Finding the right public relations agency can transform a business’s fortunes for the better overnight. Skilled PR professionals generate coverage and exposure that help companies reach new audiences while fine-tuning their image.
As with any other kind of partnership, businesses that communicate and cooperate efficiently can make their PR agencies even more effective. Heeding the following six tips will make collaborating with any PR agency more productive.
1. Make Your Goals and Expectations Plain
Hiring a PR agency is exciting, especially for small-business owners who might not have done so before. PR agencies like Violet PR consistently produce results that make their value clear.
Once a relationship has been established, be upfront about what you hope for. Failing to do so will mean forcing the PR agency to take the wheel, and that will not always serve a business’s needs and preferences well.
Fortunately, most PR agencies will make the setting of expectations a central part of the onboarding process. Participate actively and eagerly when asked questions and make sure you are clear about everything you hope for from the relationship.
2. It is Better to Anticipate Than to React
A finely tuned PR operation can start to seem like a machine that simply runs on its own. In reality, there will always be times when PR professionals need to make requests of their partners or otherwise engage them in the process.
Unfortunately, some business owners fall into the trap of failing to account for how future developments could impact PR activity. Before heading off on a long sales trip, for instance, it will always be best to touch base with a PR agency to make sure everyone is on the same page. That will make frantic phone calls and other hurried reactions less likely to be required later on.
3. Always Aim for Clarity
PR professionals strive to become masters at communicating and shaping narratives. Business owners will do well too, at the very least, be as clear and direct as possible in their communications with PR agencies.
Failing to do so can mean allowing misunderstandings to fester. In the best of cases, that might mean allowing a bit of valuable PR activity to go to waste. In the worst, it can undo the effects of months’ or years’ worth of difficult public relations efforts.
4. Never be Afraid to Ask Questions
Even especially versatile entrepreneurs find certain aspects of PR work mystifying or even off-putting. Feel free to ask questions of any kind and at any time. That will keep you on track and give your agency a better idea of where you stand.
5. Keep Your PR Partners in the Loop
You should also always make sure your PR agency knows what is happening with your business. Even a relatively minor change of plans can merit a talk with your account manager.
6. Think About the Long Term
PR can be invaluable when developments make engaging with the public especially important. Effective PR can make even more of a difference over the course of years or even decades, though. Leveraging that fact requires some perspective and, sometimes, a bit of patience and trust.
A Transformative Relationship for Many Businesses
Signing on with a first PR agency or switching to a new one can open up many appealing options for a business. While your choice of the agency will always matter a great deal, how well you collaborate and contribute to the relationship will also be important.
