Public Relations - a vital tool to beat the recession

In tough economic times, it is tempting for businesses to cut back on the things they believe are dispensable - like training, advertising and public relations.
This is a big mistake. During recessions, businesses in Scotland and throughout the UK need PR and advertising more, not less. Too often, with revenue declining businesses can slip into panic mode, paralysed by fear like the proverbial rabbit in the headlights. If your business is thinking this way, chances are, so are your competitors.
With your rivals distracted and their confidence shot to bits, now is the perfect time to move in and steal a bigger share of the market. By hiring a public relations specialist, you can start to dominate media space by spelling out why you are doing so well, thus stealing a significant march on the competition.
Think of the message it sends out. Your business appears like a confident player in the marketplace so you stand out from the crowd - and confident businesses attract customers. Remember the story of Kellogg's? During the Great Depression of the 1930's when his rivals were slashing back their advertising spend, the visionary WK Kellogg doubled his advertising budget. As a result, by the time the good times had returned, Kellogg's totally dominated the market, as they still do today.
The phenomenal growth of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace where millions of consumers are talking about brands in real time means businesses simply cannot afford the option of not having a PR strategy to keep abreast of these conversations and trying to shape the discussions.
Finally, the conditions for raising the profile of successful businesses are good right now, because the media is desperate for good news stories amid all the doom and gloom.
At Breen Media, we recognise that many businesses are struggling and counting every penny, but now is also a time of great opportunity for those companies that are innovative and forward-thinking. These are the types of businesses that need to have a well thought-out PR strategy offered at a competitive price.
For that reason, Breen Media will soon be unveiling a cost-effective public relations offer that can get them started.
Stay tuned for more details.