Early on, companies tend to cut marketing communications staff, often a little too deeply. Then they realize that there's still a lot of work that needs to get done to maintain or establish a market presence.
Public relations and other marketing services are essential to creating awareness, connecting with customers, building brands and driving sales. One key point of a recent survey from Aberdeen, mentions that in previous downturns, the firms that learned to market smarter have fared better than those that decreased their marketing budgets. Plus, after the economy bounced back, those firms that marketed during the downturn did better profitably. So, keep on generating the buzz!
If you are a start-up business or small to medium-sized company that is growing and running with a tight budget, oftentimes, it is best to outsource your PR to a boutique PR firm who eliminates the traditional, large agency inefficiencies by running lean, fast, and smart! No more retaining a "brand name" PR agency with a posh downtown address. No more paying for the name of a CEO who doesn't work directly on your account, and who typically hasn't contacted a reporter about a client in years. Here are some tips to finding the perfect PR team:
- Make sure that your agency has a conceptual understanding of your company, the technology and your marketplace—but don't look for a clone of yourself. Can they communicate with your target audiences? Their business acumen and industry experience should compliment your goals.
- Choose an agency that has experience in your industry, such as supply chain or healthcare. You hardly have the time to teach the agency about your products, let alone the industry and the issues/challenges facing that industry. * Location, location, location is out: You want to pay for results, not the view from your agency's office.
- Agencies love to drop names of contacts, but these may not be the right reporters, editors and analysts for your company. With downsizing and media mergers, journalists change jobs and beats frequently. Experienced pros develop new relationships as needed.
- Ask what they've accomplished for clients that are about your size and budget. The people showing you these results should be the same people who will do the actual work on your account.
- Chemistry counts—you'll have regular contact with your agency. Nobody will ever provide a bad reference, so trust your gut instinct. Marketing communications is an investment. Selecting a source that matches your company's culture and personality is likely to give you the best return.
- Make sure they're not just a recent victim of downsizing. Beware of someone taking on project work until a job offer comes along, or you risk work stopping in the middle of your project.
Written by Ranbir
