content, email campaigns, website copy, sponsored content campaigns, etc. We never think twice about whether we’re staying in our lane or stepping on a sister firm’s toes.
- You are less likely to be pushed off onto a junior-level team member. I can’t believe this still happens, but clients tell us it does. With a boutique firm, the people who pitch your business are usually the same ones who work on it … or at least they stay involved.
- Client satisfaction is the team’s priority. There is no holding company, private equity firm or other investors to answer to. The firm’s livelihood depends on winning and retaining new business and it shows in how they service your account.
- Smaller firms offer greater value and flexible pricing. As noted, you’re often engaging with professionals who have bigger agency/bigger brand experience, but the firm charges lower hourly rates (see above about ownership and investors + lower overhead). They may also be more willing to work on short-term projects and sign contracts with more reasonable termination clauses.
- Your agency will feel like an extension of your team. Smaller firms go “all-in” on their clients given how critical retention is to their sustainability. This leads to strong bonds and long-term, rewarding partnerships. Our clients often ask us for referrals for other professional services, saying, “We want to find the RoseComm of [insert service type here].”
- You are helping our nation’s best job creators create more jobs. Small businesses created 17.3 million net new jobs between 1995 and 2021, accounting for 62.7% of net new jobs created since 1995, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- You’re supporting a business owner who gives back to their local community. RoseComm makes donations and provides discounted services to national and global nonprofits, but we also focus on organizations close to our home in New Jersey, including The Maplewood Foundation and the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race.
- We have heart. Only 35% of small businesses last more than 10 years. If you find a PR firm that’s been around for more than a decade, you know they are hard-working, tenacious and resilient. These traits are not optional for success in public relations and it shows in the results we generate for our clients!
- We’re fun. There are a lot of great, capable PR firms out there. We think chemistry is an important factor in choosing the best firm. One of our clients said, “We chose you because when we think about who we want to sit around the table with when we’re brainstorming ideas and solving problems, it was RoseComm.”
Happy Small Business Month! As a woman-owned small business, RoseComm is grateful for the support of our partners and clients.
We’d love to hear why you chose a boutique PR firm.