By now, you’ve come to realize the wide range of different benefits that only a public relations professional can bring to the table. If you had to learn that lesson the hard way, don’t feel bad – most do. Many business professionals assume they can do it all. They advertise themselves. They create social media campaigns themselves. They call in favors to reporters they went to high school with to write about themselves, only to quickly realize that sustaining this type of momentum is essentially a full-time job. Something that is incredibly problematic as you’ve already got the full-time job of running a business on your plate.
Enter: the PR Pro.
Once you’ve hired your public relations firm, however, it’s important to realize that what you’ve really done is begin a relationship. If you truly want to get the most out of your PR pro, there are a few key things to keep in mind.
A Relationship Built on Trust
As stated, the relationship between your business and your PR professional is exactly that – a relationship. Without trust – that is, a mutual trust and respect between both parties that is unwavering – this relationship won’t be able to unlock its full potential.
Keep in mind that the more you put into your relationship with your PR pro, the more you’ll be able to get out of it. Educate the PR firm that you’re working with on everything that makes your business unique. If you’ve just become a new member of a local organization, they need to know about it. If you have specific ideas for messaging that you want to convey, they need to be informed.
Communication Is King
Above all else, you should be crystal clear at all times – both in terms of your goals and the end results that you expect to see. This is true even after you already have a plan in place, as the best strategies are the ones that can quickly pivot in the face of new information.
At a certain however, you’re going to have to let go.
The Power of Expertise
The reason you decided to team up with a public relations firm in the first place is because you finally saw it as the investment in the future of your business it always was. Once you’ve told them what you’re trying to accomplish and what you expect to see, you have to be willing to step back to a certain degree and let that investment run its course.
Think about it this way: you’re an expert in your particular industry. Your PR pro is an expert in public relations. They might not know specifically how to make the product you sell or how to perform the service that you offer… but they know better than anyone how to get people interested in those ideas.
They know how to reach people in intimate and organic ways. They know how to take what makes you unique and broadcast it to the widest possible audience. It’s their job to stay up-to-date on all of the latest trends, tips and best practices to reach more people than ever before.
To that end, you need to understand what you can do yourself and, more importantly, what you can’t. When you start to find yourself in the middle of a function that requires your PR pro’s expertise more than your own, be willing to let them carry the ball into the end zone. If you’re willing to put your complete faith and trust in your PR professional, you’ll create the type of mutually beneficial relationship that can pay dividends for a lifetime.
