If you’re a small agency owner or solo practitioner, you know that retaining long-term clients is just as important as attracting new ones. However, achieving that balance can be a daunting task, especially when you find yourself juggling multiple roles—sales executive, managing director and day-to-day contact. Studies show that the average client turnover rate for PR agencies in 2019 was over 23 percent. More recently, 58 percent of PR agency executives reported that obtaining new business became more challenging in 2023.
In this landscape, shifting from short-term gains to long-term strategies is crucial in demonstrating value and fostering ongoing partnerships. Here’s how to make that shift effectively.
The Pitfalls of Short-Term Thinking in PR
One of the main reasons small agencies and solo practitioners struggle with retaining clients is short-term thinking. This can manifest in several ways:
- Prioritizing Client Acquisition Over Relationship Building: Spending more hours on acquiring new clients than nurturing existing relationships can lead to high turnover.
- Chasing Quick Wins: Focusing on short-term successes rather than aligning with clients’ long-term goals can be detrimental.
- Lack of Strategic Approach: Being too tactical without a strategic vision can result in subpar results for clients.
- Inadequate Client Reporting: Failing to invest in tools that measure effectiveness and demonstrate ROI can leave clients questioning the value of your services.
Five Strategies for Building Long-Term PR Clients
When I started my PR practice in 2009, I was stuck in a cycle of constantly pursuing new clients, often neglecting to focus on long-term retention. Here are five strategies to implement to build long-term PR clients successfully:
- Offer Strategic Planning as a Core Service: Empower your clients to invest in their long-term goals by incorporating strategic planning into your core services. Whether it’s media relations, content development or influencer marketing, aligning your PR strategy with your clients’ overall marketing goals demonstrates your big-picture thinking. This not only showcases your expertise but also creates opportunities to upsell your services.
- Focus on Relationship Building: Cultivate genuine relationships with your clients beyond transactional interactions. Understand their pain points and how you can ease their workload. Use status meetings to highlight deliverables and learn about their day-to-day projects. Being transparent about shared challenges fosters collaboration and trust.
- Deliver Consistent Value: Value is not always about immediate wins; it’s about achieving outcomes that lead to long-term success. In media relations, for instance, it may take around three months to see published articles or interviews. However, the initial outreach and follow-up stages are crucial for introducing your clients to journalists and reporters. Even if you don’t secure a placement right away, building these relationships and gauging interest is essential for future efforts.
- Provide Data-Driven Insights: Highlight the importance of data-driven decision-making in PR campaigns. Utilize analytics, metrics and measurement tools to demonstrate the ROI of your efforts. Data-driven insights validate your work and inform long-term strategies, optimizing outcomes for your clients.
- Offer Continuous Education and Communication: Foster transparency and alignment with your clients by educating them about PR best practices, industry trends and emerging opportunities. Continuous learning and open communication contribute significantly to client satisfaction and loyalty.
Retaining long-term clients in the PR industry requires a strategic shift from short-term thinking to long-term relationship building. By offering strategic planning, focusing on relationship building, delivering consistent value, providing data-driven insights and fostering continuous education and communication, you can create lasting partnerships with your clients. Implement these strategies, and you’ll not only retain clients but also build a reputation for delivering meaningful, long-term results.
Nicole Blake-Baxter is the Managing Director and Founder of The Blake Agency.