Starting Up Your Own PR Agency

Have you ever considered starting up your own PR agency; but have been daunted by the enormous challenge you face? If so, I have listed some key factors that you should consider before embarking on such a massive project.

When starting up your own PR agency it is vital that you carry out due diligence and make your plans accordingly. You will need to identify your niche market, as well as highlighting what it is that sets you apart from other agencies. On the practical side; you will need to devise and implement a company structure and a system of keeping track of your work.

What You Offer
What areas will your PR agency specialise in? Will you focus on B2B? Information and technology? Consumer affairs? Or the rich and famous? You will also have to decide whether you will be an international or domestic agency. If it's the former, which countries will you focus on? Will you concentrate on print, broadcasting media or digital?

You may opt to position yourself across various sectors and territories. This can often be a difficult position to succeed in as the PR industry prefers agencies to specialise in one specific niche. However, if done correctly, this method can be very rewarding.

What services would your agency offer? Your choice is likely to include any number of the following; media relations, event management, social media, website design and development, media training and strategy.

What can your PR agency deliver that other agencies cannot? What makes you unique? Identify your strengths and shout them from the rooftops to potential clients.

Legal & Accountancy
Will your PR agency be a limited company, partnership or act as a sole trader? Once you have decided; speak to your accountant. You will have to discuss payroll, self-assessment and your tax liabilities. Prepare yourself for the demanding administration duties that running a PR agency entails and be aware of the fines that are incurred by missed deadlines.

Contact a lawyer and draw up client engagement agreements and employee contracts. Make sure you have the correct insurance to cover all professional eventualities and open up a business bank account.

Join business institutions so that you can benefit from specialist help, advise and resources. This could save you a lot of money in lawyer fees for services that are usually free for professional business institute members.

Partners and Employees
List the skills that you have available in your PR agency and then list the skills you require to make the agency a valuable proposition. If you decide to bring in partners, make sure you have a strategy in place if it doesn't work out. Before you hire employees, define their role and responsibilities very clearly.

Reduce the confusion and complications of employee turnover by creating staff handbooks, these will also reduce the learning curve of new recruits and instil firm procedures and values that everyone can become familiar with.

Promotion
Self promotion is vital for any fledgling business. Build up a strong and distinctive brand that is instantly recognisable. Create a website to spread your message and employ online social networking sites to communicate and engage potential customers.

Organise yourself for pitches with business cards, credential sales documents, creative templates and a list of contacts that you should follow up regularly. Dedicate time and effort to networking in order to generate potential business. Establish working partnerships with marketing agencies in non-competitive areas that can lead to mutual sources for referral.

Register with business listings and PR directories and let your contacts know that you have launched your agency. Attend meetings and conferences to communicate your businesses unique qualities outlining how they can benefit from your services.

Collaboration Software
To help keep track of time sheets, documents, images and other assets within your PR agency it would be wise to purchase project collaboration software. This will aid the smooth running of projects that are being worked on by more than one person.

CRM programmes will similarly assist in the management of business leads and customers, as well as keeping track of the multitude of emails being fired backwards and forwards each day.

Media request services can also be easily managed with media databases and press cutting services, enabling you to build excellent relationships with journalists, helping to maximise media coverage for your clients.

With thorough research and considered planning, you should now have the basics to start your own PR agency. If you would like any more information, please do not hesitate to contact us here at HROC, we are a public relations agency with years of hands on experience. We would be glad to help you make a success of your business.

The Importance of Public Relations

Many people in this world believe that relations are the most important assets anyone could ever have. These people maybe, world leaders in their wise old ages as well as a high school kid who has an election to face. Relations are indeed that which make man a social animal. This same principle is closely held onto in most credible organizations, firms and companies across the world and they have a name for it; Public Relations.

Public relation, for any organization or group, is the major lifeline. Without the positive appraisal of the public who are the consumers of all the products, whether it be in the entertainment, food, clothing, software or hardware industries, it is impossible to survive. Trust is what organizations feed on to expand and this trust is gained or earned only when the public recognizes the organization as that which is for their good.

The positive image of an organization or an individual is what draws people to it or him/her. This image can be a result of years of delivering appealing service or goods in times ripe. This can also be achieved by strategically taking directions to find a place in the hearts of the public. Entertainment artists, at least a few believe that any sort of publicity is good, whether it means being involved in violence, drugs or scandals does not matter, which may prove disastrous.

