Tag Archives: Ad Agency PR

Ad Agencies Top 20 Topics for Publicity

Agencies often get so busy marketing their clients that they fail to market themselves.  Publicity is a great way to get your name out in the marketplace, whether its local consumer media, industry publications.  Not only is publicity free, but it also has much more credibility than advertising.

Agency executives sometimes overlook the breath of publicity opportunities that are available to them.  Here are my “Top 20 Topics” to consider:

  1. Agency awards
  2. New clients
  3. New employees
  4. Employee promotions
  5. Human interest stories about employees
  6. Community involvement
  7. Client promotional success stories
  8. Introducing a new service your agency is providing
  9. Services or commentary that address newsworthy topics/trends
  10. Appointments to boards
  11. Publications (articles, books, etc.)
  12. New offices/geographical expansion
  13. Mergers/strategic alliances
  14. Trends, projections, forecasts
  15. Speeches
  16. Sponsorships
  17. Mentoring programs
  18. Pro bono work
  19. Guest columns
  20. Case studies that could become feature stories

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Ad Agencies: Talking Points Help Your Clients Stay Focused During Interviews

Talking points – also known as key messages – have gotten a bum rap. For many people, the term “talking points” is synonymous with stonewalling and lack of candor.

Politicians, in particular, are adept at the art of saying what they want to say, regardless of the question they’re asked. If they don’t like the question, they silently make up their own and answer it, making sure they get their messages across.

There are, however, some good and honorable uses of talking points. For one thing, they help the person being interviewed stay focused and on track. It often helps to condense what you want to say into a sentence or two, to make sure you communicate succinctly and effectively.

In this age of sound bites, thinking through a few key points you want to make prior to an interview with a reporter is a must.

Talking points also can help you avoid landmines that otherwise could come back to bite you later on. Of course, it becomes obvious when a person is only spouting talking points, so they need to be used carefully to provide guidance to the conversation rather than being the conversation exclusively.

Recently I helped a couple of my clients develop talking points for situations they were facing. Just the process of working through the messaging was useful because it generated discussion about not only what should be said – and not said – but how the words we ultimately chose would come across to others.

If your agency hasn’t prepared your clients by helping them determine what to say and how to say it, beware that interviews can and sometimes do backfire, and the consequences may be far-reaching and unpleasant.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Media Survey Provides Insights for Ad Agencies

Journalists are broadening the ways they interact with PR professionals and other sources, and much of this interaction is coming through social media, according to the PRWeek/PR Newswire 2010 Media Survey.

The survey was conducted online, with 1,568 traditional and non-traditional media representatives and 1,670 PR practitioners completing it.

I found it particular interesting, though not surprisingly, that it is becoming more common for journalists to establish relationships with sources online.

The more traditional ways of pitching, while not dead, are certainly declining, and ad agencies need to adapt to new methods of reaching influential reporters.

Other noteworthy findings pertaining to social media include:

• 43% of journalists have been pitched through social networks, compared to 31% in 2009.

• 62% of PR professionals follow individual journalists and media outlets via social networks.

• 59% of traditional journalists are the author of a blog, whether personal or professional, and 31% are writing a blog for their traditional outlet, an increase from 28% in 2009.

• 44% of PR pros are choosing to circumvent traditional journalists for certain stories — 17% of respondents are pitching to traditional media outlets with less frequency; 66% are targeting bloggers more than before; and 45% are going directly to consumers more often.

• Journalists are also using blogs in their research, with 45% saying they’ve quoted a blog in an article. However, when researching a specific company, 90% of journalists are still acquiring information through the company’s Web site; 24% are using general blogs, and 23% are going to the company’s blog to get information on that specific business.

• While 34% of journalists say they use company blogs for general story research, 51% report they do not find company blogs useful, “pointing to a possible disconnect in how businesses are presenting information.”

• 43% of PR practitioners report using social networks to pitch the media, with 76% using Twitter and 49% using Facebook.

• 61% of journalists that have been pitched via social network have received pitches via Facebook, while 44% have received Twitter pitches. (Only 18% of journalists were getting Twitter pitches a year ago.)

• 84% of journalists consider e-mail the best way to receive story pitches; only 4% report the phone to be the best way to do so.

• 57% of journalists anticipate a decline in print circulation with an increased focus on the Web.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Ad Agencies: CMO Survey Finds Most Clients Satisfied with PR

A new survey from the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council finds that most marketers are satisfied with their agencies, with a majority ranking them as “pretty good” or ”extremely valuable.” Less than one in 10 of the respondents said they plan to switch ad agencies.

Only 14% of the respondents said they are looking for other PR representation.

According to a CMO Council news release, participants were drawn from every major region of the world and were representative of most vertical industry sectors and company sizes. Nearly 63 percent of respondents said they reported directly to the CEO, president or COO, while another 21 percent said they were accountable to a regional vice president, general manager or division/business group head.

Other key findings from The State Of Marketing: Outlook, Intentions and Investments for 2010 include:

• Clients are building new internal skills, and if you’re a traditional ad agency with a limited suite of standardized creative and media services, you’re likely to have less budget, control and influence with your client.

• Investing in digital demand generation and online relationship building rank among the top initiatives being taken to maximize the impact and value of marketing in 2010 by 46 percent of those surveyed.

• When marketers were asked to rate their online marketing performance capability, only 6 percent responded “excellent.” The majority (44 percent) reported they are either growing their capabilities or struggling to quantify the value of online marketing spending.

