Of course, we are talking about the size of a PR firm in relation to the needs of your company.
Recently, we read an article by Jason Sherman in Bulldog Reporter about the merits of a small, boutique PR firm as compared to the advantages of a large PR firm. As the owner of a boutique firm, he made salient points about why size matters, and in most cases, he found that smaller is better.
We agree with him, because, well … public relations firm Durée & Company is a boutique firm too, and we have witnessed firsthand the results both types of firms can deliver. Sherman makes the argument that if your company is large with many communications needs (external relations, social media, internal communications and more, across several geographic regions), then big may be the way to go.
But if your company desires expert consultation, in-depth knowledge of a particular industry or area and targeted, personal attention, then small is good. Very good.
Rather than re-state the article, we’ll make a few of our own points to support his:
- As a boutique firm, Durée & Company is nimble. A shift in strategy or planning does not demand several conference calls or meetings to get the whole team on board. Cascading emails and follow-up memos are not a regular part of the day when you have a set team of dedicated professionals always assigned to your account.
- As a boutique firm, you get to meet us – all of us – and the senior team member has her name on the door, which all but guarantees that Durée of Durée & Company will be involved.
- As a boutique firm, we work with clients who play to our strengths. Larger PR firms may be broad and comprehensive, but we have a roster of clients who we sought out or who sought us out because we knew we could help each other.
Sometimes, big is good. But we believe most of the time, small trumps large. Durée & Company tries to provide PR services on a personal level, and we succeed because we think one-on-one is simply a better way to do business.