Hiring a Lakeland public relations team for your small business is a difficult decision to make. After all, there is no guarantee that the PR campaign will be effective and will yield positive results for your business.
It might not even turn a profit at all. Still, it is worth a try to hire a PR team that might be able to lead your business to success.
But how do you know that you’ve met the right PR team for your business? It’s a combination of your budget, the expectations, the track record of the PR company, and your chemistry. To help you assess PR agencies, here are five questions you can ask the team:
How are you going to measure your success?
Most PR teams measure their success according to how many likes the campaign has on Facebook. Look beyond that.
Instead of depending on social media alone, look for other factors like tracking how much of your prospective email list and traffic to your site have grown because of a PR campaign.
Which media will be used to target my market?
Whether traditional or modern media, your PR team should know the difference between these two and how they can influence the success of your business. You may want to work with a PR team that has worked with both traditional media and new media.
Who will be working on my account?
A Lakeland public relations agency sends their best people to close a deal. You may even come to a meeting and see their VP there. But when it comes to actually working on your campaign, they might send a low-ranked employee or even a fresh graduate.
While we have nothing against these people, you have to make sure who you are getting and who you will be working with.
Am I signing a long-term contract?
Some Lakeland public relations agencies will hoodwink you into signing a long-term deal where you will pay them a retainer’s fee so they can be available with their services anytime in the future.
Try to negotiate that this can only work after a period of 90 days. There will be a review after the 90-day period and if they don’t deliver, the contract will be null and void.
How much are the services?
Ask for a complete breakdown of charges so you know how much you are paying for white papers, social media campaigns, traditional media campaigns, press releases, videos, etc.
You may also pay a lower upfront retainer with payment bonuses linked to the results. This ensures that the PR firm is taking the risks with you.
