This article was published in the April 4, 2003 issue of the Denver Business Journal
'Freelance consultants'
can do the same job for less
The Denver area has a large pool of experienced public relations professionals offering their services
By Jane Dvorak, APR
What's the difference between a freelancer and a consultant? About $100 an hour.
That's the flip answer. And not necessarily true.
But if you use outside public relations help, there are some differences to consider when you make your hiring decision.
With 95 percent of Colorado's businesses falling into the small category, more and more organizations are seeking outsourced services, especially public relations and marketing communications, to complement their operations.
Gone are the days of high retainers paying only for the thoughts of specialized consultants. Gone are the days of fly-by-night freelancers offering only project assistance.
Born is the "consultalancer" — a new breed of outsourced talent for businesses of all sizes — who can provide strategically focused counsel and complete the project tasks at the same time.
You won't find a consultalancer heading in the Yellow Pages. And you probably won't find it on anyone's business card, either.
Consultalancer is a term I have used for nearly a decade mostly in jest, but to make a point.
The consultalancer is an individual or small PR agency that not only offers counsel to clients but also implements projects as well.
There are many independent public relations practitioners and small public relations firms offering much more than simple project work, including services such as crisis communications management, internal communication counsel, community relations advice and the like.
Businesses need both counsel and implementation assistance. One without the other can reduce a business' ability to maximize its communication efforts and achieve results.
Because of downsizing, many organizations lack the in-house public relations expertise they once had. And many small companies never have had in-house public relations expertise. Consultalancers can be a good answer for both.
One of the most common mistakes is trying to freelance public relations help. It's the write-me-one-news-release-that-turns-into-big-news-and-brings-me-a-steady-stream-of-customers-forever theory of public relations.
It's a hit-or-miss approach and generally doesn't work well.
Public relations is a form of marketing and sales.
You wouldn't ask your sales staff to make one sales pitch, assume that pitch will turn into a sale and then assume that closing that sale means you're set forever.
Likewise, no matter how well done or noteworthy the story, you won't generate news coverage every time you send out a news release or make a pitch to a reporter.
Even if you get great news coverage, you're not done if you want to communicate effectively.
Good public relations, like good marketing, is something you have to do over and over. And it requires strategic thought, aligned with your overall business objectives.
When done right, public relations looks easier than it is. Unless you know how to develop a strategic communications plan, and develop and deliver clear, effective messages that will be heard, understood and convincing to the audiences important to your success, get professional help.
If you think you can freelance it for nickels and dimes, then I have a question for you: Do you just want to get it done? Or do you want to get it done right?
Where will you find good consultalancers? And how will you know if the person you're interviewing is a freelancer, consultant or consultalancer? To find out, ask questions.
A good consultalancer is a strategic thinker and a problem-solver. An individual consultalancer may not be able to do everything you want them to. But they'll know — or be able to figure out — how to get it done for you.
Denver has a rich pool of talented, experienced public relations professionals offering their services as independents and within small agencies. They can bring together teams of professionals to meet the needs of different clients — a "virtual" PR agency, if you will — without the fixed overhead of office space and staff with direct access to senior level counsel.
Consultalancers look beyond the tactical aspect, moving beyond the mechanical production of a project while measuring how one piece fits a business strategy and what components best meet the stated program objective.
This is how the consultalancer has evolved as businesses look to get greater value and input for their outsourcing dollars. This takes some research, an understanding of the process and the available tools.
A pure public relations freelancer often does not assess the global view and a pure public relations counselor rarely implements suggested tactics.
A public relations consultant/tactician who is an integral part of the business team can assist any organization in reaching its internal and external communications goals.
Budgets can be maintained while projects retain consistency. There is no added staff and no added overhead.
In the end, businesses should be looking to their outsource team for answers that impact the overall organization, not just a specific project.
A consultalancer brings an unmatched level of public relations professionalism at a time when businesses may be struggling to maintain operations, improve services and broaden markets.
This marriage of counsel and implementation can provide communications consistency in target markets, innovative approaches and long-term return on investment that results in a positive impact.