largest chunk of most marketing budgets. Yet public relations is one of the best tools you have at your disposal to dramatically grow your business. A well-designed advertisement will attract a lot of attention to your product. But an article about your product in a prestigious newspaper or a showcasing of your service on a major television show, for example, could generate huge returns. Plus, the cost outlay will be minimal in comparWHY NOT BUDGET FOR PR ison to the costs associated with By Nelson Hudes, (THE PR MA- any-sized advertising campaign. GICIAN”) Hudes Communications Interna- Two Horses Of Very Different Colours tional Let’s talk for a moment, you and I, about advertising versus public relations. Specifically, I want to ask if you currently allocate space in your annual budget for public relations, or do you have funds put aside only for advertising? Chances are you are no different from most other small and medium-sized business professionals and have not yet recognized the power of public relations. You are probably relying on advertising alone to get your message out to potential clients and buyers. That’s why advertising tends to seize the
Before we can delve into what public relations can do to help your bottom line we have to look at what it is, and why it’s very different from advertising. When you hire an advertising agency you expect the creative staff will put together a campaign that will bring heightened awareness to your product or service. Advertisements are created, media space is purchased and then everyone sits back and waits for the ads to perform their magic. When you hire a public relations person your goal is still to communicate with the public, but to communicate in a very different