If you have ever thought about your brand awareness and reputation management, you undoubtedly would have come across PR agencies.
These firms come in many different forms and of varying sizes and it can be daunting when trying to decide what kind of specific PR Services that you require.
Without a universal industry performance measure, it can be difficult to compare different PR agencies and how they can help you accomplish your specific goals. Luckily, there are still a variety of ways to gauge if a PR agency can help you.
Do you actually need it?
The first question, although painfully obvious, is to ask yourself if you truly need the services of a PR agency.
PR services do not come cheap and, even at low industry rates, will quickly build up over time. That is why it is crucially important that you identify specific brand goals that you want to achieve before searching for PR agencies in London.
On that note, I should add that PR and Marketing are similar but serve different purposes. A common pitfall that many businesses run into is that they focus efforts into PR while what they were actually trying to achieve should have been done through marketing, and vice versa.
If your goals are more closely aligned with building awareness for your brand and managing your reputation, a PR agency can much more effectively fill your needs.
Experience and Specialization
Now that you’ve decided that you want to hire a PR agency, you will have to get to the hard part: finding the right one.
As I mentioned before, there is no universally recognized quantitative measure of performance across all PR agencies, so judging between them does unfortunately bring a level of subjectivity.
With that being said, looking at the track record of a PR firm is still a good way to assess if they are a good fit for your needs. Look at their previous experience like publications, conferences, and ask for references. Any good firm will be more than willing to refer you to previous clients so that you can get a better understanding of their services.
In that vein, a firm’s specialization is another very important factor in deciding whether they can help you accomplish your goals. Hiring a firm that specializes in your specific industry will make the experience both more efficient and effective. They will come in with experience and techniques that are relevant to your industry’s needs and will be much better prepared than a firm that specializes in a different industry.
Realistic Goals
The firm that you hire should outline a realistic timeline with a tangible path to your intended goal. Seeing that they stick to that timeline should be a large deciding factor in whether or not you want to keep their services after hiring them.
Good PR doesn’t come in overnight, but there should be visible improvement within the first few months of working with a PR firm. If these months pass and a firm is falling behind and not producing results, then it is very reasonable to consider dropping them.
Remember – PR services aren’t cheap and you should not be wasting your time with a firm that cannot produce results.
Conclusion
Finding the right PR firm can be a tedious and complicated process, but putting in the time to find one that fits your needs can yield innumerable benefits to your business. With these steps that I have outlined (and a bit of patience and diligence), you can find the perfect PR service for your brand.
Jeff is a writer at Pearl Lemon Placements, editor, and researcher who spends most of her time reading. When He isn’t reading or working, He can be found sitting on her balcony writing her own novels or traveling.
