Running a successful marketing program requires teamwork, understanding and lots of hard work. When picking a PR agency partner – or when evaluating the success of an ongoing program – it’s important to feel like the relationship is thriving. Does your agency really “get” you and know what you need? Here are nine ways to tell whether your PR relationship is working:
- They know who you sell to. A good agency should know who your customers are, the personas of those within the organization who most influence the buying decision and what motivates them. This should enable the agency to propose communications strategies, campaign ideas, storylines and content that helps drive lead generation and mindshare.
- They know who covers your market. Getting in front of the right media, influencers, analysts and podcasters is crucial to any successful PR program. Your agency should know who frequently writes about news, trends and innovations relevant to your business. Does your agency know which publications and analyst reports your customers really pay attention to versus just the biggest names or those with the widest circulation? Do they have relationships with the editors who handle contributed article submissions?
- They know how to make you stand out from the competition. Developing messages and tactics that get you noticed in crowded markets can be hard. Does your agency know how to capitalize on your strengths and leverage your competitors’ weaknesses when telling your story? Are your strengths and differentiators reflected in the coverage you get?
- They come to you with creative ideas you can use. Whether it’s campaign concepts, storylines, content suggestions like podcasts, eBooks, infographics, or even just catchy titles for contributed articles, does your agency consistently deliver new and different ideas that help you get noticed? Are they actionable, i.e., affordable, realistic, and well-targeted to your customers?
- They can write coherently about what you do. Content is crucial to modern marketing and PR. Can the PR agency demonstrate that they’re great at taking the expertise of your internal subject matter experts and turning it into exceptional, even memorable content? Can they show consistency when doing it? How much work do you have to put into steering and correcting the agency from concept to outline to finished product? Are they proposing content ideas you haven’t thought of yourself? They should be.
- They know how to leverage content. Most companies create content continuously but also have a library of evergreen assets. Like a white paper, one foundational piece can be repurposed into a contributed article, eBook, media pitch or infographic. Does your agency know how to recognize the gems in your content library and mine them for added value?
- They keep you informed. Are they explaining with complete transparency where your PR budget goes/ Do you understand the role of each PR team member? Are they proactively updating you on the status of projects and deliverables?
- They can quantify success. How are they mapping your PR results to your business goals? Does the agency have an objective methodology for tracking the impact and value of the coverage they generate?
- They care about results. Ultimately, what matters most is whether your PR program is moving the needle for your broader marketing program. Can your PR agency demonstrate that they’ll go the extra mile to generate the results that matter to you? Will they commit to metrics and KPIs?
How many boxes does your agency check? If it’s not enough, let’s chat. Because at Voxus, we get you.