Five things to consider when hiring a PR firm

This year has been a business development year for Buzz Marketing. In the past, I have been fortunate in that business, for the most part, has come to me. Ironically, I haven’t had to spend much time marketing myself or my business. Now, you may think I’m a hypocrite since I’m constantly preaching the power of marketing a business; however, being that Buzz Marketing only has one employee (me), I only need a certain number of clients to sustain my business and haven’t had trouble doing so. But, none the less we should all be constantly be marketing our businesses regardless of how busy we are because marketing helps to build our brand and establishes credibility. When we lose a client it’s already too late at that point to fill the void. I too learned that lesson the hard way!

This year has been a whole new ball game! I have spent the year actually marketing my business and seeking out clients. In doing so, I met an appalling amount of business owners that have engaged the efforts of a PR firm and were “burned” as many put it. I can’t tell you how many times I heard people complain about PR firms making lofty promises and not delivering. So what does this mean? To me it means perhaps businesses aren’t doing their due diligence before hiring a firm. Here are five things to consider when hiring a PR firm:

1. References – talk to former clients. Ask them how the firm operates, how the campaign or efforts affected their business, did they deliver on their promises, etc.

2. Contacts – much of PR is based on contacts. Find out where their contacts are; locally, regionally, nationally, etc. Are they bloggers, analysts, journalists, TV producers or all of the above? What kind of relationship do they have with these contacts? Is the firm well liked by the media? Perhaps even ask for a media reference.

3. Representation – many times the owner of a firm will meet with potential clients, sign the deal and pass it off to a Jr. account executive or even someone just out of college with little to no experience. Make sure you know who will be working on your account.

4. Past campaigns – ask for samples of past campaigns or examples of coverage received. See the types of stories they are pitching and the coverage they are securing. Ask for an idea of what you can expect in the first few months of working together.

5. Personality – make sure you can relate to and will enjoy working with the person(s) who will be working on your account. Not all personalities will mesh and that’s ok. Make sure they have enthusiasm for your product, understand your business values and know how to have fun.

Of course there are many more things to consider, these are just a few very important ones that came to mind. Be picky, ask questions, get references and CONTACT the references. I had several potential clients in the past year ask me for references but never bothered to call them, then hired another firm and came back later and said they were displeased with the results. This is beyond frustrating!

Despite all the precautions you can take, you still have to take a chance and trust the process when hiring a firm. Have realistic expectations and realize that PR and marketing takes time, nothing happens overnight.

5 Responses to “ Five things to consider when hiring a PR firm ”

1. Patrick Pawling says:

   October 27, 2009 at 2:56 am

   Great advice – especially the part about trusting the process once a client has signed with a PR firm, because it does take time. I would add that potential clients should be careful about firms that over promise. Sometimes firms will go for easy “hits” with small publications, for example, to fulfill their promises. But the time and energy that goes into three singles might be better spent wooing a potential home run. That’s where communication about goals and risk/reward comes in.
2. leslie says:

   October 27, 2009 at 10:55 am

   Hi Patrick,

   Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you liked the post. What I will say however is that those “easy hits” in small publications are also very important. Although they may be read or seen by a more segmented audience sometimes those are more closely your target market. I think anything and everything you can get is important and increases visibility for a business. Many small hits are just as important as one BIG hit and everything should be a focus of a good PR firm. Just my two cents

   Thanks again for commenting, I hope you’ll continue to read my blog!
3. Jigar says:

   June 10, 2010 at 12:26 am

   Hi Leslie,

   This is Jigar Patel from Ahmedabad, India.
   We are both member of LinkedIn’s Media Professional World Wide, from their I got your contact detail.

   Thanks for your PR firm article, you have highlighted vital points, I’m appreciating your efforts and your In depth knowledge.

   before hiring PR agency, Its very essential for any client to know agency’s background and their client reference.

   We are also into Media and Publishing Group, I have 12 + years sales and marketing experience.

   Keep mailing!

   Kind regards,
   Jigar
4. leslie says:

   June 10, 2010 at 12:36 pm

   Hi Jigar,

   Thanks for you note and for reading my blog. I hope you’ll continue to do so.

   Best,
   Leslie
5. Jigar says:

   June 14, 2010 at 11:48 pm

   Hi Leslie,

   Thanks for your mail. Certainly I will read your Blog. Keep mailing!