The fees or costs of service are undoubtedly one of the major aspects that you need to care about while hiring a PR marketing agency in China. There is generally a lot of flexibility in the budget or cost arrangements in the PR business. This is due to the reason that the needs of each client are different and PR companies have to adapt to the requirements of their customers. Given the fact that these agencies are consultants, they bill in a manner similar to any consultancy firm such as a CPA firm, law firm or an architectural firm. PR agencies usually charge in any of the following 3 ways.
Hourly Basis
Many agencies have an hourly rate and this is generally based on the type of company that you are working with. You will be billed for all the hours that the work is done on a given month. The hourly billing arrangement is quite similar to the way that a law firm tends to charge its clients. It is to be noted that law firms generally bill at 6-minute increments and each email, meeting and call is taken into account.
Monthly Basis
This is undoubtedly the most common method of billing given the fact that the majority of PR campaigns are ongoing and there are no starts or stops. Once the PR marketing agency in China is able to understand your objectives, goals and expectations, you will be charged a monthly fee according to the time that it will be required to be given to you as a client. There will be always a cap on the total number of hours to be covered by the monthly fee. In case more hours are required, some agencies will ask for your permission to work for more hours.
Project Basis
This is another common billing procedure used for clients who need assistance for a self-contained project. A special event is a common example of this type. Once the event is over, there is a specific point when the work should start and another point when it should stop. In this case, an agency charges you on the basis of what it plans to do for you within a stipulated time period. This is possibly the cleanest way of working and you will be able to have a clear idea about the costs that your firm will handle for your special project or event. Based on your project requirements, the project costs can vary within $2,000 and $10,000.