There are 47,800 PR people in Britain. That’s twice the number of NHS Dentists. That’s double as many people as those licensed to give you a manicure. That’s 13 PR professionals for every company listed on the London Stock Exchange.
It’s a wide sphere of skills and ability – ranging from those that can really help transform your business to those who you wish you’d never met. If you’re looking to hire a PR agency or a PR consultant how do you know that you’re picking from the top of the industry? The process is rarely straight-forward but it must start with a clear picture from you of what you want to get out of PR. Marketing in general is a discipline that is full of vague guidelines for measuring success. But if you know your business well enough you should have an idea of what you want to change. Perhaps it’s better name awareness so the sales teams find it easier to connect with prospects? Perhaps it’s industry recognition for the innovative work your organisation is doing? Perhaps it’s traffic to your website or an increase in sales of a particular product?
It’s interesting that PR agencies talk about success in so many different ways. Measuring the advertising spend equivalent (sorry, you’ll never get me to buy into that), counting cuttings, before and after media audits. There are numerous feel good factors about appearing in print too – better staff morale, assisting recruitment, customer satisfaction. They’re all valid. But for most organisations, the PR spend is justified by the impact it’s going to have on the bottom line.
It sometimes seems that organisations want PR because their competitors have it. Some organisations are unprepared for the contribution they will have to make, uncomfortable with the revelations and demand for opinion, and unsure what the real point is. But there are 47,800 people fighting tooth and nail to convince them that PR is the answer.
It’s only ever the answer if you’ve actually worked out the question.
Know your business objective before embarking on a PR campaign. The best PR professionals can help you devise a strategy, can create compelling campaigns, can get you noticed. But without a true goal in mind you might just as well get your teeth cleaned or your nails done.
It’s a wide sphere of skills and ability – ranging from those that can really help transform your business to those who you wish you’d never met. If you’re looking to hire a PR agency or a PR consultant how do you know that you’re picking from the top of the industry? The process is rarely straight-forward but it must start with a clear picture from you of what you want to get out of PR. Marketing in general is a discipline that is full of vague guidelines for measuring success. But if you know your business well enough you should have an idea of what you want to change. Perhaps it’s better name awareness so the sales teams find it easier to connect with prospects? Perhaps it’s industry recognition for the innovative work your organisation is doing? Perhaps it’s traffic to your website or an increase in sales of a particular product?
It’s interesting that PR agencies talk about success in so many different ways. Measuring the advertising spend equivalent (sorry, you’ll never get me to buy into that), counting cuttings, before and after media audits. There are numerous feel good factors about appearing in print too – better staff morale, assisting recruitment, customer satisfaction. They’re all valid. But for most organisations, the PR spend is justified by the impact it’s going to have on the bottom line.
It sometimes seems that organisations want PR because their competitors have it. Some organisations are unprepared for the contribution they will have to make, uncomfortable with the revelations and demand for opinion, and unsure what the real point is. But there are 47,800 people fighting tooth and nail to convince them that PR is the answer.
It’s only ever the answer if you’ve actually worked out the question.
Know your business objective before embarking on a PR campaign. The best PR professionals can help you devise a strategy, can create compelling campaigns, can get you noticed. But without a true goal in mind you might just as well get your teeth cleaned or your nails done.
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