See PR 101: How to do your own PR for Entrepreneurial Companies http://tinyurl.com/ykq8can
When your company has expanded and its communications needs are greater than those that can be handled by the president’s assistant on a part-time basis, the next step is to add an experienced full-time public relations staff person or persons, retain an outside agency, or both.
A number of factors should be considered in the equation. Here are several possible scenarios.
1. If trade publications are the only media important to your company, one professional who has specialized in your industry and knows the editors is your best bet. Then too, his or her specialized knowledge will be useful in writing brochures, collateral materials, copy, etc.
2. If penetrating one marketplace is critical to your success, whether it be the hospitality industry, financial services, car dealerships, or retail stores, who has the proven expertise to do the job? This could be an individual or an agency.
3. If a mix of trade and general interest publications plus financial public relations and investor relations is required, is there any singular person who can provide the diverse support you need? And, if so, can you afford him or her?
The more expansive and sophisticated your communications activities become, the more you’ll benefit from the combined expertise of a number of professionals. Then too, it is at this stage that the campaign truly needs to be managed. Will you feel confident assigning that responsibility to an agency that is offsite, to people you see only periodically? Or, would you prefer to have a solid generalist on staff, someone with whom you can meet whenever you choose, to oversee the agency’s effort? One is not necessarily better than the other. It is truly a matter of personal style and preference.
Should you decide to retain an agency, here are some questions to ask:
1. Have you ever worked on an account in this field before? (There is both pro and con on this.)
2. Is our account in conflict with any other account in the agency?
3. Can you provide references we can check?
4. Who are your clients?
5. With whom in the agency will we be working? (Sometimes the person who makes the presentation is not the person who will service your account. You must have rapport with your account manager.)
6. How will you position our product/service?
In accessing the company, look for open and honest answers. Look for distinguished clients, a successful track record, strong creative concepts, a talented staff, energy, enthusiasm, flexibility, and ambition.
Also look at how the agency plans to correlate your public relations and advertising activities. When they are cohesively planned and utilize the same theme, they cross-index and cross-collateralize and provide maximum visibility for minimal expenditure.
As far as budget appropriation is concerned, agencies work in several ways: an hourly fee, a per-project fee, or a monthly retainer. Ask for a quotation and get several estimates. Plan to spend more on a new product/service launch than on an established one. Do appropriate an amount annually for public relations; stealing from another budget does not serve any area of the company well.
My close colleague, Devon Blaine, is the CEO of the Blaine Group, an award-winning total communications agency with a broad range of services and a master rolodex. I want to share some of her expertise in these pages. Check out www.blainegroupinc.com.
