Fall in love with your PR
I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for a bit of romance. There’s nothing quite like being on the receiving end of a lovely sentiment, a bit of spontaneity, a thoughtful gift, a cute text message or some quality time with the one you love.
The rush and excitement of a new relationship often means that these gestures are a regular occurrence in those first few weeks and months, however, how do you make sure the spark stays lit as the months and years progress? Some don’t manage it, of course. But many do. And for those that do, that effort, that proactiveness, the freshness and willingness to keep things interesting and not give up, makes for a long a happy life with their perfect partner. Which got me thinking… can the same be true of a PR relationship? And just what is needed to ensure it’s built to last?
Commitment
As with any relationship, commitment is key. You want to feel the other party sees a future and is willing to work towards that with you, together. Engaging a PR agency is a big commitment in itself and for most, a huge part of their marketing spend. You want dedication and it needs to last. It can’t just be all roses at the beginning to impress then effort and contact slowly dwindles over time. Commitment needs to last. Remember, if you’re not important to your PR’s payroll, you’re not important enough.
Trust
Trust goes hand in hand with honesty and ensuring you select the right PR who can actually do what they say they’re going to do and keep all the promises they made to get you on that first date (ok…pitch day, but let’s keep it romantic!) Let them prove themselves, they’re the experts and know how to do this. Poor PRs will soon be exposed. But trust also works both ways – make sure your PR listens to your business objectives and trusts your industry knowledge and the way you want your marketing plans to go. Collaboratively, this can make or break a relationship.
Keep It Fresh
At the start of any relationship, the excitement and buzz is enough to keep everything fresh and engaging and swimming along nicely. But over time, the ‘newness’ wears off and the willingness to do things is met with objection, especially as other priorities take hold. You should always be a priority for your PR. Make sure they are coming to you with something new and an enthusiasm to keep the campaign alive. A new quarterly theme is key to ensure everything stays fresh. Engage with a PR who is will to court you and who never stops trying to impress!
Humour
What’s a relationship without a sense of humour and fun to it? Flick through most of the personal ads and GSOH is a key requirement for many of those looking for love. Expediting your marketing plans can be full on at times but with a PR partner working with you to keep things light-hearted yet practical, it can be great fun and creativity can really blossom. Working with people you like and actually want to be around is a key part of making any collaboration successful, so ensuring your PR team are actually nice people to work with is always a bonus.
Independence
Everyone needs their own space at times and as much as you love each other, each party in any relationship needs some time away to do their own thing and focus on what they need or enjoy. The same is true of a PR partnership. Hand in hand with trust, giving your PR independence to get on with the job in hand, be creative and deliver on what they’ve promised will ultimately result in a team that gets results and can showcase just how good they are when sometimes left to their own devices.
Respect
Respect underpins any successful relationship, whether it’s love, friendship, family, professional or other. With respect, all the above will come hand in hand, meaning a solid foundation for a relationship to thrive. Respect – both ways – is key. Your PR must respect your position in the industry and take on board your business objectives for engaging with them, your ways of operating and work around these to ensure they are there for you as and when required. Similarly, you’ve engaged a PR for a reason – respect their experience, their advice and that their end goal is always with you in mind.
Are you looking for your perfect PR? Let us help you fall in love this Valentine’s Day and get a date with us to discuss your 2018 PR strategy. Get in touch: prworks@neopr.co.uk
