public relations – StrategyDriven

Taking It Public: Top 5 Things You Should Know About PR Firms

May 18, 2020/0 Comments/in Marketing & Sales/by StrategyDriven

Could your company benefit from a brand boost? Have you been having trouble getting your logo and product in front of your target audience?

If so, then you need to consider hiring one of the many PR firms on the market to help you start establishing your brand a little better.

If you’ve never ventured into the marketing world, however, the market for public relations firms can be a tough one to navigate. In this article, we’ll provide you with five things that you need to know about PR firms to better equip you to find the right fit for your needs.

1. PR is All About Storytelling

At the end of the day, branding your business is all about storytelling. Customers are engaged by stories, not by product features. The format of the story that your PR firm will tell will depend on your industry.
For instance, consider the fitness industry. Good fitness brands will be able to tell a story of how their customers who are dissatisfied with current fitness levels are able to more easily achieve their desired health.

2. Advertising is a Big Part of PR

One of the big parts of public relations is advertising. Whether it’s a billboard, Facebook ad, or Google search ads, advertising is crucial to most industries.

The right PR firm for you will be one that is experienced in implementing advertising campaigns for your particular industry. They should be able to prove with case studies and metrics of how they produced an ROI on those advertising campaigns.

3. Public Relations Can’t Save a Bad Product

Many companies turn to public relations firms to save their brand image after it is discovered by their general audience that their product or service doesn’t work as well as the competition.

However, public relations simply isn’t a cure for a bad product. PR can only attract customers to your company, but if you have a bad product then you can’t stop those customers from telling the world about it.

4. PR is Largely Digital in 2020

In 2020, pretty much everyone in your target audience is likely to have a smartphone or some way of reliably accessing the Internet. As a result, PR is largely digital.

Agencies like the Media Frenzy Global PR firm have significant digital marketing experience. Don’t use agencies that don’t have a similar level of expertise.

5. PR is An Art and a Science

Last but not least, remember that PR is both an art and a science. While PR firms can prove ROI with tangible numbers on things like social media advertising, it may not be able to do so with other things like general brand credibility. However, you should be able to see the results of a PR firm’s work as the level of respect your brand commands in the industry grows.

Which of the Many PR Firms Will Be Right for You?

Now that you know a little more about PR firms, you’re ready to pick the right one for you. Remember not to compromise and only pick a firm that has significant experience in your niche and is able to back up their abilities with a consistent track record of success.
For more business advice, you’re in the right place! Take some time to check out more articles on our website!

Things to consider before choosing the best PR agency

December 24, 2019/0 Comments/in Marketing & Sales/by StrategyDriven

Bill Gates once said, “If I had just one dollar, I would spend it on public relations.” Well, what are the odds of that happening? But in this statement, we clearly understand the importance of Public Relations.

They are an essential tool to manage the communication between a company and society to build and maintain it’s a representative and positive image.

A company makes use of public relations through a set of strategic communication actions. They coordinate to create and strengthen links with the public and consumers. The top-ranking PR Agency in Sydney uses informative feedback to achieve fidelity with their clients.

The job of any PR agency is to assess consumer behavior, categorize company policies, and plan future actions. You need to make sure that the agency you are choosing for your business has these qualities:

Experience of the agency in the sector

Experience has undoubtedly been the most cited quality. You have to look mainly at the experience, not only of the agency but of the team that will take care of your account. Specialization in specific markets is almost always a guarantee of success.

Must have oomph

Pay attention to the kind of work the agency does. Excessive experience can cause the agency to fall into routines, to do the same thing for every business they manage. Make sure your business does not lose its uniqueness as it will cause your public image to lose freshness and originality.

A stable client portfolio

Isn’t it strange that certain agencies lose clients very quickly? You don’t want any unpleasant surprises. Excessive customer turnover can be a reasonable indication of poor operation. On the contrary, other agencies have a very high level of loyalty with their client portfolio, with whom they have been working for many years.

Investigate the results with other clients.

It is a piece of straightforward advice that many forget. It is essential to ask the agency what were the results of the campaigns they had done for clients similar to your company. Some agencies continue to live from the fame achieved in other times when, at present, their level of competence is well below. Don’t forget this recommendation: ask other clients of the agency to assess their satisfaction with it. It doesn’t cost money and can save a lot of trouble.

A qualified team

Some clients complain that after the initial phase in which top executives of the agency serve them, they are then ‘abandoned’ in the hands of less experienced professionals. You need to make sure experienced professionals manage your business. Having new agents maintain your work who are not familiar with the challenges businesses face may harm your company.

The price

Especially in the current crisis, this factor takes on a unique role. You may find a cheaper company more attractive at the beginning of your business, but this is a recipe for disaster. The quality of the PR Agency should not be compromised, as it is critical to your business.

