Does any company have the luxury of turning away business these days? If a prospective client approaches you for public relations services, how do you evaluate if it’s a good fit? And as the client, how do you know if PR is what you need in your current stage of business?
This is a dilemma we’ve found ourselves in many times over the years, as have our clients, no doubt. Our strategy to date has been to do what we know best – which is strive to understand our clients’ businesses and their marketing objectives, and then uncover their interesting stories. And we haven’t met a client yet where we haven’t discovered something compelling to talk about.
But is that enough? As we enter our 10th year of business, I’m evaluating this approach. It’s worked well for the clients we’ve been fortunate enough to work with for years – and they are typically established companies with an understanding of PR and its benefits, who are dedicated to seeing it succeed, and view us as a partner, not a supplier. And because they’ve been with us for a period of time, they see PR as a worthwhile investment.
Many businesses, either at the launch stage or with a few years under their belt, want to create brand awareness. They know sales and marketing are keys to success, and they see PR as part of that plan. Some companies know what PR can do for their business and hire a firm with a clear mandate in mind.
Others do not. Public relations has been recommended to them as a ‘must-do’ to have a successful business. They are told by investors or business advisors, “If you are a start-up, you need to do a PR launch” or “If you want more traffic to your website, you better have a PR strategy”. As owner of BlueSky Communications, I would certainly agree that PR can play a vital role in meeting these goals – we wouldn’t be in business if it didn’t. But it’s most successful when it complements a larger business strategy with which your PR firm should be well acquainted.
So when is PR a worthwhile investment? One important question to consider is what does a business hope to achieve with PR and are these expectations realistic? If you are launching a company and you are relying heavily on PR for sales, then you may want to re-evaluate your strategy. Sometimes one TV appearance or ‘the Oprah effect’ can make your business an overnight success, but this is rare. It’s the ongoing media coverage in a variety of outlets over a period of time that builds awareness, and it needs to complement other marketing and sales initiatives.
For the company looking to engage a PR firm, communicate what you want to accomplish and allow the firm to recommend an overall approach. A press release or one-time campaign is often not worth the investment. If you really want to get mileage out of your budget and have an impact on your business, a larger strategy with various tactics over a period of time offers a much better ROI.
It’s these clients with whom we are the most successful. It’s the client who sees where PR fits into the business as a whole and has a healthy view as to what it can achieve who will see the results. And our commitment is to understand the client’s business goals and offer an honest assessment of whether PR is the best approach. Then both parties are entering the partnership with their eyes wide open and expectations are aligned.
We are now at a stage in our business where we quickly know what tactics work to achieve certain objectives. It’s our responsibility to educate clients on what is realistic and identify those who may not be ready to invest in PR. As communications professionals, we need to be straightforward about what PR can and cannot accomplish. We need to strive for the ideal client-agency partnership based on a long-term commitment to one another; an agreed-upon set of objectives; a fluid exchange of information on a regular basis and a respect for each other’s expertise. And if these criteria fall short for either party, we may not be the best fit.
