If you work for a PR or advertising agency, read this article so you can nod your head and maybe laugh, but if you work with a company (i.e.: you’re a client or thinking of becoming one), read this and save yourself and your agency some headaches. You’ll like the results of a great, mutually beneficial relationship.
And, if you’ve gone through five agencies in five years—I’d start with a good look in the mirror, not at the firms. So read this. After all, you want the firm you hire to do great things so you look good, right? Right. So read and learn, because while it’s indeed important the agency understand your business, it’s equally as important that you understand at least something about their’s, fair?
WHAT’S GOING ON OUT THERE?
I’m not exactly certain what is happening in the in-house marketing/communications world, or perhaps it’s just that I’m older, wiser and clearly less patient, but I’ve noticed a very disturbing trend—many in-house teams (not all) are far less knowledgeable about marketing and communications, particularly basic understanding, than they ever used to be. Even basic things seem to escape the in-house communications person. Why? Because the person hiring this person knows even less about communications than the communications person. This is causing ever-increasing levels of frustration both between the client and the agency, but also between the in house marketing/communications “leader” and “the boss.” It all comes down to some basic knowledge and asking better questions.
If you’re “the boss” hiring an in-house communications person, may I suggest you consult with an expert to help vet the candidates so you can get the right person for what you need. Someone coming in to lead the marcom efforts of a firm should have a very solid grasp of marketing/communications “things” and be able to provide clear leadership and direction, both strategically and tactically. Here’s what they’ll need to know:
• There are dozens, if not hundreds, of communications tools that are needed by an in-house team or an agency to do their job. A few of the basic ones include media relations software like MMI, Vocus or Cision, as well as items like ProfNet. All are critical to the job, so if you don’t know what these are, you need to. Wire services, such as PRNewswire and BusinessWire also cost additional fees when you place a release on the wire.
• There are a host of tools to use for CRM and social media, such as Constant Contact or ExactTarget, as well as social tools such as Blogger and HootSuite and Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn (literally among hundreds of others). Understand them, how they work and what they are designed to do and to not do.
• An in-house team must have a solid understanding of the brand. Simple exercise: Give the leadership team an index card and ask them to write down your businesses’ brand. If they don’t all have the same answer (they won’t, by the way) or it’s not consistent for a customer or client, you have what we experts call B.O.D. (Brand Operational Dissonance), and you need to get that looked at.
MORE STRATEGIC THINKING, PLEASE
Perhaps the most important item is a general strategic understanding that if you are the communications person and you don’t understand these things (most if not all good agencies not only understand these but are expert with these) don’t dictate to the agency how to “tactically do” their job, particularly when you know virtually nothing about it. That causes frustration, and we at the Eisen Agency have a frustration-free policy. The most important questions for both teams to ask are, “what are you trying to accomplish?” What are the goals? You may want to share that.
If you empower yourself to have some basic understanding of communications, it will make you a better leader because you’ll be able to give much clearer direction to your agency. The clearer the direction, the friendlier the invoicing. And without a clear direction or brand, everything else is tactical gobbledygook without any direction. You’re smarter than that, right?
I promise, by following a few simple rules, understanding communications a little better (particularly if you are that person) and working collaboratively with your agency, you’ll have a more rewarding experience, get more done and rainbows will follow you around. You may be surprised at the level of work, the smiles and maybe even the results. PRN
CONTACT:
Rodger Roeser is the president and owner of Cincinnati-based marketing/communications consultancy, The Eisen Agency. He can be reached at [email protected].