One of the ways by which Public Relations can be positively achieved and maintained is by being part of noteworthy social events, not just the high flying parties but also those which are in level with the general sentiments of the public, like fundraising for a reasonable or charitable cause and sponsoring such events. Maintaining good relations with the media is a must to evade flak.

When faced with criticism, the responsible company must win back what goodwill it has lost. This may include an acclaimed celebrity to be the new face of your organization, to clear the doubts of the public by using the powerful and trustworthy reputation of that person. Advertisements and other related marketing strategies too, make a great deal of difference in figuring in the good books of the public.

Nobody would prefer to go to an eatery or a bookstore where they previously had an unfriendly confrontation with, the same, applies to the bigger firms too. All firms must genuinely have a people oriented approach and morale codes stitched into the fabric of the ideals upon which they work.

Proactive ideas to the changing needs of the present generations are a must to keep up in this terrifyingly competitive world where start ups happen every other minute in all the coveted and promising industries. Forgetting to maintain good Public relations is as ignorant and tragic as digging one's own grave. So keep a smile and do what you have to do to keep, those people whose trust you feed on, smiling.

Propeller Group is one of the leading PR Companies in London providing both traditional and online pr for many top companies in the United Kingdom. Visit us at http://www.propellergroup.com for more information on how you use our services.

How to Land a Job in Public Relations

Getting a job in public relations has always been competitive. However, in today's strained economic climate, it seems to be harder than ever to bag your dream job in PR.

Whether you're just out of school or university, or you're looking for a career change, here's a quick guide on how to get a job in public relations.

The right qualities and experience

If you're even remotely considering a career in PR, start by looking at some job vacancies. These will usually list the essential and desirable qualities expected of a candidate, so you'll have some idea of what you need to work towards. For instance, some companies may specify a relevant degree so if you're still at school, consider applying for a university course in journalism, marketing or communications, which will help you hone the skills you need to work in PR. If you've already completed a degree or have done several years in another industry, concentrate on how your existing experience has given you the right skills for the public relations industry.

The most important thing about working in public relations is communication. This means you'll have to be comfortable talking to new people all the time - on the phone, in person and online - if you want to stand a chance of success. Communicating well with journalists is the key to doing a good job in PR, but journalists are unlikely to have much time to hear what you have to say. So focus on being succinct but informative, so you can tell potential employers that you know how to get a message across quickly and effectively.

To build up experience of working in PR, you might have to do work experience or an internship. Often, these are unpaid but longer placements may offer some remuneration for travel costs and basic expenses. If you can't afford to work unpaid for long periods, look for opportunities at your school or university to do basic PR. For instance, offer your services to the director of an amateur play and drum up interest in the production in the local press and student newspaper. When packaged in the right way, this all counts as legitimate PR experience.

Looking for a job

When you're ready to apply for a job, it's time to narrow down your search. For instance, do you want to work in-house or at an agency? Perhaps you'd like to work in public relations in Scotland instead of London, or you'd like to focus on technology PR rather than entertainment. If it's your first job in PR, you're unlikely to find exactly what you're looking for but by keeping your main goals in mind, you'll soon be able to move into the sector of your choice.

Finally, remember to build your online profile so employers can learn more about you. Tools like Twitter and LinkedIn are a great way to virtually network with people in PR and show them you know what you're talking about.

Public Relations For Restaurants: Business Success With Public Relations

Are you looking for different ways not only to increase your small business marketing, but as well to come out of economic conditions? If so then you need to go for promotion and publicity with public relations because it's truly a very effective tool that can be used for the success of your restaurant business.

If you hold a restaurant business, just make sure to promote it in the local community and by using radio promotions. You can give offers to your customers like free lunches in the off hours and some contest etc which would not merely cater the attention of the customers and make them come to your restaurant but as well to flourish your this business.

If you want to promote special offers in your restaurant then it's vital that the public is well aware of it and for this you need a good PR. Nobody is going to know about it unless you make some sorts of promotion. Taking help of a public relation department can keep you to stay in touch with the public and also will improve your restaurant business image very high. So, if you are a new owner of a restaurant owner then don't forget considering consulting a PR specialists to find possible ways to gain publicity. The PR specialist usually seeks work in dealing with newspapers, radio, television, magazines and more. They might also deal with the press, making public speeches and hence they must have good communication skills to deal with any PR issues.

Public relations for restaurants in the contemporary times use ample of techniques such as opinion polling and focus groups to evaluate public opinion, combined with a variety of high-tech techniques for distributing information on behalf of their clients including the internet, satellite feeds, broadcast faxes, and database-driven phone banks and more. Hiring very well experienced public relation firm may help you to give broad business recognition in the public by paying concern over company news and spreading it to the masses.

