I am nameless

In the current economic downturn, client budgets are becoming ever more restricted and demands on time and resources pushed to the extreme as everyone is trying their utmost to justify their position. The pressure for agencies to meet the demands of clients has meant that, in an industry where over-servicing has always been an issue, agencies are finding themselves over-servicing to an even higher level and so PR is increasingly delivering more, for less.

All this time spent servicing an agency’s current client portfolio can certainly be beneficial to future relationships and is sure to lead to a stronger understanding of the value of PR by the client. However, the flip side of these extra levels of service can have a detrimental effect on a client portfolio.

With any client there will always be a lifecycle. This is a given. No matter how great the work you have delivered in the past, the relationships you have built and nurtured, client staff ultimately move on to pastures new. These staff will be replaced with new ones and as many of us have discovered with a new broom will come a clean sweep.

Obviously servicing your clients to the best of your ability should always be an agencies main priority, however what must never be overlooked is the acquisition of new clients. This has never been as apparent as in the tough economic times that we currently find ourselves. No matter how great your past glories, the truth will always be that as an agency you will always be judged on what you offer, what you can achieve going forward and what your competition, compatriots and colleagues around you are achieving.

As we have all found PR is playing a key cost effective role in advising clients on how to navigate the very difficult, and for some, uncharted waters that we are faced with in the current economic downturn.

As an industry we live and die by what we achieve. We spend the majority of our time telling our clients what they should do in order for them to ultimately win more business or raise their profile within their sector. But how many PR agencies truly do this for themselves? Yes, we all put out the occasional press release about the latest new business win to our favourite trade publications and local media, and we all have a go at generating new business when we have a spare moment. But how many agencies practice what they preach and can truly say they have a strategic and managed 12-month PR campaign plan in place to guide them through the year ahead?

So, as well as remaining in our clients’ good books, how can we also raise our own profile, go out and get on pitch lists? It is not just about balancing the books, it’s about balancing client delivery and agency development combined with progression.

Evolution is the key.

Arguably over the past few years the PR industry has been under immense pressure from advertising, marketing and web agencies all trying to ‘have a go’ at what we do. Some PR agencies have responded to this very well, fought back and planted a flag in the social media arena, claiming it on behalf of PR. However the race to claim new territories has not spread across the whole of the PR industry at the speed it should, and so those agencies that have evolved into the social media realm have already stolen a march on traditional PR consultancies in the race for new clients.

But it is not just the shoulders of the agency as a whole that the role of evolving, acquiring new business and profile building should fall upon. The profiles of individuals are becoming equally as important as those of the agency for which they work with the new forms of networking is gaining increased importance in the online arena. With the ever increasing myriad of “social networking” sites available to us, and our willingness to share as much information as possible with other individuals, the majority of whom we will never meet, has turned us all inadvertently into bastions of our own agencies reputations and online fortunes.

This is not just about blowing your agency’s trumpet. Brands are rapidly becoming savvy to this and so smaller agencies that are willing to give a little freedom to their employees, will be noticed. PR agencies that have historically been appointed by clients based on the kudos of having their contact details on their press releases are being overlooked, in favour of having a well-known voice within the online realm.

And so in turn, this is ultimately changing the pitch process as we know it. No longer are agencies submitting a credentials document, then “meticulously” preparing and rehearsing a well versed (and used) PowerPoint presentation. Brands are selecting agencies increasingly though word-of-mouth and recommendation, as well as online networking, agency profile in media coverage and ability to communicate your offer directly and instantly delivering your point of difference are what is getting an agency noticed in 2009.

The most important element however will still be your current client portfolio. As practitioners we need to become stronger with our clients. Yes, it is true that you should never bite the hand that feeds, however, why fight for scraps when you can perform for meatier chunks?

It is time to get strong with clients; it is time to get better at not just managing campaigns but also managing our clients. I go back to my earlier point that we are faced with tighter budgets, more demands on time and expectations of better results by our clients. This however must be a two way street.

Pushing our clients to sign off press releases sooner, coming back quicker to emails and phone calls, and reviewing goals and budgets on a more regular basis, will ultimately provide better results all round.

If agencies want to survive the recession they are going to have to practice what they preach. Developing your own PR campaign, your online offering and structured new business strategy is essential for survival. Evolve or become extinct should be the motto of the PR practitioner in 2010.