5 things to consider when hiring a PR brand.

Maybe you’re a small business owner, buzzing entrepreneur, industry professional or a startup company who’s had a dramatic fall in recent bad coverage and need someone with expertise to aid in crisis management, or you just need that extra push in spreading the word about your company’s brand. A PR firm can help shape the voice of your company and, more importantly, the public’s opinion of your product or service. In the nutshell they fuss about your brand when you don’t have to, to create awareness.

However, finding a suitable PR firm can be difficult as there are several companies out there screaming the very same things you think you might need, but in reality a number of them may not be the right fit for your particular business. The right PR firm can efficiently and effectively partner with your company, reflect your brand, and stay on top of emerging trends.

Here are 5 key things to consider which I strongly recommend you keep in mind:

What is their history and background?

Of course I am not referring to their nationality or their postcode! You should definitely find out how long they’ve been running for. If they are still relatively new to the industry, perhaps they’ve come from working at a bigger firm to setting up their own establishment; or even under the circumstances faced a great deal of obstacles (whether it may be financially or reputation) before finding their feet. Believe me it pays to find out as early as possible.

Know what you’re trying to achieve in advance.

It’s absolutely crucial to know what you talking about before approaching a PR agency. Make sure you have a clear and concise answer to your question ‘what am I trying to accomplish?’ Having a clear view of your goals will make hiring the right PR agency that can help you accomplish those goals much simpler.

You’ll be surprise how much a little research goes a long way.

What clients have they worked with?

True PR experts will have the skills to identify what your brand really needs and to understand the message you want to convey to your prospects. The more clients/brands they have worked for, the greater the chances that they have been tried and tested in a variety of situations. Knowing this might put things in perspective for you, giving you that little bit of confidence to work alongside that agency with ease ready to conquer the market.

Are they as proficient in providing the services you required?

In order to succeed and make a profit, business must therefore aim to identify and satisfy the needs of its customers. The purpose of PR is to help the business achieve these aims. Today because the industry has been so saturated with a lot of PR firms, some will excel in one area but fall flat in another. Make sure when you are researching for the right company that they include some traditional values to their services such as print media, press release distribution, social media presence, content marketing, television and radio to say the least, not to mention that some will even go as far to outline these strategies. All in all to increase awareness to your brand.

Check out their website.

This is a brilliant way to check out any PR expert or agency. We live in the internet age. In case some of the so called experts don’t have a website, you should take our advice and don’t look back. On the other hand, not all PR experts and agencies that have a website are necessarily great ones (guess this leaves room for discussion for another blog).

Again have to put emphasis on research – the more you discover the better. Have a look through their website thoroughly. See what type of content they are using and what effect it has on you and where you visualise your brand in a year time perhaps. You should be able to find content that explains how they address specific issues and problems related to PR as well as marketing. There should also be a list of benefits they are offering prospective customers.

Hope you gained a little out of this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Love to you all,

Michael