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FIVE WAYS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR PR AGENCYS EFFECTIVENESS

Written by: Dave Brimm

Article Overview: It's important for clients in business-to-business to develop a solid relationship with their PR agency to maximize the success of the program. Here are 5 tips from a business-to-business PR veteran.

FIVE WAYS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR PR AGENCYS EFFECTIVENESS

1) Agree on Expectations
When the agency/client relationship begins to erode, it’s usually because there was never an agreement on how the results of the program would be evaluated. Before the program begins, the agency and client need to answer a basic question: How do we define success? What measurement criteria will be used? This falls into several categories:
a) Messaging. Ensure that the key messages being communicated to the media are picked up as they are distributed. And looking at the media in which stories appear to ensure they will reach agreed-upon target audiences.
b) Business results. Evaluating whether the PR program generated leads, encouraged people to call the office, order a brochure, visit the website, etc. Keep in mind that a PR program can open doors, but the client ultimately needs to close the deal
c) Advertising equivalency. This simply refers to the value of a story as if the client were paying for this same space or TV/radio spot as an ad buy. This is a questionable success marker because it fails to take into account the impact of a public relations placement compared to advertising. PR has some powerful benefits to consider: readers and viewers look at the coverage as an “implied endorsement;” audiences are more apt to believe a story in the editorial environment instead of a paid ad; PR usually results in longer pieces that allow a client to tell its story with more detail.

2) Identify key audiences
One of the benefits of PR is that it allows a client to broaden its reach to a variety of audiences, unencumbered by the financial consideration inherent in advertising. Consequently, it allows clients to reach out to niche audiences without committing to a large investment. But even within the target audiences, there are other considerations: Is the audience being reached the ultimate decision maker? Is the media being recommended the key publication within a given industry or SIC? It is important that these audiences be identified prior to the start of any B-to-B PR program.

3) Know who’s doing the work
In many instances, the agency people you talk to at initial meetings aren’t always the account people actually managing the account day-to-day. Ensure that the account member assigned to the account has the experience and business acumen to work on your behalf. This becomes more critical if the account involves technologies, business operations and products that will require a certain level of knowledge and B-to-B marketing sophistication. The wrong person on your account can derail a media campaign. In addition, if there is ongoing changes within the account team assigned to your account, this disruption of continuity will have far reaching effects.

4) Maintain Communication
You should never be in a position where you are asking yourself: “I wonder what my PR agency is doing?” If that’s the case, either you or your agency hasn’t been communicating. It is important that this line of communication is open and frequent. It should not only be limited to the work being done, but it should involve new ideas being presented; articles that impact the business; competitive coverage that should be shared; and new approaches that could enhance the program. This also should take into account reporting on budget details, such as the hours being spent and the results generated.

5) Set realistic budgets
When entering into an agreement with an agency, keep in mind that remuneration and budgeting can take several forms:
a) Retainer - this involves setting a monthly budget for fees and expenses, usually for a longer term program.
b) Project – this involves agreeing on fee and expenses for a program with a predetermined start and end-date.
c) Assignment – this involves a single assignment with set fees and expenses (i.e. support for a trade show, new product release, speech, white paper, etc.
Keep in mind that PR is not an exact science, where you can predetermine outcomes. PR is very time intensive, especially in the area of media relations, where multiple contacts with reporters is required. Also, take into account that magazines have long lead times, so although a story is placed in August, it my not actually run until October. Finally, public relations professionals are skilled at their jobs, and like other service professionals (CPAs, attorneys, etc.), they deserve a fair hourly billing rate and compensation. The fees paid almost always are recovered in the benefits accrued to your business by their work.

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Article Tags: audience, brochure, business results, client relationship, decision maker, doors, editorial environment, endorsement, financial consideration, marker, measurement criteria, niche audiences, pr program, public relations, radio spot, target audiences, tv radio



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