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'I Don't Think I Need PR' A business cannot grow and survive until you can get your brand in front of the right people.

By Juhee Bagri

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

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The current business environment is going through a surge of changes as organizations both big and small are now going global while retaining a "local' flavor of business. In this highly competitive environment, Indian startups and MSMEs have been exposed to a plethora of opportunities as well as challenges they face because of the lack of structural reforms to tap the opportunities and evolve into globally competitive and robust powerhouses of the Indian economy.

The fact that India probably has the most heterogeneous audience in the world makes it imperative for businesses to stand out and be noticed by their target audience.

Why successful business is going to die?

The biggest mistake a company makes is when they get comfortable with the smooth flow of steady income and assume and ignore rest of the factors like importance of marketing and positioning of the brand.

A business cannot grow and survive until you can get your brand in front of the right people. For many entrepreneurs and mid-size companies, PR and Image building is usually irrelevant. And this is a major drawback since we live in a globalized world where we are increasingly exposed to competition who are eager to steal the market.

The power of word of mouth - Is not that powerful!

Word-of-mouth is important and is crucial to most businesses. But solely and completely being dependent on it will hinder the growth of the business as outreach to potential customers will be restricted. How will they know you exist?

Moreover, word of mouth is not sufficient to amplify the scale and extent of reach. Advocates of your brand will not have the time to consistently spread the word or will eventually switch to another brand. Therefore it is vital to communicate who you are, what you do and why they should patronize your business. Again choosing the right platform is imperative to successful outreach and conversion of potential customers and a right PR partner can devise an effective program which will build awareness and create visibility for your company.

A two-way communication is a key:

Whether you like it or not or whether you are a part of it or not... Social PR is changing the way businesses are being done today. The conversations are happening. This creates hundreds of opportunities to talk to your customers and to address what they're sharing with their friends. An intelligent Communication's special or a PR partner will be instrumental in formulating a plan on how your company can leverage these opportunities and use it for the benefit of your business.

Understanding every nuance matters - Stagnancy kills

If your profits have been a constant year on year without much fluctuation, then you need to seriously contemplate on what is going wrong and why your business is not growing? Understanding that change is the only constant to evolution. There are hundreds of case studies on how a small change to the call-to-action has prompted consumers from just browsing through to buying kind of an experience. This behavior is directly proportional to how effectively you communicate with your target audience.

Final Words...

It is not by chance or accident that almost all startups and large organizations are hiring PR or Image building consultant / agencies. Right communication not only helps in reaching out to the right set of audience but, at the same time, helps in sustaining and creating brand awareness that generates right visibility for the company. Public Relations/ Image building is that instrument which manages the appropriate flow of information between organizations and individuals to preserve and this evolves the company's brand perception.

PR Is not a matter of choice but a matter of time. If you think you still don't need PR. It's time to rethink and ask the question Why not!

Juhee Bagri

Co-founder, Oni360

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