If you are looking to appoint a PR agency to boost your brand, it is useful to have key criteria in mind. These can include the agency’s credibility, network, creativity, expertise, process, team and costs.
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Here are a few top questions you might want to consider.
Credibility
Check if the agency has worked for similar clients
Awards received in previous years, if any
Important accreditations both for the agency and its team members are the CIPR and the PRCA
What is their reputation? This would need to be checked in advance given recent scandals in the PR industry
Network
Are they independent or do they belong to a network of agencies?
Independent agencies tend to be more flexible and creative (less corporate constraints).
Larger agencies have stronger networks - also internationally - and can deploy larger teams if and when needed.
Creativity
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Can the agency provide examples of creative work for similar clients?
Can their creative flair be aligned to your own brand?
Can they provide examples on how their creative ideas have achieved ‘virality’ on different communications channels?
Are they social media savvy? What social media channels did they use and for what purposes?
Expertise
What is their main expertise? Here you might want to consider:
Digital PR
SEO
content production
video production
event management
idea generation
surveys
media relations
social media
crisis communication
Media coverage
Can the agency provide examples of coverage from their campaigns: how do they measure (qualitative or quantitative)? What tool(s) do they use?
What media list can they provide to your business?
What publications have they worked with before?
What type of coverage will they provide?
Do they also provide media monitoring services?
Are they capable to handle crisis communications? Any examples of crisis the agency has handled in the past?
Team
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How junior / senior are the team members they are proposing to work with you?
How much of the senior people expertise will you receive?
How frequent is the interaction with the PR team? Will they be happy to schedule weekly calls / meetings?
Are they easy to meet in person?
Are the team members approachable? Are senior members approachable and available when needed?
What is their line management process? Do they work mainly with the PR function or are they used to work with Marketing as well? Are they marketing-literate? (i.e. when we talk about PPC, lead generation, funnel, domain authority…)
Costs
Are fees based on an average of hours spent or deliverables, or a combination of both?
How will they invoice (monthly, weekly, end of project)?
If you need any advice on your PR strategy feel free to get in touch at info@intelligoconsulting.co.uk
Thank you for reading.