I sometimes feel like marketing and PR gets a bad rap. But, I can testify….we are not evil. Marketing, advertising, PR representatives…not evil. A “good” agency will hire and train their personnel on the importance of understanding their clients’ company and, just as important, industry. Not just learning the basics of a company and their products, but continuing education on market trends, technology and how the client fits into the equation. This strengthens confidence on the client side that all agency recommendations are coming from a place of expertise.
My personal experience has given me a unique point of view on the agency/client relationship. I’ve spent my professional life here at LRG, learning from the ground up and developing my own skills to help both the agency and all clients be successful. This has taught me a few things about marketing/PR and I hope these little tidbits will help anyone reading them form a positive point of view on agencies and marketing.
– It’s okay to form friendships with clients. I wouldn’t jump right into asking about their deepest, darkest fears and then inviting them to happy hour, but it is truly rewarding to see your clients succeed and in turn, your friends look good to their management.
– It’s a great feeling to follow through on an initiative and see something like PR/marketing produce tangible results for the client…aka more sales. It can be tough to show ROI for Public Relations and some marketing programs if there is no true call to action, but when executives/sales teams can recognize your hard work as playing a role in their success, it makes all of the behind the scenes work worthwhile.
– If you’re able to work at a company where the management has a passion for what they do, do it. It will help you in those moments where you’re about ready to throw your computer screen through the window. Sitting in meetings where your agency presents their capabilities and honestly believing that the company you’re presenting to would be missing out by not partnering with your company is a great confidence booster.
– To find an agency that knows your market may be a challenge, but when you find someone that not only sees eye to eye with you and your marketing goals but can educate you on the tone/atmosphere/buzz of your market, it allows you to cut right to the chase and get work done. It’s rewarding to know that expertise is recognized and respected.
I see agencies as providing an important and possibly overlooked voice to companies who are focused on everything else that makes them successful. We can be an extension of the company but supporting and building the brand and strategy to produce better, clearer communications and represent companies for all they offer and should be publicizing – and there’s definitely nothing evil about that.
