How to Find the Right PR Company

Using PR strategies can make or break your brand so it is vital you find the right PR company fit for your company’s vision. PR professionals help to create a positive brand reputation as well as manage crises should the need arise. 
What does a PR company do? A good PR company helps a brand image through:

1. Reputation management- all those tools and methods that brands use to ensure that their image remains positive in the eyes of their target audience.
   
   
2. Social media-Has allowed PR to reach a larger target audience. PR and social media have allowed brands to be more inviting and approachable. Engaging with influencers is vital because third party endorsements are seen as more trustworthy as opposed to paid endorsements. Brands need to find the right influencer that aligns with their goals and not engage an influencer because of a large following.
   
   
3. Press releases- Press releases are used to announce a new product, service, or idea to a target audience. Unlike advertisements, a press release should be unbiased and factual.
   
   
4. Crisis management- Although like reputation management, crisis management is reactive in shaping negative public opinion whereas reputation management is a preventative measure and ongoing. Crisis management involves identifying a crisis and planning response and resolving said crisis.

In finding the right PR company they should be able to help a brand with the above. You want an agency that will help your brand to grow. With that said, a few criteria should be met when searching for the right fit for your brand. Here are a few:

1. Establish PR goals

Determining what you want PR to accomplish is a necessary step. What do you want your PR strategies to achieve for your brand? PR works when it aligns with your objectives. If the goal is to achieve brand awareness or to have a more prominent social media presence the PR firm should be able to help achieve your aim. For this to happen the company should have connections with influencers on social media for example.
 

1. Determine budget

Having a clear budget on how much you are willing to spend on PR. You need to establish of you can retain a PR firm on an ongoing basis or for a one-off project. The PR firm should work within your budget and still be able to maximize the effectiveness of a PR strategy.
 

1. Ensure the PR firm understands what you do

You want to hire a PR firm that is a specialist. A PR firm that has expertise in the industry your business is in will be a better match than a PR firm that has little to no knowledge of the industry. A PR firm that specialises in real estate would not be a good fit to get your technology service connected to the right people. 
 

1. Understand what they do

You need to understand the track record of the PR firm. You need to establish credibility and profitability from working with a firm. Examine their websites and get feedback from past or current customers to validate their skills and competence. Do they listen to ideas? Do they present specific strategies and ideas? Are they well connected to journalists?  These are some questions that are important to note in understanding a PR firm.

1. What size PR firm is right for you

There are advantages to hiring a small or a large PR firm. Small firms promise personal service and are usually more specialised. Larger firms on the other hand are usually impersonal and take on clients who have a large budget and these firms usually work in teams with varied knowledge and experience. Larger firms tend to have a wider reach and huge relationship network. However, your budget usually determines the size of firms you can afford.
 

1. Don’t ignore the importance of chemistry

A PR firm must be qualified and result-driven but equally as important is chemistry. You will be working with a PR firm often, so you want to select one that you are excited to work with. A successful relationship is dependent on mutual respect and compatibility to foster a profitable work relationship.

1. Define expectations

To avoid surprises and poor results, both you and the PR company must have transparency on what is expected from both of you. The partnership won't work unless you know what you are trying to achieve as well as what they can offer. You want to ensure tasks are clear and understood.

1. Do your research

There are a lot of firms to choose from which might get overwhelming and time-consuming. Get recommendations from colleagues about companies they have used. You want to assess the good and bad traits of that company, the overall experience of that firm. When doing your research, you want to pay keen attention to third party endorsements like testimonials that support the PR firm’s success claims.
 
 
 

1. Measurement of Success​

When a company engages in a PR campaign the aim is to create brand awareness and foster a good brand reputation. Knowing what metric of success a company prefer will help to assess the profitability of a PR campaign and possibly highlight the downfall which and be examined and improved upon.  You want to ensure they utilise the most appropriate and accurate metric of success. There are a variety of tools and methods used to calculate this impact in the digital market such as brand mentions, engagement on social media and website traffic to name a few.
PR is a critical element in successful business communications. When done well, it can have a positive effect, just as a poorly handled issue can promptly become a crisis. Selecting the right agency is so important since selecting the wrong one will not only waste time but cost you money.

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