6 Ways To Discover A Great PR Client

When working at an agency, clients come and go. There are good clients, bad clients, mediocre clients, and there are great clients. At PRowl PR, we have been fortunate to have a history of retaining great clients. 

After working with PRowl PR for the past three years, I have noticed that there are certain traits that really make a great client stand out. I think this article from Maven Communications puts it best:

1. The client is open to exploring initiatives that they’ve never done before because...
2. The client trusts your expertise and respects your professional recommendations. 
3. The client is on board with adjusting the campaign to keep the results aligned with the business objectives of the company. 
4. The client pushes you to continually be innovative. 
5. The client’s campaigns are intellectually stimulating… 
6. And also intellectually demanding. 

Next time you are meeting with a potential new client, be sure to keep these six traits in mind and hopefully you will discover your next great PR client. 

Benefits of an In-House Internship

Interning for a museum this summer has been great, and has offered a lot of different experiences than when I interned at an agency. Interning with an agency is great, especially if the agency works with a wide range of clients. When I interned at an agency, it definitely helped me figure out what kinds of clients I'd like to work with later on in my career. Now that I'm in-house at a museum, I've noticed a few perks that are harder to find on the agency side of things:

• Smaller teams: The PR or communications department tend to be on the smaller side of things. This is great, because it allows you to meet and make connections with more people during your internship! Seeing the same three or four faces every time you come into the office makes the name and title game a lot less stressful.
• Inter-department support: In smaller in house settings, like at a museum, the PR department isn't just working to support and promote itself, it also has to consider the efforts of other departments. For a PR intern, this is your chance to see how other departments, like development for example, work and thrive. Knowing those extra facts are sure to be a great talking point in your next relationship.
• Access to the top: When you intern at a large agency, you may only interact and spend time with your internship coordinator or direct supervisor. As an intern, you should try and get a glimpse of what everyone does, especially supervisors and directors! Now that I'm in-house, the office of the head of my department is right across from my cubicle, and I'm always free to stop in!
• Work to go around: Smaller teams usually have a million things to do in a short amount of time, so having interns around helps get the work done faster. On a smaller in-house team, employees are usually more than willing to share some of their daily responsibilities, which is the best way to learn - by jumping in and doing it!

Have you ever had an in-house internship or job? What did you like most about it?

Choosing the Right Client

Here at PRowl, we choose our clients just like any other firm does. We initially correspond via email, and then set up a meeting to talk about working together, what the client wants, and what we can do for them. It's important to have these meetings, because you learn what you can and cannot do for a client, based on your firm and your staff, student-run PR firm or not! Below are ways to avoid choosing the wrong client for your firm:

1. Understanding goals: Talk to your client about where they want their company to be in a few years. They could want more customers, more awareness, or more targeted messages, and the list goes on. As you're listening, think about whether or not you and your team can accomplish these goals, while benefiting your firm.
2. Setting expectations: I find this to be the most difficult, but necessary task. Having a client who has unrealistic expectations of you can (and will) put you in an awkward situation. You can avoid this by being clear in what you can realistically accomplish well. Of course you want the job, but if you don't set expectations appropriately, you could be out of a job and slapped with a not-so-great rep.
3. Transparency: In an agency, you will have several different clients. When you meet with a potential client, be honest is how much time it will take to accomplish their goals. With so many agencies transitioning out of monthly retainers, firms are being less transparent about billable hours. Save yourself the grief and scheduling issues by honestly communicating with your client.

Do you have any additional tips? Let us know!

Remembering The PR Legend Dan Edelman

Daniel Edelman's death has made this a sad week for public relations. A true pioneer in the field, Edelman built a small public relations firm in 1952 that rose to the 4,500, 65 city industry it is today. As the PR world mourns his death, this is also a time to celebrate all his achievements and the important contributions he made to building this profession. 

Dan died of heart failure early Tuesday morning at the age of 92. His agency, which was founded 60 years ago, helped to make many famous brands household names. Dan's creativity, independence, hard work, ethics and attention to detail are great examples to follow for any aspiring PR pro or veterans within the field.   

Here is a Daniel Edelman quote I live by:

 "If you're not enthusiastic, how can you expect the client to be enthusiastic about what you're doing?" 

Check out Edelman's company website here.

What Corporate Can Teach Agencies

When we talk about PR, we throw around the terms "in-house" and "agency", as if they are mutually exclusive. While they both do have their differences, corporate in-house PR can give valuable insight to traditional PR agencies. 

1. Understand the corporate structure: Remember that when you are working for a company, you may have to report to an executive board. You will have to give them hard numbers of what you are accomplishing: how many people are you reaching? How many press releases did you send? How many news outlets picked up the story? etc. Realize that the board may not have a solid handle on PR and doesn't realize what goes on behind measurable results and the intricacies behind it. Discuss how you can translate the board's need for numbers into actual PR success.
2. Learn the language: At my internship, I am required to file every single mention of the National Constitution Center into a document, with specific impression numbers, so that we can physically show where, to whom, and how much we are reaching. Having one big document to easily compile this information allows for minimal effort with maximum results.
3. Proactively maintain communication: Your clients will not always have something newsworthy going on. Don't wait for them to come to you, make something happen. Keep in the loop about projects and identify potential media opportunities. Silence isn't golden in PR.

Have you ever worked in both "in-house" and "agency"? What did you  learn from it? Let us know!

Effective Use of Social Media: What it Means to Build a Brand

As PR and marketing companies continue to increasingly utilize social media, questions concerning the affect social media has on the industry seem to come up quite often. How are companies capitalizing on the use of branding through social media? What are the benefits of using Facebook and Twitter? How important is blogging to PR and marketing firms? Social media has changed the industry for good, and knowing how to use it effectively has become a main concern for companies and agencies everywhere.

Using social media is a simple way to build a brand without having to invest significant time and resources. PR and marketing agencies can reap many benefits from establishing a brand through social media, including connecting with consumers and interacting with other professionals in the field. When PR and marketing companies begin to brand themselves through social media and establish a following, it is easy to find ways to capitalize on it. The fact that a company has the potential to reach millions without spending any money is a huge advantage, especially to non-profits. The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation is a great example of a company that has branded themselves extremely well through social media. They maintain a constant interaction with their over 21,000 followers on Twitter and the 97,130 people who “like” their Facebook page. They’re With Love, Philadelphia XOXO image has become instantly recognizable with the help of their effective use of social media.

It has become increasingly more crucial for agencies to have an interactive, successful blog. Blogs are one of the best ways for companies to build a solid reputation and market themselves efficiently. Blogs have affected the PR industry tremendously, giving PR professionals an outlet to promote not only themselves, but their clients, products or ideas as well. It has been proven that those organizations that are actively blogging communicate with their audience much more effectively than those that do not. GPTMC has won numerous awards for their blog, and is a great example of how PR and marketing companies can utilize blogging to their advantage. Check it out at http://www.uwishunu.com/.

So what does all of this mean to prospective PR professionals? The use of social media has undoubtedly shaped the way future employers go through the hiring process. Building a personal brand is just as important as building an agency brand. Companies will be looking at prospective employees’ use of social media, their following, and the content that they display. Blogging, tweeting and personal branding are now just as important as flawless writing and verbal skills. Social media has shaped the PR and marketing industries forever, and effective use of it is certainly a step in the right direction for students going into the field.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Kaitlin Tully.