• Attesting to the growing shift to digital modes of engagement, 59 percent of marketers are looking to train and develop existing staff, 40 percent are adding or expanding digital marketing agency support and 36 percent expect to bring in new talent resources to their organizations.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Ad Agencies: PRWeb Launches News Release Creation Tool

PRWeb has simplified its news release submission process, which is welcome news.

The old method always seemed a bit awkward to me, but now with a streamlined approach users have what PRWeb calls “a What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) experience,” which means users can create and manage content within a news release template.

In the 10+ years it has been around, PRWeb has proven itself to be a very effective way to increase online visibility. Now, the process itself has gotten easier and more user friendly, and new features reportedly will be added in the months ahead.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

How Ad Agencies Can Handle Inaccurate Media Coverage

One of the most common complaints I hear is that a reporter misquoted someone or made an error in a story. Most of the time these mistakes aren’t a big deal and the gist of the story is correct.

But what do you do when the entire story is filled with factual errors, some of which are significant and damaging?

In my 20+ years in PR, I’ve only had three occasions when I represented clients that had been victims of grossly inaccurate stories which, if left unchallenged, would have had serious consequences. In each case we arranged a meeting with the editor and the responsible reporter(s), but after my first meeting I learned a lesson that served me well for the next two.

Before sitting down with an editor to confront irresponsible reporting, take time to carefully analyze the story and identify each factual error. Then, after quoting each erroneous statement, write an objective statement of the facts. In one case, I discovered 16 factual errors in a news story that ran on the front page of a local paper in Arizona.

When confronted with corrective facts that were stated clearly and objectively, the papers ran the equivalent of front-page corrections.

Having a document that point by point addressed each statement and then provided the facts kept the meetings focused and helped avoid emotions from taking over. Hopefully you’ll never need to have such a meeting, but should you find yourself in a similar situation having the facts on paper rather than just your head could prove to be a big help.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

PR Brings Credibility to Ad Agencies

One of the reasons public relations is such an effective tool for ad agencies is because of the credibility it brings.  When your agency or one of your clients is the subject of a news story, people know the story has gone through a third-party filtering process.

Although you lack control of what’s reported, that’s precisely why news media coverage is so much more credible than an advertisement – people know the message wasn’t purchased.

In an integrated campaign, having coverage from an objective news source brings more credibility to the advertising message itself.  Credibility also enhances your agency’s reputation, and when it comes down to it, what’s more important than your reputation?

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Consistency a Must for Ad Agency PR to Be Effective

Sporadic PR is a lot like sporadic exercise – it’s better than none at all, but not nearly as effective as when there’s a consistent effort.  And, as is the case with having a disciplined exercise program, the results are noticeable.

One of the most galling things for agency principals is to watch from the sidelines as competitors are quoted and featured in the news media. Even worse, agencies that were not part of the story often have more experience and expertise than the agency that got the exposure.

Of course, the impression people get is that the folks quoted are the cream of the crop in their profession, which may or may not be true.  But you can be sure it’s no accident that some agencies get more ink and air time than others.  It’s because they have an intentional, ongoing effort to get their names in the marketplace, and they have made PR a priority.

In fact, many small- to medium-sized ad agencies have discovered they can run rings around larger competitors through an on-going public relations program.

From commentary about current marketing issues and guest columns to recognition for community involvement and winning awards, a consistent PR program can help ad agencies get more exposure to important audiences and compliment their new business efforts.

If your agency doesn’t have one in place, what’s stopping you?

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Ad Agencies Need to Develop Relationships with News Media

One of the best ways to get mentioned regularly in news stories is to become a trusted source for reporters. The way to begin that process is to develop relationships with key journalists so they know you are someone they can trust to provide a knowledgeable response or suggest other contacts for them.

Reporters are busy people, and making their jobs easier will win you points every time.

When I start working with a client in a new industry, one of the first things I do is identify the reporters who cover that industry. I’ve found it helpful to make an introductory phone call (making sure the reporter is not on deadline) and ask what types of stories are of particular interest. Sometimes, I even ask for the reporter’s advice on where to learn more about the industry and the best way to work with him or her.

Like everyone else, reporters enjoy talking about their work and what interests them, yet few people take time to ask these types of questions before making a pitch.

It’s also a good idea to write a brief note from time to time to the reporter when you see a story he or she has done in your area of interest. It may even be appropriate to offer ideas for a follow-up story or make the reporter aware of helpful resources.

By focusing on reporters’ needs rather than yours, you’ll build stronger relationships and improve your changes for positive media coverage.

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.

Ad Agencies Can Use Social Media to Transform Their PR

To what extent is social media affecting the public relations industry? According to the Denver Business Journal, “in the past two years, social media has redefined the entire PR business.”

While I don’t think traditional print and broadcast journalists are going away anytime soon, it is true that social media such as blogs, Twitter and various networking sites have given PR professionals a whole new bag of tools to get their messages out to fragmented audiences.

With client budgets shrinking, using social media as part of your PR mix is a smart and cost-effective way to engage customers and prospects at a more personal level. And, as the article points out, creating online communities can lead to a surge in business, even in the midst of a recession.

To read the entire article, visit: http://denver.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/05/18/story6.html?b=1242619200^1829293&ana=e_vert

Don Beehler provides public relations consulting services to small- and medium-sized advertising agencies and businesses.