Tweet

Building an Effective Partnership with your PR Company

Written by: Adrian Maguire

Article Overview: To be effective your PR company needs to be an integral part of your team. This requires openness to build confidence and respect on both sides. Adrian Maguire of online PR specialist, www.CLICKintoPR.com, outlines ten things you should do and five things not to do.

Building an Effective Partnership with your PR Company

To be effective your PR company needs to be an integral part of your team. This requires openness to build confidence and respect on both sides. Adrian Maguire of online PR specialist, www.CLICKintoPR.com, outlines ten things you should do and five things not to do.

Ten Things You Should Do

1. Tell your PR your company history. By gaining an understanding of your past, your PR company can be more sensitive in putting PR plans into action.
2. Outline the guiding philosophy. This may be contained in the mission statement.
3. Outline the key objectives of the current business plan. Agree how PR can support these.
4. Provide access to senior management. Gaining the co-operation of everyone involved is vital. Delegating liaison with your PR company to an office junior will not prove effective in the long-term.
5. Tell all. If there is any unfortunate history to the business, issues that affect it or emerging problems, the PR company can deal with this more effectively if it is known. Likewise, if there are exciting developments it is better to be briefed in good time than to deal with them at short notice.
6. Brief all your people about the appointment of the PR company. Emphasise the importance of providing timely information and signing off copy promptly.
7. Allow adequate time for activities. Though online media reacts very quickly, editorial issued today may not appear in print for two to three months and the lead times for some journals can be even longer. Planning for events like exhibitions need to start at least six months in advance.
8. Treat any enquiries from the press seriously. Editors do prefer to speak to senior figures, they do wish to talk to you, not your PR company.
9. Ask your PR company to source appropriate training. If you feel uncomfortable dealing with press or broadcast media there are many good training companies - ask your PR company to source one for you.
10. Encourage co-operation. Especially, between your PR company, advertising agents, graphic designers, web designers and other external support agencies. This can often lead to more cost effective programmes due to sharing of resources, greater creativity and better synchronisation of delivery.

Five Things You Should Not Do

1. Don't keep your PR company in the dark. PR is an information driven service.
2. Don't leave everything to the very last minute. Timely copy approval, commissioning of photography or briefing on an important development is essential. Editors will not delay publication and do not repeat opportunities.
3. Don't change key objectives part way through a programme. Your PR needs to be consistent over time, so messages reinforce each other.
4. Don't cut agreed budgets or suspend programmes mid point. If you flag up any difficulties you PR company can often refocus and prioritise so that core objectives are still supported.
5. Don't let grievances fester. If you are unhappy about any aspect of your PR company's work, tell them and allow them to explain what they are doing and why, or suggest alternative approaches.

© www.CLICKintoPR.com

Related Articles
  How To Make Business Partnerships That Work
  Partnerships - Some of the basics
  Writing a Partnership Agreement for Joint Ventures
  What Type Of Company Should I set Up UK
  Collaboration Rather Than Competition – The Need for Wise Partnerships is Higher than Ever

Article Tags:



Related Forum Posts
Type of business with building - If you owned a building and Wal-Mart was opening its doors across the street in a previously unoccupied area (along with 12-14 small shops), what type of business would you start? Here are the considerations: 1. Money is a non-factor 2. Building is fairly large (10,000) square feet 3. Building is on the corner of a busy intersection (about to get much busier)
How to valuate a business - Hi Garth - here is how we did it at Northern Crown Capital when I was helping them raise venture capital for Toronto-based entrepreneurs. Assume the start date is 2003 so 2008 projections are 5 years out: How Northern Crown Capital Valuates a Business 2008 Financial Projections Earnings Before Tax $5,865,000 Tax Rate 42% Taxes $2,463,300 Net Earnings $3,401,700 Amount Seeking to Raise Today $3,500,000 Discounted Value of Future Opportunity, 5 Years Out 2008 P/E Ratio 15 Value of Company in 2008 $51,025,500 Discount Rate Applied 30% Year 2008 $51,025,500 Year 2007 $35,717,850 Year 2006 $25,002,495 Year 2005 $17,501,747 Year 2004 $12,251,223 Value of Company at Investment in 2003 $12,251,223 Less: Investment Amount $3,500,000 Present Value $8,751,223 Discount for Risk & Private Company 40% Less: Discount for Risk & Private Company $3,500,489 Private Company Value $5,250,734 Present Value (What the Owner Keeps) $5,250,734 60.00% Financing (What the Investor Gets) $3,500,000 40.00% Total $8,750,734 100.00% I hope this helps!
Re: Seven Marketing Strategies To Attract The Affluent Buyer - Hello, Building confidence with positive communication skill is very helpful and it helps in attracting consumers. Regards, sarah_9
Hi everyone - Hi everyone.I am Alex,SEO Analyst on XSEO Company.Nice forum.
Re: looking for partner - Partnerships in business can be tricky. Most partnerships fail. Here are a few points to ponder before starting a partnership: - Should have common goal and vision - Level of commitment in business - Expectations from business and each other. - Good sense of self-worth - Financial Position – Have a good experience in related business with strong financial standing I suggest you to go on Google type “Partnership Assessment form” and Partnership Assessment Tool” You find some good results. Further apart from this forum look into on social media and business sites.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Presenting Yourself With Impact at Work

Five keys to business success

Too Many Sales Reps Are Wimps

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.