When your company chooses to invest in PR for the first time, it can be a little daunting. As a key decision-maker, one of the best things you can do is research agencies that will compliment your brand, increase brand awareness, and drive commercial success.
Here are Piccolo’s top points to consider before investing in PR for your business.
Full-Service or Specialized PR
Find a PR agency that truly knows your business objectives, vision, past, and related issues. Have a conversation about your 5-year projection- where you are currently and where you want to go. It’s all in the details.
Once the PR agency understands your vision, you may request a top-line proposal that outlines a brand strategy, key milestones, media outreach, and timeline.
Your PR agency must be well connected to media outlets, specialists within your sector, and can present case studies of similar brands they have represented. Don’t be scared to ask for their footprint.
Quality Features Over Quantity
When you are utilizing PR for the first time, you may measure your success by the number of times your business starts to appear in the news or on a big social media platforms.
Although this is one way of measuring your PR plan’s success, it isn’t always the most functional. An intelligent way to assess your coverage should be based on the measurement of qualitative factors, eg. Was the company name featured in the headline? Were there graphics and images included? Was the feature timely and complimented the news calendar?
Appearing in media outlets that don’t reflect your target audience means your time and money isn’t being used well. PR agencies should be able to give you a targeted and focused media campaign that takes your products and services and gets them in front of the right pairs of eyes.
Crisis Management Response
A quality PR agency is proactive and will be responsive in the case of an issue or crisis happening in your management. Your brand’s reputation is your biggest asset, which means it can potentially compromise your revenue if the situation is not handled swiftly and effectively.
Select a PR agency that works with its clients to understand a brand’s potential pitfalls before they strike. Good PR is about the agency telling the client what they need to consider instead of what they want to hear. It’s crucial the agency also manages expectations and provides a pragmatic approach to your PR strategy.
Ask for relevant case studies and examples they have managed with clear outcomes.
Good Reputation
Ask around. A PR agency should have a great name in the industry. Please do your due diligence and do a spot check on clients they’ve managed to confirm their quality of work, results, and commitment to the brand. Ask the agency to provide testimonials of brands they have represented.
Good PR can take some time to see reliable results in the media. Give the PR agency a suitable amount of time to prepare materials, speak to journalists, and get some media momentum before dismissing. Although you can manage some details yourself, especially if you have a tight budget, a full-service PR agency can have a broader reach towards key media outlets, influencers, and other useful marketing tools for your business.
After taking all of these into account, you should now have what it takes to make the right decision when investing in PR.
