For many clinics, the decision to outsource their PR to a specialist consultancy or agency is a difficult one. Proper financial investment in the outsourcing of PR can prove to be a real sticking point for those who feel that they simply cannot make allowances in their budget to employ an outside company – a common thought is how hard can it be to do these things myself?
Yet, whilst it is entirely feasible that youll be able to come up with your own marketing materials, build relationships with press and influencers and manage your own social media channels with no outside help from PR specialists, investing your own time in the creation and fulfilment of a self-run marketing strategy instead of focusing on what you do best, such as delivering those revenue-spinning aesthetics treatments, will soon see your bottom line begin to suffer.
So, in the spirit of the new year, new you sentiment that arises around this time each year, read on to see my top tips for clinics and businesses who are looking to outsource their PR in 2020, and discover how to best to do this to get the most for your money in the new year:
- Decide on what your success looks like: at Kendrick PR, we receive lots of enquiries for PR support but often these have no detail or information – making it hard for us to respond with a realistic outline of what we can do and how much budget this requires. Give suppliers a clear picture of your objectives and what you want to achieve, whether youre aiming for more press coverage, want to market yourself as a key opinion leader or specialist in a certain area of treatment or want to grow your business and increase sales.
- Have a budget ready: This will help your supplier gain a better understanding of what sort of service they will be able to provide you with. If ongoing retainer costs arent feasible for your budget, consider briefing the agency to deliver a stand-alone project for a set time period, set fee to achieve a concise objective.
- Shop around: Make use of those years of networking by asking your peers for their supplier recommendations, ask how they found the process of working with a particular company and whether they got the results they needed. Other ways of sourcing PR companies include public relations guilds or professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of PR, the Public Relations Communications Association and the Healthcare Communications Association. Agencies featured here have paid to be members of these bodies, but quality should be assured in their collective agreement to adhere to certain strict codes of conduct.
- Telephone Interviews and Chemistry Meetings: Think youve found your perfect match? Set up a series of telephone interviews or meetings to ensure that youre singing from the same hymn sheet. This will be helpful in making sure that both parties are aware of what is expected and is a crucial check in ensuring that you share similar ideologies. If all seems good, its a good indication that youll be able to enjoy a healthy and productive business relationship.
If youre a clinic or business seeking that little bit of extra support in the new year, keep these tips in mind. To find out more, contact Kendrick PR today: http://www.kendrickpr.uk/contact-us/