It’s no secret that as the PR and communications function has had to evolve to adopt advanced marketing tactics for holistic outreach and promotion – so too has the agency field. More sources for information, more savvy buyers and more sophisticated technology has made these roles a bit of a gauntlet – we must carefully navigate the obstacle course, choose the right doors, and make the right decisions to reach the outcomes we desire. A challenge, yes, but also a tremendous opportunity.
Breaking through the noise and differentiating your agency from your competitors requires a precise formula of sharing the right messages, with the right people, at the right time for your clients. Being flexible, able to adapt to change and finding the right tools and technology is also key. Here’s a few tips on how to meet (and exceed) the challenges and opportunities of demonstrating the value of your agency:
- Go beyond the scope of traditional PR. This means providing greater value and a wider range of services, such as social, content and digital in-house. It also means working across paid, owned and earned channels and demonstrating how combining the channels can augment your clients efforts and provide more measureable results.
- Instill data-driven mindsets. Embrace big data. Don’t just use the phrase – infuse it into your everyday activities. How can you obtain unique data from your client? Are you deciphering that data to help inform their business decisions? Is any of the data interesting enough for media coverage? How else can you quantify the efforts of your agency?
- Specialist subsets. Industries, media and influencers continue to become more specialized in our world of infobesity. General categories or topics of interest can oftentimes be too broad. If your agency has a specialty or niche, dig deep into the subsets of your industry in order to be more knowledgeable of the subjects and also develop deeper relationships with the media and influencers that cover those topics. For example, instead of just Travel, add specialties in regions (U.S., New York, Overseas and types of travel, such as Air, Cruise or even Backpacking.)
- A voracious appetite for new tools. Understanding how and when to utilize new tools that will make your clients more efficient and advising them effectively on how to allocate their spend on these tools can help not only your client, but save time and money for your agency to pursue additional projects with that client that move the needle.
- Bring the bacon with audience insights. Remember how we talked about “right message, right audience, right time”? Knowing who your clients’ audience really is (not who you think they are), where they gather and what their preferences are is crucial to the success of any marketing communications program, and the more information you can offer your client, the better. Helping the client do this important research and persona gathering can make a monumental difference when executing your strategy.
Thinking more broadly about the services you offer, using the right tools, partnering with the right vendors and hiring the right staff that address the pain points of your clients will ensure that your agency is positioned to better service your clients over the long-term as well as open new opportunities.
Looking for more ways to boost your agency’s demand? Read the PR Newswire guide: Today’s Large Agencies: Demonstrating Value in a Multichannel Universe.
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