An interrogative or relative adverb and a very suitable English question; Why. This is probably one of the first questions someone asks as a toddler and a recurring question that one will undoubtedly hear for the rest of their life. As one grows older, the importance of asking "why" grows by leaps and bounds, especially when running your own business. "Why" is the backbone of every major decision made. Keeping on track with "why", one question I often hear in passing from prominent business owners and entrepreneurs, "Why should I hire a PR agency?"

In today’s around the clock, media driven society, every corporation, business, celebrity, etc. should have some sort of PR team or agency working on their behalf to control their message, and break through the clutter and noise surrounding them. While many consider hiring a PR agency a non essential, many do not understand and/or appreciate the true, underlying value of why they should hire one.

Simple ROI - The simple return on investment of hiring a PR agency is unmatched and can’t be ignored, especially in a down economy. Everyone wants to feel like they are getting the best bang for their buck and almost getting some sort of deal in a way. Overall, Public Relations is one of the most affordable forms of marketing currently available. Some of the most effective and profitable PR campaigns are under $100K annually (something that simply CAN’T happen in the advertising industry).

Opening the Gate to Key Decision Makers - One of the perks or benefits of hiring a PR firm is unlocking the countless relationships and connections they have strategically built in the process. Be it from key editors and producers at top-tier media outlets, to potential investors for a specific client, PR agencies have a broad spectrum of contacts and experience that will make a big difference in building and more importantly, maintaining brand awareness, implementation, and launching an effective targeted media campaign.

Third Party Objectiveness -It may be very obvious and at times overstated, but sometimes you just need to bring in someone from the outside who can take a step back and truly assess the situation. Hiring an agency brings a whole new batch of fresh ideas and different set of ideas to the table, which helps build a given brand that was at first unavailable. In PR, two heads are always better than one.