The Idea Grove, a Dallas-based PR agency has released an assessment quiz designed to help corporate communicators determine whether their PR agency is doing a good job for them. It’s worth a read – for both clients and those of us in agencies.
We circulated the link here at AHA and I think I might frame it and put it up over my desk. This quiz has great questions that anyone working with an agency should ask themselves and that agencies should review to make sure that they are excelling.
At AHA, we’re often asked what the value is of social media and what the ROI will be for the organization. It’s a valid question and one that should be answered before any organization jumps into social media. We say it time and time again, while we believe that everyone should know what is being said online about their organization, their competitors, their field, their industry – not every organization should necessarily be participating. For some, there may not be any ROI.
Have you ever been in a meeting and had a client, colleague or consultant confuse “strategic” and “tactical.” I think it happens more than we realize (or perhaps like to admit) and it’s not always junior staff that don’t understand the difference.
Our friends at Beaupre & Co Public Relations have a great blog post about how to get the most from your PR firm. If you work with an agency or are considering an agency, it’s worth a read.
We have this discussion often at the AHA offices and with clients. For us, it’s always about how do we deliver the most to our clients. To do that, we have come to realize that our client sometimes needs to focus on how to get the most from AHA. Sometimes, it’s a learning experience for them – especially if they haven’t worked with an agency before or they have had a bad or mediocre experience.
We often get calls from communications directors and managers asking us to come in speak with them (and often their senior executive) about what they “should” be doing when it comes to social media.
When we meet, our discussion always begins with a few questions:
What do you want to achieve?
What are you doing currently to meet your objectives?
Who is your target audience or community?
How do they want to connect with you?
As you can see – there’s not a question or directive about any of the social media tools until we understand more.