The Do's And Don'ts Of Appointing A Pr Agency

When appointing anyone from a professional service industry, it can be a minefield. One size doesn't fit all therefore it's vital to choose an agency who gets your brand.

When PR is done well, it delivers results at a cost that no other marketing method can match. PR reaches hearts and minds; it creates credibility for a brand or business; it gets people talking about a company and sharing it like ardent fans. Let’s take the exemplary work of the PR behind Greggs and how they have turned this brand round in a very short period of time. Indeed it’s that kind of recommendation and sharing which PR generates and is far more trusted than traditional advertising.

That’s why choosing the right PR agency is so important. Get it wrong and you will not only waste a lot of time, and money, but you will also miss out on the opportunity to make some serious noise between your business and the competition.

So how do you avoid making such a costly PR mistake? Well, here are eight points to consider when choosing a PR agency:

1. Clarity and Communication

Lack of communication and clarity are the biggest problems between client and agency, so get it right from the start and ask away. How many hours will you be paying for, how much are the monthly fees, what extras will you have to pay for, are they experts in providing social media audits/provide advice and what PR activity will the agency be focusing on. PR works best when it’s closely aligned to your business plan. A good agency will want to understand the bigger picture and you should be prepared to share it

2. PR Budget

Many businesses do not have a large budget. If you are going down the agency route you will be buying the time of good quality, experienced and well-connected people. You will pay significantly for their services. However this can prove highly more cost-effective than employing a full time individual in house. Quality over quantity. However, if a prospective agency appears much more interested in your PR budget than your business, alarm bells should be ringing as their priorities are all wrong

3. Who’ll be looking after you

Big agencies typically pitch using their smartest, most senior people. However, as soon as the account is won, junior team members are regularly left to handle the day-to-day work. That’s how many agencies make their money but it’s a monumental rip off that you shouldn’t stand for. So interrogate closely who the day-to-day campaign will be delivered by. Insist on meeting them. It’s an essential part of choosing a PR agency

4. Communication Capabilities

You need your PR agency to be capable of deploying any of the communications tools available across all digital platforms. Ideally you want all skills under one roof, as we offer at DigiPro Media. Why appoint a digital marketing agency, a PR agency and a web design company? Three different companies will have three different ways of working, three different voices, not to mention that you will have to engage in three separate meetings. It’s imperative all services work in sync to ensure your brand voice is consistent across your brand’s online platforms. Your brand is online 24/7 and your PR agency should do regular online audits providing you with advice and updates.

5. Size matters but not how you think

Don’t assume a big agency will be a safer bet. Big agencies are simply a series of teams, all collected together under one roof and brand. Your account will only ever have one team assigned to it – so there is NO advantage in the agency being huge. Unless your budget is very big, you will be somewhere down the list of priorities for even the team assigned to you, for a smaller agency you will be a much bigger deal and you will probably receive much better attention and care. Many major brands are now going down this route. Big isn’t always better when choosing a PR agency.

6. Offices and Location

Don’t be seduced by the fancy offices. Usually the higher the fee, the more grand the office! Remember you are paying for a professional service not the surroundings. It’s irrelevant where your agency is situated as you will not be visiting their offices regularly. It’s much more important to find the right agency for your business. A PR worth its salt will travel to you quite happily…and will not charge you their time out of the office doing so.

7. Market knowledge

Many think they need someone who specialises in their sector. Don’t be limited in this way. Yes of course market knowledge is helpful, but someone steeped in a sector can be staid, with a ‘this is the way things work’ mindset. Good PR people are effective and smart. They can quickly pick up the nuances of a market. Better a smart agency that doesn’t know your specific market (YET) to a mediocre one that does.

8. PR Measurement

This is a crucial. When speaking to prospective agencies ask what they will be measuring in your campaign. If the agency is still obsessing about just measuring column inches don’t use them. PR is much more than about column inches. You want an agency that is keen to really measure PR, but that means measuring the stuff that shows you are achieving your goals – this could be web traffic, downloads, enquiries, sales etc. Appoint a PR agency that your gut feeling and your profit margin will thank you for!