Increase your ROI.
The bottom line is different for different types of companies. For an online cookie company, fashion apparel line or beauty brand the ROI might be straight up sales. But sales is not the only measurement of ROI, it can be traffic to your website, more engagement in social media, referral business, or even speaking engagements for senior staff. And be wary of one-hit wonders in public relations. Getting a client on the TODAY Show is a huge win, often lightening in a bottle, and it can increase sales exponentially overnight. But this is not even 15 minutes of fame. ROI happens over time and is cumulative in that marathon you are running.
Often a company will convince itself that since sales are up, there is no need to hire a PR firm. Name one major brand that doesn’t have a PR firm or dedicated public relations person in-house. There isn’t one. There are a few reasons for this. First, large companies understand that things can go bad and they need to be prepared to react to negative media, which will ultimately affect sales and trust in the brand. Conversely, when interesting or powerful news surfaces that is relevant to what they do, they know that they need to be part of that conversation. Finally, if you remove the PR from the equation you are no longer relevant, you are not building brand recognition, and you are certainly not standing up against your competitors.