Boutique Houston Public Relations Firm Acclaimed By National Expert in New Book: Little PR Shops Can Be "Better, Cheaper" Than Big Ones, Says Leonard Saffir

HOUSTON, TX - February 13, 2007 – Houston public relations firm Bayou City Public Relations,headed by local PR expert Sharon Dotson, is called a role model for ‘new PR’ in a 242-page book by PR industry leader Leonard Saffir.

“PR on a Budget – Free, Cheap, and Worth the Money: Strategies for Getting Noticed,” was published last month by Chicago-based Kaplan Publishing Company and is available in bookstores nationwide and on Amazon.com.

Saffir says Dotson’s boutique Houston PR firm, Bayou City Public Relations, serves as an example of how new technology has made it possible for even the smallest firms to compete effectively with large PR firms.

“My hope is that you will learn what Sharon Dotson and others have learned,” he writes. Saffir says the PR strategies Dotson and some other small firm owners can now deliver are built around industry technology available only within the last several years.

Robert L. Dilenschneider, former CEO of Hill & Knowlton Public Relations and author of a number of bestselling books on the subject wrote introductory remarks for the book.

Bayou City Public Relations serves small to mid-size companies. The firm's clients include seventeen Houston-area Massage Envy franchise clinics; Skinovative, a Galleria laser skin treatment center, and Intelligent Office, a Galleria-based virtual office franchise. Bayou City Public Relations conducts media relations for special events, including the 8th International Conference of Families in Global Transition to be held at the Houston Marriott Westchase in March.

“Technology and the Internet have vastly changed the PR landscape,” writes Saffir, who maintains the size of a public relations agency no longer has a bearing on the quality of work it turns out for clients.

“Today, small PR firms can offer the same services as big firms – only better and cheaper,” says Saffir who defines public relations as "the aggressive engineering of perception."

“Savvy small agencies contract with freelancers and moonlighters when necessary,” says Saffir. “And, these people are as good, if not better, than available staff in a large PR agency.”

Saffir says PR firms offer clients less bureaucracy and more flexibility and are often headed by owners who learned the ropes earlier in their careers as employees of large organizations.

“Often the only difference between a big agency charging $20,000 a month and a small agency charging $3,000 a month is $17, 000,” says the author.

“We're honored that Bayou City Public Relations is featured in Leonard Saffir’s latest book. Mr. Saffir is a giant within our industry,” says Dotson. “What a compliment to our profession that one of the biggest names in public relations has so publicly acknowledged the competitive edge boutique-sized PR firms are giving small to mid-sized companies who want quality media coverage to grow their businesses.”

“PR on a Budget – Free, Cheap, and Worth the Money: Strategies for Getting Noticed,” is Saffir's third book about effective strategies for getting companies quality print and elecronic media coverage.

For more information about services offered by Bayou City Public Relations, contact Dotson at (281) 859-9800. The company website is www.bayoucitypr.com.