by Joanna L. Krotz
abstracts by Hugh Fisher

Microsoft business expert Joanna Krotz discusses ways to use public relations firms to your advantage.  “Used strategically, PR agencies can do a lot more [...] for small businesses that lack profile and reach,” Krotz writes.  
  

She discusses ways to begin a relationship with a PR firm and to cultivate the press you’ll need to evangelize your business.  Finding the right agency to represent you is a must; Krotz advises research to find a firm with the right scope and ability to assist you, while avoiding falling for an agency’s glitzy image alone.  Once you’ve found the right agency, she advises starting small with a specific project and realistic goals for the type and amount of publicity you desire.  Instead of immediately retaining a firm for thousands of dollars a month, she suggests setting up a single “evaluation project” for a predetermined fee so that you can measure the effect that managed PR will have on your business.  It’s also important to find a firm which can help you plan realistically for the future of your business:  don’t expect national coverage and A-list recognition overnight, but keep a positive perspective on where you want your business to go and how the PR firm you choose can make that success a reality

http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/marketing/advertising_branding/get_results_from_a_pr_firm_5_tips.mspx