Local or International

You need to ask this question as to what is best for your business. Will a multinational agency understand your business better or a local agency? A specialized agency that will appreciate your business or one that provides integrated communication services? And concerning size, what will be most effective for your company: a large, medium or small agency?

Know what your PR agency should do for you

You need to understand the responsibilities public relations agency has towards you. Their work is not just limited to the management of events or to communicate the news or changes that your company has.

When a company, from any industry, suffers a crisis, it is essential to know how to handle it and communicate what is necessary with the public. Not managing the business crisis correctly, can make it unfavorable for the company, which can even damage its image and reputation.

What is it that makes your business unique? Why are your customers loyal to you? What are the KPIs of your business which attract clientele? Identify and highlight the differentiators between you and competitor companies.

These key factors place public relations agencies in one of the marketing investment items each year. In 2016, revenues from employing PR services accounted for nearly $ 14 billion worldwide, according to data from the University of Southern California.

A great PR strategy

Your chosen PR agency must not be all words and no work. Make sure they understand your vision and share it while managing your business. Establish a realistic work plan which profits your company. Primarily your public relations strategy should stand out. Describe communication objectives and actions that propel your company towards success.

Through the right approach, a company can create a close relationship with its target so that the company becomes a reference for the product or service it offers.

All great companies have a PR agency. Managing public relations is a fundamental part of preserving the right image of the company.

With the market as competitive and broad as the current one, many companies are selling similar services and products. To maintain credibility and loyalty with customers, you need a good public relations strategy to position ourselves in the mind of the consumer.

Crisis Management Strategies

Sometimes an organization or company is suffering a disastrous event that affects its public image. Public relations should repair the damage to the image, and communicate how they will devise strategies to solve the problems.

Final Words

Make sure the PR agency you choose knows the latest trends and uses social networking as a tool for your business. In the 21st century, you cannot make public relations with models of the previous century. Pay close attention to how influencers, bloggers, tweets, social networks can affect your business.

The Great Marketing Circus – PR’s magic, revealed!

June 9, 2010/0 Comments/in Marketing & Sales/by StrategyDriven

The marketing arena can easily be compared to a three-ring circus. A few clowns, a few death-defying leaps and the ring leader is expected to single-handedly bring it all together. Of course, we can’t forget the one person everyone expects to see – the great magician: shrouded in mystery, quite dramatic and never without ability to manifest greatness from thin air at the drop of a hat.

So, in a recent RFP, when the company asked what PR ‘tricks’ our agency had up our sleeves, I came to the stunning realization that there really are people out there who believe that the practice of public relations is truly magical.

Believe me, if this were possible, all PR practitioners would operate from the beach. You know – a check in at the smoothie stand every so often and a wave of their wands a couple times a day for good measure.

[wcm_restrict]Don’t get me wrong, that sounds much more attractive than fighting winter rush-hour traffic in Cincinnati, but if you want to know the real juicy secret about PR that everybody on the inside wants you to know, here it is: journalistic perspective. A good agency practitioner is able to objectively look at a company and see which messages will best strike a chord and motivate prospects to action, and how these ideas can be applied to trends in media or pop culture.

The problem is, companies have the tendency to become so wrapped up in their own mission statements and ethereal ideals that they fail to see how they could be using their strengths to capitalize on current trends. This is why we so often see epically long releases about a business offering the triumvirate of the obvious: quality, service and value.

These same companies also wonder why they aren’t achieving the desired results. The difference must be that wand.

And for my Next Trick: Getting that story in the paper!

Even some of our most well intentioned clients sometimes forget that we can’t get every story placed every time. It’s been said that if placements were that easy to attain, all you’d read about would be PR firms. And it’s true – you’ll never find an industry of companies more enraptured with declaring their love of themselves. If there really were a magic PR ‘trick’, you can bet you’d be hearing about it everywhere.

Magic implies illusion and deception, and at the end of the day, wouldn’t your company rather be recognized for something you know a lot about over something that was concocted just to get you in the paper? No magic wand. No smoke and mirrors. And absolutely no tricks. Just a good eye, a little tenacity and a passion for news.

You see, there is no ‘trick’ to good public relations. It takes consistency, hard work and a little flair.[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember]

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About the Author

Allison Brinkman
PR Manager, Eisen Marketing Group
allison@eisenmarketinggroup.com

Alli found herself saying the same thing Greeks have been saying for centuries when she provided an opportunity to work with EMG clientele: Opa! (Hooray!) An adventurer at heart, she constantly seeks new challenges and celebrates unconventional solutions. No need to cross the Mediterannean and absolutely no Trojan Horse – she is what she is, and that fresh, candid honesty makes for one serious professional.

