By Michelle Strydom
It’s not as simple as sending out emails, asking favours and hoping for someone to get back to you. When you study marketing, advertising, branding, or journalism, this is what your lecturers are referring to when they mention the importance of a “little book of contacts” or an email list. They are preparing you for the task of bonding with PR professionals.
Exchanging confidential information
In this industry, both the client and the PR discuss confidential information, and according to Patricia Pichulik, managing director of
P and P Communications, this is one of the main reasons why a special bond is necessary.
“A relationship between a PR agency and client is a very intimate one because you share strategic and confidential business information, so trust is key. PR agencies are not merely commodity suppliers - they are brand ambassadors tasked with the sensitive tasks of representation and communication,” she says.
Having said that, there are other key elements to building and maintaining this relationship, as it’s not only done in one email.
Keeping the final product in mind
Forming a bond between the PR agency and the client is easier when you consider that the final product is dependent on the relationship. In an
article written by Christian Fisher, who references Rosanna Fiske, CEO of
Public Relations Society of America, Fisher suggests both groups want to reach the public with good stories and information that people can use in their everyday lives. If the end goal is the same, to produce good content and information, the relationship should be treated with the same respect and attitude.
The most important aspect of any relationship is communication, and communication can not only set the basis of the relationship, but it snowballs to the final product, as Vista Kalipa, public relations director at
On Point PR, suggests.
“Communication and reliability play very crucial roles in this case. It is important to keep open lines of communication at all times. If one of these communication lines start to break, you will then become unreliable as a PR person and that is very dangerous territory, because unreliability eventually leads to mistrust,” he says.
Kalipa adds that from then on, the relationship goes south. Communication breaks down, content gets affected and service delivery dwindles because the rudimentary elements of the relationship are left unaddressed.
PR professionals are focused on delivering great content and a successful product. If the final product comes down to how a PR agency and client communicates, it’s worthwhile to know and respect the person you are working with.
Understanding the roles of both parties
You only notice how useful something can be when you understand it, and this can be especially true when it comes to PR agencies and their clients.
The end goal is to work as one. Each person in the production line needs to know exactly what the next person does in order to be a success. If you struggle to understand the roles, you will also fail to understand what they are capable of and the challenges they face, which could lead to even bigger challenges.
“The biggest mistake clients make is not understanding the role of PR. Clients must trust the counsel of their PR agency and not dictate them. Likewise, agencies must understand the challenges of their client and the parameters in which they work,” says Pichulik.
Pichulik also points out that agencies often send in the heavy hitters to pitch for business and then hand over the account management to inexperienced practitioners, meaning there is no relationship, trust or understanding anymore and the product or service will suffer.
As PR professionals and clients, it’s key to remember that a good bond will result in the best content for both parties, and communication, understanding and trust are key to achieving this.
Why do you think the relationship between a PR agency and clients is important? Let us know in the comments below.