Yea, I was in a lather over the PR bashing meme from last week. So I put out the call to a handful of happy clients re: “What value do you get from a PR agency?”
Fortuitously, Mike Volpe of Hubspot was in the SHIFT HQ as I was drafting my original “Why Hire a PR Firm?” post. But several other clients offered to step-up in the PR industry’s defense – some via video, as in the example below, and some by offering to draft future guest posts for PR-Squared.
For what it’s worth, in all cases, you’ll be hearing from happy clients of our agency. But, we specifically noted that we were not looking for an endorsement of SHIFT. Rather, we asked our clients to talk in broad strokes about what value they get and/or expect from their big investments in outside PR agencies.
For as much as the bloggers like to vent (rightfully so) at bad PR practices, there’s plenty of great work going on, too. More to the point: companies of all sizes continue to invest significant portions of their Marketing budget to PR agencies, and they expect a Return on that Investment. These are the folks who deserve to demand excellence of PR. Let’s hear from them.
Samantha Stone, VP Marketing, Dataupia - Value of a PR Firm.
Once I’ve exhausted the guest posts and videos, I’ll recap the most common themes re: the value of PR agencies, from the clients’ perspective, in a future entry.
Meanwhile, this post provides yet another rousing defense of the industry. Press on!
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Great points by Samantha:
* “intense focus by a dedicated group who does this all day long”
This is definitely valuable. HomeAway.com has an in-house PR team that is easily as good as any agency. But the key is having someone dedicated to focused effort. If you’re an entrepreneur who can’t afford an agency, then you have to find the resources in-house.
* “objectivity, outside-in approach”
My experience is that the need for this is function of the nature of the product/service. Perhaps this is more of a problem with complex B2B products.
Todd:
I saw your tweet about comments. Happy to help out;]
You seem to be dealing with an enlightened client base, but also a roster of clients with very enlightened general management. When push comes to axe-wielding CFO, agency fees always seem to make an inviting target.
“Who are these people?” “What do they do?” “Isn’t that what we pay YOU for?”
Weighed against the more tangible deliverables of other outside services (I know, tangible is in the eye) the wind starts blowing in a fairly predictable direction.
This series has great value for us agency types who are willing to share it with our clients. Consider it an inoculation
I know I will.
Or shall, if we’re back on the grammar thing.
Hey Todd,
Great idea for a series of blogs, but I think you are fighting the wrong battle here. We all know PR is nearly impossible to define, and the ROI at times is murky at best, rather, the real question I see, is how are bloggers, journalists, and 3rd party companies making it easier for people to reach each other and engage in conversation.
For instance, a PR pro working on a blog target list might have to deal with online only email forms and no email address for contributors. They can leave comments, but sometimes this is not entirely appropriate. Also, Twitter and Friendfeed are solid tools, but lack the direct communication that can strengthen a relationship. Not to mention the sites blur the line between ridiculous personal posts and solid business oriented content.
We both know there is bad PR out there, but the reality is, there is bad blogging as well.
I wonder what would happen if newspapers/bogs/magazines took the time to effectively post bios and beats of their reporters online. The reporters could then also list their interests outside of their beat, which they may cover from time to time. Sure the amount of time would be substantial, but a PR pro could easily do their job, ultimately cutting down on frivolous and blind pitching. (Think Cision but accurate and not just a one-way bashing)
I have worked in both sides and know the pressure journalists are feeling today. Increased workloads, tight deadlines, declining revenues and everyday folks becoming blogging “experts.” But I also know the media wishes there was something else out there to make things better. That is the conversation I think we should be having: How can the media increase their visibility while keeping their sanity? And how can PR firms help?
Todd,
you said “For as much as the bloggers like to vent (rightfully so) at bad PR practices, there’s plenty of great work going on, too.”
Gotta love PR Bashing- but I was pleased to see one of the top bloggers Chris Brogan acknowledge good PR approaches (which happened to be by one of my favorite colleagues) http://www.chrisbrogan.com
It was a nice break from the embarrassing and damaging copy and past press release pitch that we have seen so many PR people being confronted lately with being posted on blogs
-Hilarye
A little off the subject: I just love the way you speak to your clients so honestly. I work in traditional advertising and am always promoting open, honest communication. If you’re doing a good job there’s no reason not to be, right?
@Lally - thanks for the “pity comment” and for the kind words.
@Tim - I now have a new blog post idea thanks to you. Stay tuned.
@Hillarye - Yes, Chris’s post was appreciated but all too rare. How do I know? Cuz he felt compelled to email me privately about the fact that he’d said something nice about a PR person. We KNOW there’s more good work going on than that.
@Amy - Since I know you value brevity: “honesty is the best policy.” Really.
Todd:
Glad to see your head-on take on the issue of agency ROI. While it’s clear that PR is often considered a discretionary spend, especially in a soft economy, it’s incumbent on each of us to earn our seat at the boardroom table.
It’s not just about the media coverage or quality of interviews we secure for our clients. Proving our value is ultimately more about truly knowing their business, their market and providing insightful, actionable counsel to help them attain their associated goals of thought leadership and growth in sales, profitability and corporate valuation.