Archive for 'Client Relationships'
Keep your PR consultant close and informed
Posted on 22. Mar, 2010 by Creatwood.
I don’t like to generalize, but it seems when most people think of PR, their minds go immediately to press releases and newspaper clippings. Yes, that’s a big part of it, but PR does not solely equate to media relations. Long ago, somebody asked me, “What is PR, really?” I have to admit, my answer then didn’t roll off the tongue as well as I’d hoped, and in the end I didn’t capture the essence of what I was trying to say. But, he did. He said, “Let’s be honest — PR is basically networking.”
It makes sense. A PR consultant is someone who will be looking out for opportunities to spread your company’s information around to the right audiences. Sometimes those audiences are massive, and other times it could be a single person. As a PR consultant, it is always going to be my job to stay plugged in to what my client’s needs are, and by doing so I will be able to recognize good opportunities as they’re presented. Most of the time, these will be opportunities that affect my client’s bottom line. But there are other opportunities that might be more of a personal matter for my client — something a bit more extracurricular that they find interesting and would like to know more about.We’ve helped out clients connect with churches and other community organizations aligned with their interests, and we did that by getting to know them on a personal level. We’ve helped them with personal business matters by connecting them with the right resources. We do that by understanding who they are and what they need.
You should expect to have a strong relationship with your PR consultant, almost like you would with your lawyer or CPA. You should always keep your PR consultant in mind when making business decisions, and get a fresh perspective on how things might turn out for you. In turn, your PR consultant will know more about you and will be an agent for your interests with an ear to the street and an eye for detail.
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What To Expect: Bylined Articles
Posted on 17. Mar, 2010 by Creatwood.
Every Wednesday, I’d like to write about what clients can expect from different services a PR firm can offer. Hopefully, this insight will give you a better understanding of the different components of PR, and also to help you realize just how valuable some of them can really be for your company.
For the first installation of this running theme, I’d like to talk about what you can expect from a byline article. First, let me explain what a byline article is. Obviously, it’s an article with your byline on it that the PR firm has created on your behalf. These articles can be submitted to many different online and print publications, especially trade pubs and magazines.
It might seem like a dishonest thing to do, but that’s only if you do it dishonestly and don’t contribute much to the article and instead let the PR consultant do research and write an article on your behalf. That’s irresponsible of the client, and dangerous if the consultant isn’t familiar with the topic.
The whole point of the article is to get your name out there as an expert on a particular topic to a targeted audience. Obviously you’re going to be providing a vast majority of the information, but it’s likely that the PR consultant will be handling a great deal, if not all, of the writing. This process will take a good bit of brainstorming and collaboration, but the more preparation the client and consultant are able to do, the better the article.
Once the article is created and you have the good fortune of getting it published, there obviously needs to be a bit more promotion of the article. Of course you’ll reach that targeted readership of the publication the article appears in, but it wouldn’t hurt to promote the article as well. This is when you can toot your own horn and show people you are the expert they want to have speaking at their next engagement, or providing them consultation on their next business venture. It will also aid your reputation among media as a reliable source on a subject.
Byline articles really are one of the best ways to posture yourself as an expert. But, in saying that, it does help to be fairly knowledgeable on the subject. You’ll be hard pressed to find much good fortune coming from an article that you and a PR consultant have scrapped together and punted to an array of different publications. That is not the kind of byline article that does any one much good.
So, plan it out, collaborate with the PR consultant and be certain you know exactly who you’re hoping to reach. From their, your PR consultant will be able to create an article that will do you proud.
–DS
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So your company got a media hit. Big deal
Posted on 16. Mar, 2010 by Creatwood.
Well, it is a big deal, actually. Getting your company’s story in the news is always a good thing and can really have a positive impact on your business if done well. In order to make that positive impact much bigger, though, you’ll need to leverage that media hit, and that is where the PR process truly takes shape. Now it’s time to really emphasize results in your PR campaign.
