‘If you define PR for businesses as the art and science of engaging people at scale to believe something and then act upon that, then there are no boundaries to what we can do in our industry.’ – Sandra Stahl, The Art & Craft of PR
PR agencies can work wonders for businesses in a multitude of ways – maximising online presence, generating interest in target markets and raising overall brand awareness.
As with many things, the more information you know about a company, the better you understand it and its needs. As PR and communications experts working for clients in a variety of sectors, we cannot stress the value of open communication for getting the most out of your working relationship, but alongside this there are plenty of ways to work in unison with your agency for the benefit of the brand.
Once you’ve vetted and engaged with your PR agency, you have already made the decision that they are a suitable fit to work with in terms of expertise and a positive relationship. This is already a great start, but there are certainly tips that can really help nurture and maximise on the benefits of this relationship moving forward.
We’ve compiled a list of tips on how to get the most from your PR agency, to help us help you:
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Set out expectations
Talk through expectations and visions for the future with your PR company, and together objectives and KPIs can be set to ensure that the strategy is correct and working towards an identified goal. As your working relationship progresses – these goals can evolve, with strategies changing to reflect this, but these initial first steps are the most important.
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Communicate regularly
An effective PR agency aims to be an extension of your marketing team so open and regular communication is both necessary and effective. It allows us to check in with you for business updates and to report on results of our activity. Whilst big meetings are valuable, having them once a quarter will limit knowledge of a business and its everyday routines. Something that you think isn’t important could be an industry-changing development, so it’s important to share all the news you possibly can about your businesses. We want to know as much as you can tell us, as often as possible, as it informs our work and allows us to make decisions on what to promote and shout about to target media and on social channels.
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Trust us
You’ve hired us for our expertise and looking after your business is what we do. Instilling trust is the enjoyable part of the working relationship and we are here to give you peace of mind that we are doing the best for your brand, so by trusting us to do our thing we can carry on and keep you updated with results that meet your objectives.
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Designate a line of contact
Having just one or two contacts ensures that communication isn’t convoluted and one person is responsible and involved in all activity. it’s always easier to keep points of contact to a minimum to streamline processes. For example; having a marketing manager as a contact will mean that they speak to relevant members of the internal team and then relay the relevant information to those concerned.
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Patience is a virtue
‘A patient seeker will be satisfied in good time’ – like the well-known proverb, PR activity works well with time. A good PR agency will always create a strategy to achieve results for your business and they will keep you informed with dates and timings for various activations. A longer working relationship is often profitable as the agency is able to get under the skin of a business, and can spend more time working to promote your brand. The more we know the more you grow.
If you’d like further tips and advice on how to drive your PR and marketing strategy forward, get in touch.