A diehard Ohio State Buckeye football fan, she knows the value of a little friendly competition – and even has a trivia-loving alter ego ‘BMoney’ to honor that streak. When it comes to clients, however, she isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves, put her game face on and ensure nothing less than the best. Scarlet. Grey. All colors. All colours – she integrates impossible to absolutely.

Having lived abroad twice in both France and Luxembourg, Allison takes advantage of her global perspective in everyday life, and applies that knowledge when discussing global and cultural differences. Her ‘let’s go!’ attitude will gladly take her to the ends of the earth in search of answers, inspiration or just out of curiosity. Give her a minute (or 10), and she’ll gladly tell you all about winter in Stockholm or the music scene in Prague. Go Ask Alli…

Is it the or is it THEE.

Allison is a graduate from The Ohio State University, and has worked in marketing, public relations and event planning for Paramount’s Kings Island, The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and UWeekly Newspaper.

To PR or not to PR: PR is not a verb!

March 25, 2010/1 Comment/in Marketing & Sales/by StrategyDriven

This is not an article debating the changing landscape of the public relations or advertising industry, or preaching best practice advice, but rather an examination of the two simple letters that encompass all that we (as communications professionals) do: PR.

As a public relations professional, I respect that there are some commonplace misconceptions about what “we” do here at our agency, and likely every other PR agency on the planet for that matter. The perception of what we do is made worse by certain reality television shows that not only make me want to claw my eyes out but insult my intelligence and profession as well. There is a significant difference between a PR firm and a publicist – which allows me illustrate my point: all publicity is PR, but not all PR is publicity.

[wcm_restrict]But, on the point of publicity, there are some novel notions that I’m able to write off in good humor, including some personal favorites related to the mystique and glamour of the industry, and the all too frequent assumption that all story placements occur with the drop of a hat thanks, of course, to that magic PR wand we are all given upon entering into the field. Why yes, whatever story you’d like to have placed, just call me and I’ll get it in – I have a direct line. When clients tell me they need me to get them in the paper tomorrow, I quickly grab my ski mask and advise them to meet me at the nearest bank. I find running naked through the streets is also helpful – and strangely so is shaving off your hair, but I digress. If only it were that simple to secure press, but I know a few tricks and have certainly been successful at securing solid placement, even in the absence of a quality story.

But.

One, seemingly minor but infinitely irritating thing that I’ve been asked to do has always left me without a witty comeback. The infuriatingly mind numbing question: “Can you PR this?”

Even my own mother, who, upon hearing about one exciting upcoming project or another, has suggested that I do a good job of “PR-ing” for the client. Imagine someone asking a web developer to “website” something. Hmmm…

PR is just not a verb, but it certainly is an ongoing action. The ongoing action of relating. The “ing” does work with advertising – I guess that’s why that discipline and tactic is so much simpler. I suppose for starters, I should thank my mom for reminding me to do my job by….doing what I do for a living, but I’ll never understand why she and so many others make those two letters into a verb.

Write it out. “Public Relations-ing.” Is that what we do every day? Sadly, I think when some people mention PR, they aren’t even referring to public relations, but instead are referring to a Press Release – which also makes no sense – “can you Press Release this.”

This simple mistake is one that frightens me. To me, the PR-as-a-verb phenomenon signifies a lack of understanding of the fundamentals of our industry and mitigates the value of our strategy by implying that we exist solely to ‘get stories in the paper.’ If that were true and that’s how it worked, think about the media landscape for a moment. Every story in every media outlet would be about a PR firm, right?

Of course, this isn’t to say that “PR-ing” doesn’t have its place. Publicity, as we pros call it, is undoubtedly a great vehicle for interesting characters and stories, but in no way does it fully encompass the full extent of public relations. Publicity is also not the same as media relations – in fact, I work with some businesses to keep them OUT of the media or to simply maintain good relationships when confronted with an issue (we call this “closed shop media”). So again, publicity is part of media relations which is part of public relations. Advertising is part of public relations. How you were greeted by your waitress today is public relations.

And while we’ll always recognize that publicity is a key component of any good marketing campaign, for an agency or practitioner’s abilities to be equated solely to publicity is a waste of good counsel. You need a great story, a good hook, proper timing, tenacity, the contacts and yes, a little luck. A good stunt now and again is fun, as is a press release duct taped to a pizza and sent to the newsroom.

Admittedly, this is just a minor rant from a word junkie hooked on technicalities, but it serves as a reminder to us, the PR-ers of the world, of the need to explain the foundations of our practice which we so often take for granted. Just as we tell our newbies that Public Relations is far more than event planning, we must also ensure that our clients recognize that what we are doing is communicating.

So, don’t confuse PR with publicity. You don’t ‘ing’ PR. But, done right, we promise to sING your praises to your publics and get the phones to rING with leads, and if someone dINGs you in cyberspace we’ll be sure to brING out a little PR magic.[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember]