Dear CMOs,
I appreciate that communication is often not the “shiny new object” in your arsenal.
I also appreciate that the demands on your time mean you’re slurping down a protein-fortified yogurt concoction for lunch and the last thing you need is a PR agency review consuming time you don’t have.
That’s okay.
If you trust your PR team to handle it, then trust your PR team to handle it.
On the other hand, if you want to be involved in the selection process or perhaps even be the final decision maker — of course, collaborating with your PR team and listening to their input — then go about this as you would other move-the-needle decisions.
Let me help with the basics, since I know this PR thing might be kind of new to you.
Typically, there are three core building blocks to selecting a PR agency:
- The RFP
- Answers to the RFP
- The presentation
The RFP explains what you want from a PR agency. It might sound like “busy work,” but you need to be involved in developing it. That ensures what you’re asking of the agency aligns with your marketing and business objectives. It is also a way to make sure you’re on the same page as your PR team when it comes to challenges, primary competitors, etc. A PR agency benchmarking share of voice against competitors that, as it turns out, aren’t competitors reflects a disconnect that doesn’t serve anyone.Set featured image
Now comes the heavy lift.
If you ask seven PR agencies to submit RFPs, you’ll need to review seven responses. I’ll warn you ahead of time: this content won’t conjure memories of Gangnam Style.
But each agency has invested a ton of hours to bring forward its best thinking on how to contribute to your success. You owe it to them and to your company to evaluate that thinking.
From there, participate in the discussion on which two or three agencies should advance to the final round — the presentation. If you’re more of the top-down type, skip the discussion and make the call.
I understand that listening to two or three presentations also represents a heavy lift. You’re busy. Finding a few one-hour time slots is tough. Somehow, some way, carve out the time to focus on the presentations. Ideally, you’re not multitasking with emails or texts. Beyond the content and thinking, this is your opportunity to gauge chemistry. Can you envision working with these agency teams?
Big picture, what I’m suggesting does call for your time, but the payoff comes in the form of PR laddering up to marketing and intelligently selecting a PR agency to execute on your vision.