How to hire a PR firm or advertising agency
How to hire a PR firm or advertising agency
Before beginning the interview process for hiring a public relations (PR) or advertising agency, determine your specific needs, says Debbie Wetherhead, president of Atlanta-based Wetherhead Communications, a public relations firm specializing in health care.
Start by asking who you want to influence and what action(s) you want them to take. Next, determine if the above actions were successful, what would be the results?
"Stay strategic," Wetherhead cautions. "Try not to focus on tactics and lose sight of the bigger picture." This information will help direct your efforts, as well as assist prospective consultants during the selection process.
"Savvy prospects will ask to discuss or review your organization's mission, history, past and current PR and advertising programs, needs, available research, and budget," Wetherhead says. Business plans and collateral also come in handy.
While the Yellow Pages are convenient, they only provide access to local sources.
Modern technology enables you to work with personnel who specialize in your industry no matter where they are located. Increasing numbers of practitioners now work at home or through "virtual agencies," which allow teams of professionals to work together without investing in overhead, which in theory contributes to lower billing rates.
"Networking pays during the search process," says Wetherhead. "Ask representatives at other health care organizations for referrals." Also consider recommendations from managed care companies, insurance agencies, hospitals, equipment or service manufacturers, pharmaceutical firms, and professional associations.
Examine these areas before hiring an agency:
· Experience.
- Obtain an overview of the firm's history and biographies of key account personnel.
- Ask whether the consultant or agency represented or worked for your competitors. This can be beneficial. Ask whether they have represented related associations or members of your target audience.
- Ask them to present or discuss several relevant case histories.
- Ask them to present results of programs or campaigns.
- Request a list of current and past clients. Do conflicts of interest exist?
- Present a problem or circumstance your organization faces and ask how the PR or advertising firm might resolve it.
· Personnel.
This is a critical issue. Sometimes, the people you meet with are not the ones who will work on your account.
- Meet account team members before signing the contract.
- Determine what other accounts your team handles. How do they compare in size and time demands to your account?
- What relationships do your team members or consultants have with the media you plan to target? Do they already know reporters or sales personnel?
· The cost factor.
PR practices are modeled after the legal and accounting professions, says Wetherhead. Practitioners usually bill in quarter-hour increments. Your account may be set up on a fee-for-service or project basis.
Ask for the hourly rate of each person working on your account. While advertising agencies once made money by marking up media buys, because their services have expanded beyond pure advertising, most also now bill by the hour or by the project.
"Controlling costs is where most agencies and clients run into problems," says Wetherhead.
To manage costs, she sets up her clients on a fee-for-service arrangement in which monthly billings are reconciled against an annual budget. "This allows personnel to focus on your account when it needs the most attention," she says.
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