Having a public relations company on board with your business can really help you to reach for higher levels of success and it is something which can certainly compliment your business. We recently began working with the fantastic team at Interdependence PR and the work which they have done for us so far has been nothing short of incredible.

When we were looking for the right PR company we met with a great many teams, and it was Interdependence who really blew us away. During those meetings we quickly learned what we should be focusing on and if you are looking for a PR company which can help your business, here is what you need to look at during the meeting. 

Service

So many PR firms seem to believe that you need their business more than they need yours and the result of this is some terrible customer service. In fact my associates and I walked out of 2 meetings whilst we were looking for a PR firm just because of the poor customer service which we felt from them. You should absolutely expect the highest level of customer service and if you don’t get it then what will this say about your dealings with them in the future?

Shared Goals 

You need to make sure that you are speaking with a team who shares your goals and is absolutely committed to making them happen. Results orientation is something which you should really focus on during your meeting and to be honest you need to feel as though you have a team on board which not only matches your ambition for your company, but is prepared to run through a brick wall in order to  make it happen. If you don’t feel that their vision matches yours then you need to speak with someone else. 

Market Knowledge 

There are no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to PR firms and it is vital that you find a firm which completely understands your industry. When the PR firm are preparing a press release or setting up events, they need to know exactly how to motivate and speak to your market, if they cannot do that then they are not going to be able to help your company in the way that you would like. 

Transparency 

I have lost count of the amount of PR firms who we sat down with who gave us these terrible sweeping statements about what they would achieve, without ever going into how they may do it. You are going to be investing money into this business and you most certainly need to have a clear understanding as to what they plan to do with the money that you give them. If you don’t get transparency then keep pushing until you get it, if not then you need to move on. 

Don’t just take the first offer, ensure that you are sitting down with a firm who truly understands your needs. 

Jane