Your PR partners, the PR firm you work with are more than just a clip machine. Getting you coverage is not their only job or skill not it is always possible to get you the number of clips that you expect. PR firms today play a more strategic role and are capable of advising you on not only how to increase your brand’s visibility but also defend in times of crisis. There are hundreds of reasons why should work with a qualified PR partner, I am just listing 5 that most important ones.
- Your PR consultants (some still prefer to call them as agency), work hard to understand your brand and they would stand with you when you need them the most. Their work never ends and believe me it is not that easy this side. They will take all your tantrums, aggression, and anger and still be with you in good and bad times, in success or crisis, be thrilled on the positive stories and worried when the negative story appears. They are always eating, drinking and sleeping your brand
- They are the people you can trust, within the organizations, there would be individuals who could have agendas, but your PR partner is an external entity, their only goal is to safeguard and build your reputation. You can trust them with your ideas and seek guidance when required.
- Your PR partners have worked on brands like yours before, they have experienced everything that might go wrong, and you actually hire them for their experience, then listen to them. Your brand is attacked for wrong reasons by media or on social media, you may want to give it back, sue the offenders, but your PR partners might offer you a dispassionate counsel, this perspective can lead to better results.
- If you are willing to listen to them, they will tell you straight what can work and what will not, it’s their job to tell you honestly how the media will pursue their pitch, what media expects, what to avoid etc., it is just that you need to trust them a bit. Take confrontation in the right spirit and encourage open dialogue, even if you are to be proven wrong.
- Your PR partners understand digital engagement better than any other marketing services provider. Yet some organizations shy away from digital even today. It doesn’t matter if you are there on social media or not, if you are in business, you will be part of the conversations that affect consumers. Your PR partners understand this landscape, they can help you build social media strategies to complement your traditional PR efforts. Social media is just another extension of public relations for your PR partners and they are best in the game.
Apart from the above, there are many more reasons, why PR partners are important for any organization, media relations is just one of the many jobs they do.
In my two decades of experience in this domain, I have seen many corporate communications professionals, entrepreneurs and industry leaders who have a real knack of getting the best of their PR partners. They don’t refer to them as vendors or agency people but treat them as their extended team. They take out time to listen to the ground problems and work together to remove the roadblocks. I have seen otherwise as well, where both lose. Would love to hear your experience and thoughts