The great values of a proficient PR campaign should focus on constructive news stories meant to help companies gain the trust of their customers. Delivering value at an affordable price is becoming tougher with every day that goes by. As far as food PR agencies are concerned, we cannot help buy admit that it’s extremely challenging to make people believe what you’re selling is healthier than your competitors’ products.
Because of the recent downturn of the media industry, now it’s trickier than ever to create an impeccable image for a company and exceed customer expectations. Most corporations hire PR agencies to help them develop effective marketing strategies, attract more clients, and improve public image.
Why is PR such a powerful tool?
To begin with, public relations firms make use of the media to get the word out. They come up with articles, stories, news, press releases, and Facebook pages to raise awareness and achieve recognition. Rather than use paid media and classic advertising campaigns, food PR agencies use blogs and free social media exposure. This strategy will work perfectly if it is implemented by the right agency. Currently, there are countless PR firms on the market, all of them fighting for new clients and struggling to take on more projects. As customers, we must not let ourselves fall for their incredible stories. If you’re looking to hire a good food PR agency, you might want to know pay close attention to the following guidelines.
Experience brings excellent results
Let’s assume you’re selling tacos and you want to hire a PR agency to manage your marketing campaign. How do you know you’ve picked the right provider? Your first step would be to check their experience level. Find out more about former clients, ask them about success rate, and talk about payment terms. Whether your company is entrepreneurial, deliberate, fast-paced, or bureaucratic, you will definitely feel better working with an agency that shares the same principles as you. For example, if your company sells beverages, hiring Rogers & Cowan might be an excellent idea considering they did such a great job for Coca-Cola.
Quality vs. quantity
Just because a PR agency has a lot of employees it doesn’t mean they can guarantee success. It’s always best to opt for quality rather than quantity. For example, you can opt for the services of a small agency because starting businesses are looking to build a reputation; hence, they will go to extreme lengths to help you get your products out on the market.
Pay close attention to the people’s you’re hiring; for instance, if you have a restaurant it’s useless to have 10 stories published in the New York Times ‘Automobile’ section. However, a really small story on the ‘Dining’ section can have a greater impact. Food bloggers will notice you and with a bit of luck, they will promote your business.
Know the team you’re paying
It’s important to know the people you’re working with. Whether we’re talking about a small PR agency or a major corporation, as a customer you want to know that things are getting done. Get involved in the advertising process, don’t be shy to ask questions, and inquire updates. At the end of the day you’re the one who’s paying them, so need to be sure the services offered are of the highest quality. Look for straight answers from your PR agency and make them provide you some sort of weekly or monthly media reports. Hence, you’ll have a comprehensive overview on how their techniques are covering your advertising campaign.
Major food PR agencies have their own secrets to make your start-up business succeed. Media relationships, pitching skills, and other secretive factors we’re still not aware of can make your restaurant, café or Food Company famous over night. One last tip: be honest and don’t allow a PR agency to use dishonest strategies to make you famous. They say patience is virtue, so if you abide by the rules everything will work in your favor.
Photo Credit: Flickr/epSos .de
