The Competitive Advantage of Small PR Agencies

Many companies seek out larger, better-known PR agencies because of their size, access to resources, and familiarity, among other reasons. However, many businesses underestimate the benefits of working with smaller PR agencies. With their intimate attention to detail and unparalleled access to high-level employees, it’s not surprising that working with a small boutique firm may offer the best services for your company.

However, this is a rookie mistake for a company seeking a PR Firm. Let’s outline a few benefits you could expect from working with a small PR agency.

Agility is Key

Startups and small businesses have the ability to quickly accommodate, scale, and adapt to client’s needs. This is a huge competitive advantage for boutique PR agencies. Larger companies take much longer to coordinate and finalize changes in strategy and implement new ideas. This is often necessary because each member has to get lines of approval before decisions can be made.

With a boutique agency, you can look forward to more agile benefits, including:

More responsive to requests, providing a high return
Less waste during development
Higher value of the project to the client
Increased visibility into the progression of projects

Access to Senior Level Employees

Even more appealing is the fact that you can likely rely on having the same team with the same principal through the duration of your project. Larger firms often have multiple account managers that may come and go. However, with a Small PR agency, you can benefit by having your very own in-house marketing team. When working with large PR agencies, you’re most likely going to be speaking and coordinating with assistants and other employees who will relay information to other senior-level employees. With a smaller agency, you can rely more closely on quality conversations with principal employees.

Industry or Market Niche

Small PR agencies typically provide specialized expertise in certain industries such as Fashion, Beauty, Lifestyle, Entertainment, and more. This is important for those who need to target these specific consumers and successfully amplify their brand. While larger agencies are able to carry out similar campaigns, they are also catering to the needs of many different clients in many different industries. This can leave their resources spreading thin.

Small agencies that stick to fewer industries will have more specific contacts and relationships that will boost your industry campaign. Before you decide which agency to choose, you should review their previous work and their past clients. For example, if you’re in the Beauty industry, you can review their previous beauty campaigns and determine their success based on a company’s case studies. Alternatively, if you’re in fashion, you can find a small PR agency that has a strong history of fashion campaigns that has benefitted their previous clients.

Sometimes Less is More

While larger agencies might have hundreds of employees, that doesn’t mean you’ll benefit from all of them. Realistically, you’ll likely have the same number of people assigned to your project that you would at a smaller boutique. However, a smaller agency will often be able to provide more detailed support. Even if they don’t have someone in-house to handle part of your project, small PR agencies often have strong relationships with third-party teams who can provide targeted talent for the success of your project. This flexibility in the structure of in-house employees, remote workers and virtual staffing can even lower costs while providing you with the best support – regardless of where they’re located.

Sharp Attention to Detail

Small PR agencies have the ability to focus more time on their clients, resulting in increased efficiency and scale. With the capacity to review and optimize workflows, boutique agencies can provide a smoother PR process. From strong communication to weekly reports, small PR can invest in relationships with their clients. Flexible models of service like this will support well-executed campaigns that are affordable and impactful.

Implement Unique Marketing Strategies

Depending on the goal of your PR and marketing campaigns, sometimes smaller boutiques are able to create PR strategies that are more unique, daring, and beneficial compared to larger PR agencies who are more likely to stick to safe and predictable marketing efforts. Small agencies are committed to your success since it more profoundly reflects the success of their company as well. That means they’re more likely to provide specialized services for whatever niche you are targeting, whether it be influencer marketing, content strategy, affiliate marketing, industry-specific campaigns or specific audiences.

Whether you’re in New York or LA, it’s impossible to objectively say which type of agency may be the best option for your company; however, it’s undeniable that small PR agencies have the flexibility, resources, and strategies that can save you time and money while producing the best results.

Want to learn more about what we do? Curious about working with us? Have any burning questions you simply need to ask? Get in touch with us and we will get back with you as soon as we can.