Selecting a public relations agency to support your brand’s visibility efforts can be challenging. In many ways, they will be an extension of your internal communications team and a key support to you day-to-day and in times of crisis. It is important to choose an agency whom you can trust and rely on.
But like all relationships, how can you tell they are the right one for the long haul?
Well, unfortunately, no one can accurately predict the future and all relationships have good times and bad.
The key is to probe and ask the right questions of the agencies under consideration for the important role of expanding your brand’s visibility. Here is a short-list of questions to guide you:
What is the agency’s approach to client work? Inquire on examples of their approach to other client’s work – how they manage the relationship, who do they report to within the client, how open they are to guidance from the client and how the client perceives their relationship. Remember to ask for references with those client contacts and conduct those references one-to-one.
What experience does the agency have in your industry? This question is meant to uncover the contacts they have within the industry, the depth of relationships with journalists who specialize in that field and potential work/past work with competitors.
Who will be working on your account? Consistent and sustained time allotted by agency senior management to your account is important in terms of ensuring quality of work and strategic oversight. It also indicates the level of importance of your business to the agency. There should also be a sizeable presence by mid-career staff with several junior staff. You may want to oversee hiring for the account manager who will handle your account at the agency and make that a contingency of engagement.
What is the culture of the agency? This is more important that it appears and may be something observed rather than stated. Most agencies have the same ethos of open collaboration, trust, respect, and hard work that they will inform you of but there is an underlying culture at the agency that will be apparent in pitch meetings and calls during the selection phase. Is the senior member of the account inclusive and inviting each team member to pitch, present their ideas, and answer questions? Is the culture more hierarchical? How does the team interact with the senior leaders at your brand? Do they feel comfortable with them? This will be important as your primary spokesperson is often the CEO.
How will the agency add long-term value to your existing efforts? Their answer will demonstrate how much research they have done on your brand and industry and the depth of their strategic ability. A good agency will answer this question before it is asked preferably in the proposal response and further elaborated in the pitch.
What measurement tools will the agency use to meet your expectations quarterly and annually? Measurements should always be set by the client and mapped out in your strategic plan. You will need to probe to understand the type of tools used in-house whether customized or off-the-shelf and whether each member of the account team is familiar with those tools and comfortable with measurement overall.
The perfect agency does not exist and there will be up to 3 months of onboarding and skills sharing between the internal team and the agency. It is similar to hiring new staff. The key is to remain patient and help guide them forward. Their success will, in the end, be your brand’s success as well.
Need help with an agency selection process or guidance on a current engagement? Contact Coyle Communications at info@coylecomms.com.