Part of our job as PR consultants is to get you as much targeted exposure as possible. Actually, wait. That’s a really big part of our job, in fact. In order to do that, we first take a look at what kind of exposure you’re currently getting from your past media hits. Simple search engine queries will give you a pretty basic view of just how often your company’s name will pop up around the Net. From there, we can see the reach of the impact those media hits have drawn.
OK, so you have a new media hit. Now you can take that and run with it. Run where? There’s all sorts of places. Here are a few ideas for you:
1) Get social with your media – It’s a great big interactive world out there, and with social networks you can reach out to many different audiences — specifically the one you’re hoping to reach. Take your media coverage and post it on the proper networks. There are social networking tools you can use to actually track the interest in your link, which is a good way to determine how valuable it is for you.
2) Buy your rights – Most publications and stations will allow you to purchase the rights to the story online, so you can legally put it on your Web site and use it for promotional purposes. These reprints, as they’re known in the industry, are usually reasonably priced for local media publications, so it’s not a bad investment for your company’s reputation. Think of it like a trophy. Display it with pride. Use it in your collateral materials. But be certain you can make it visible on the Web.
3) Build relationships from the exposure - While the process of putting the story together is underway, make an effort to let the reporter see you as an expert on a particular subject and let it be known you are available for commentary in future stories. While it might not be the most measurable tactic, it will prove successful if the reporter automatically thinks of you to talk about a particular subject.
4) Transfer your momentum to new markets - Once you’ve received media coverage in your immediate area of business, perhaps now you can take that coverage and use it as an example for a similar story in a different market. While many reporters and editors will tell you they don’t do copy cat stories, they are most likely not telling the truth. As a former reporter, I would look to other markets and see what they were covering and if any of it had a local angle. Well, save the reporter some time and pitch the story with an angle specified to that particular market. More times than not you will get somewhere with them, but you can at least drum up attention for your efforts as well.
You have to realize your results, and also realize how to maximize those results to achieve the most coverage possible. The PR process can be very delicate with these kinds of results, but be certain you are doing everything you can to get the most out of your media campaign.
– DS
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Clients have a part to play during the PR process
Posted on 15. Mar, 2010 by Creatwood.
So you’ve landed a PR firm to help you get a message out about some new development at your company. Your initial meeting goes well and you feel confident the consultant knows exactly what to do from here. Then, perhaps you let it slide to the back of your mind, and think you’ll hear from them in a few weeks once it’s all done.
As the days go by, you start to realize the consultant has been leaving messages and e-mails for you regarding a bit of information needed to proceed. Of course, you have a business to run, so you might not put it at the forefront of your priorities.
STOP RIGHT THERE.
The process of PR is a two-way street. The consultant does the bulk of the heavy lifting and fine tunes the message, but as a client, you are expected to play your part. That part includes making yourself available for the consultant and holding true to your promises of information. As PR professionals, we need information to do our jobs. But we also need a willingness from the client to be responsive to our inquisitions in order to do a good job for you.
I’m sure it seems quite tedious and overbearing at times, and part of that can have to do with the particular consultant’s approach. But as a client, that is something you should always discuss in the beginning. Here are a few tips to make the process easier for you and the consultant:
1) Set up a meeting schedule – Follow-ups are important, so if you have a regularly scheduled phone call with the consultant during the PR process or campaign, it will make it easier on the both of you and won’t distract you from your work at hand.
2) Set your boundaries – If you are busier during a certain hour than others, make sure the consultant knows that. This will save you the headache of being constantly interrupted. It’s not the fault of the consultant if they need more information. They’re just trying to do the best job possible for you. Let them know when and how to contact you so you can provide them that information and it doesn’t encroach upon your busy day.
3) Trust your consultant – As PR professionals, we know what works and what doesn’t. It is important that the client knows the consultant has good news judgment and understands the best way to get those important messages out. They have a much different, more refined insight into how this process works, so try to keep an open mind during the planning process. Just because you think a certain publication is a bathroom reader, it might still be a worthwhile opportunity to reach more customers in the end.
There are plenty of things the consultant will hopefully do to make this process easier, but for now please consider all you can do, as a client, to get the most for your PR dollar.
DS