Serious about PR
Let's face it ... PR has had a bad rap.
The days of babes, balloons and large quantities of booze are over. In South Africa alone a minimum three year diploma is a requirement to get even a junior post in an agency or corporate division.
Unfortunately not all executives realise this and still equate PR a poor second to the corporate golf day. But where PR is valued and seen as a cost effective, dynamic way to impact the bottom line, especially when planned by a professional, the results can be amazing.
Ironically, it's the media who first decide whether your PR consultant is a professional. Inundated by thousands of press releases journalists quickly learn who can write (or not), who understands their needs (or doesn't care at all), and who they can trust to work with to get value comment, on time and consistently.
A good PR consultant has his/her own reputation in the mix and using this for the good of the client brings benefits to the PR-media-client triangle.
Outcomes Based
Any PR consultant worth her salt will insist on being measured for success. Not only will this involve regular status meetings with the client but should include:
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Quarterly, half yearly and annual progress reports
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Weekly clippings reports and values
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Monthly values on clips
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Online coverage measurement
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Measurement against Key Performance Indicators
To achieve this, the measurable factors must be agreed up front. While measurment against Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) is not the norm overseas, in SA it is good yardstick to calculate an ROI for management reporting. Better still, tracking services such as clipping services or online measurement give both client and consultant a clear view of the strategic nature of the coverage and media used.
