Clients want an enviable reputation.
But many of them are clueless about how to get there.
So, they invite pitches from public relations agencies.
And this is what most invitations look like:
"We are XYZ, a leading player in the ABC industry. We are growing at X% at present and are on the way to exponential growth in the future. We are looking to engage a PR agency to unleash the next round of growth. Please submit your proposal by a given date."
There are no details about their plan.
There is a blank about the spokespersons.
There is absolute silence on budget.
There is no clarity on the timeframe.
They expect the pitching agencies to prepare by collecting information on their own. But they want them to promise definite deliveries.
In the absence of adequate information, most agencies end up over-promising.
No wonder that the outcome of the engagement is far from what was desired by the client.
You don't have to commit these mistakes.
Give a clear brief.
- Share your plan. At least, the outline.
- Share details about the spokespersons.
- Define a budget.
- Give a clear timeframe for the engagement.
Remember, information is power and only an informed agency will have the strength to take you to your goal.
#PublicRelations #Marketing #StrategyVerse
Founder at CFO Partners and RealTime Finance
8moGreat article Nick. The insight into an agency’s financial performance that data analytics can bring can be transformative. As a CFO, working with creative agencies I have seen jaws drop when presenting the reality of profitability analysis by client/product or recoverability analysis. How often do we let scope creep eat into our profits? How long do we keep over servicing an old client? Are we taking on an unprofitable contract or brief that will only ensure we are just ‘busy fools’? Data driven reviews don’t always sit comfortably within a creative agency and there is often a journey to go on to embed analytics into the business, not just at the SLT level but developing a cascade of KPIs and metrics that ensures that every role within the business recognises that they have a part to play in business performance.