It is the fact that good public relation agencies have a good working relationship with key reporters and hence they easily deal with large and well established clients. Hiring a well-reputed PR agency can play a substantial role in a company's reputation management.

So, if your aim is to provide meaningful information to the public about your restaurant business then don't miss any opportunity to hire a professional public relation firm.

Georg is an author of affluencepr.com providing information about opening a restaurant. To know more about public relations businesses please visit http://www.affluencepr.com

Public Relations and Avoiding Bad PR

Someone recently said to me that any PR (public relations) is good PR (or, "any publicity is good publicity"). I couldn't disagree more. Bad public relations confuses customers and destroys brand loyalty. But what defines bad PR?

Running my own streetwear label I have experienced first hand the ramifications of bad, off-brand marketing and misplaced advertising.

Public relations is not just about what people say about your brand, it encompasses everything customer facing. Advertising, product placement, partnerships, sponsorships, customer support etc.

Where you advertise and feature your brand, or products, is dictated by your brand identity and getting this right is paramount to successful branding.

Successful brands have a strong brand identity that resonates throughout their target market, connecting them to the brand on an emotional level. Simon Sinek puts it, "people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." That one sentence makes so much sense. The brands you love, and brands you like to buy from, should hold the same values you do. They represent your lifestyle and it's this 'like mindedness' that connects you with the brand.

Too often I see and talk to companies that have fantastic products, but who fail to connect with their market because they have no defined branding. You can't be all things to all people. If you are, then you're mediocre and people will neither love you nor hate you.

Defining and understanding your target market and creating marketing material that emphasizes their lifestyle is key to market connection. There are plenty of successful companies that sell their products for exuberant prices because customers buy into the lifestyle that a brand represents.

So once you have your brand identity and know who your target market is it's easy to see what publications, blogs and other media channels you should be featured in. It's very tempting to just take any media placement you're offered, but placing your brand alongside others that are thought lesser by your target market is bad for your brand. Those brands are only pulling your brand image down. This is bad PR.

What you want is to get your brand featured alongside brands you and your target market aspire to. You want them to 'increase your brands image'.

Tina Moore, Fashion Editor of Remix Magazine says, "As a fashion magazine we too have a defined target market and we are constantly turning down advertising and placement requests from brands that do not fit with our readership base."

I learnt a lot about PR and marketing though my now defunct clothing label. We grew fast and we did do a lot of placements into magazines and newspapers that, looking back, we shouldn't have. We bastardized the brand, to a degree, and we lost a lot of core followers.

Think about it like a friend who's suddenly spending time with a crowd of people you don't get on with. You feel disconnected with that friend and you're more than likely going to go your separate ways.

Good PR is not easy but I believe it all comes down to your brand's identity and values. Know your brand values, what does your brand stand for? Stay true to your values and base your marketing decisions from them.

Creating A Successful Public Relations Campaign

Creating a successful PR campaign is an essential part of any business when trying to launch a new product or service nowadays, and with so many different media platforms available, knowing which one's to use can be a tricky business. This is why it is essential to plan your PR campaign carefully, and research all the areas you need to before starting out.

Below are a list of ideas to try and help you make your campaign a success.

    Define your objectives & Goals

This may seem pretty obvious, but you would be amazed how many people forget to carry out this step. Defining exactly what you want your PR campaign to achieve for you will make all of the other steps easier to complete, as you know where you are going.

Your goals need to be achievable, using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) method when setting your objectives and goals can help a great deal.

    Establish who your audience is

This can be one of the most important areas to get right when creating your PR campaign. You could have the best campaign in the world, but if it's aimed at the wrong people it will fail. Think about who your product or services are aimed at then target these people.

    Hold a brainstorming session

Try and get some of your staff (if you have any) involved in this session, as they will often have different ideas to you. In a brainstorming session you need to come up with around six different story ideas to help your PR campaign along.

    Decide on the media outlets

Once you have an idea of your objectives and goals, and who you would like to target your campaign towards, you can then think about which communications vehicles you will use to get your message out there. With the digital age upon us there are now many options when it comes to a PR campaign, including press releases, articles, Social media campaigns (including viral campaigns) and much more. Do your research into the various media sources and decide which ones you feel would be the most suited to you.

    Monitor your campaign

This is extremely important, you need to keep track of your campaign to know if it is successful. Most people find they need to change things as their campaign progresses, as some areas may not be working as you expected them too, but as long as you keep track of how things are running this will not be a problem.