Promoting your business
Large or small, no agency can work miracles.
“Many SMEs seem to believe that, once they’ve signed with a PR agency, they can switch off and not worry about it,” continues Moskow. “This is not the case. Agencies need a lot of input from the client, particularly at the start of a campaign.”
PR also needs time – it takes a minimum of three months and sometimes six months or even longer to build a rapport with media relevant to your organisation, laying the foundations for a media programme that will bring success over the long term.
Even then there are no guarantees. Success is determined by a number of factors, many beyond the control of both you and your agency. For instance, your story could be pre-empted by the launch of a similar product or ousted by a major news event.
It’s also true that, unlike advertising, PR gives you very little control over your brand.
“What you say isn’t always what you read,” says Peta Ellis of Red Carpet Projects.
“Journalists don’t purposely misquote people, but they can be selective in what they use and how they present it. So don’t be surprised if occasionally something comes out that doesn’t exactly reflect what you were saying in an interview or, in the worst case scenario, is placed in a context that may be contrary to your expectations or desires.
”While, in most instances, media coverage will flow as you expect, there will also be times when you – and your agency if you have one – will be disappointed with the outcome. You might work hard to be included in a feature and then be left out. Or a journalist will interview you and the story won’t ever see the light of day. It’s important to set realistic levels of expectation, and to review disappointments with a view to learning from them.”