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Inside the industry, however, PR professionals understand that worthwhile B2B public relations is all about outcomes. As my agency, ThinkInk, outlines in a downloadable resource, PR drives results that change perceptions, shape opinions, drive brand preferences, and create new business opportunities. Yet the PR industry’s longstanding love of vanity metrics isn’t helping its cause.
When outlining the value of PR to existing clients and prospective ones, agency professionals often default to the results they can quantify. In spite of their middling relevance, agency executives will shift discussions directly to metrics: ad value, earned media placements and impressions. But unless those numbers are mapped to more specific performance indicators — like conversions, or increases in website traffic — or are tied to larger lead generation efforts, they have little connection to business outcomes, and therefore mean nothing of value to B2B executives.
Stop selling PR short
Comprehensive public relations efforts can drive untold value to B2B companies, but it’s up to the PR industry’s stakeholders to earn that value through tactical campaigns, smart networking and major hustle. Here are the key drivers of PR success that B2B executives should be looking at, which all smart B2B agencies should possess.
Subject matter expertise. Across virtually every B2B industry, “inside baseball” intel is the engine driving the digital media landscape. The online media shift of the last decade-plus has created an endless appetite for sector-specific content in every niche sector imaginable, creating a wealth of high value content-placement opportunities for today’s smartest B2B PR firms to secure for their clients.
But the key to securing placements for bylined client content items is quality. In order for a PR agency to communicate clients’ value propositions in an accurate, effective and compelling way, the agency needs to genuinely understand the nuances of the market to which it’s communicating. B2B companies should actively investigate a firm’s subject matter expertise by asking to read sector-specific articles, blog posts and resources produced by a potential agency partner. When it comes to industry knowledge, never assume a PR outfit automatically has it. Verify, then trust.
Deep industry connections. Especially for B2B companies, public relations should always be heavy on the relations. Facilitating meaningful introductions is one of the primary ways an agency partner can drive value for its clients, whether that means creating new media connections, helping fill C-level staffing vacancies or getting two potential business partners into the same room.
As they shop for potential PR firms, B2B stakeholders shouldn’t be afraid to ask agency heads about the breadth and depth of their trade-reporter and industry-insider networks. If a PR agency can’t highlight anything other than its “media relations expertise” and “extensive press connections,” executives should keep looking for one with a deep client list and rolodex of contacts in your industry, ideally with an eye for mutually beneficial cross-marketing opportunities. After all, an agency’s potential effectiveness is just as much about who it knows as it is about what it knows.
A tailored services list. Some B2B companies mistakenly believe that retaining a big-name agency or business-to-consumer PR firm is a smart tactic for launching broad campaigns and earning massive media attention. It’s easy to see why B2B executives fall in the big-agency trap, given that generalist PR firms excel at offering new clients the world: integrated marketing, media relations, collateral development, social media management, branding, lead generation, search engine marketing, digital advertising, SEO, design and everything else under the sun.
Yet B2B executives should be wary of any “we do it all” agency. Few PR firms are as deeply staffed and talent-loaded as they present themselves online, and overpromising — and under-delivering — is an unfortunate industry specialty. Picking a PR agency partner with a tailored services list in several targeted focus areas can lead to higher quality and higher value business outcomes in line with your expectations.
Business thinking. This attribute falls squarely in the “intangibles” category, but it’s hugely important nonetheless. While many agencies chase accolades to showcase to their creative work, those that loudly broadcast their inclusion in meaningless “Top 50” or “Best of” lists — or that tout their pay-to-play award wins as evidence of their success — rarely have real muscle behind their showy exteriors.
B2B clients can earn far greater business value from a PR partner with actual biz-dev experience and credentials. A PR strategy that is aligned and integrated with a company’s entire business — not just the marketing department — can drive sustainable long-term growth. B2B stakeholders should seek out PR partners with track records of helping clients achieve real goals when it comes to growing their margins, expanding to new markets, earning exits, or scaling their revenue.
Results and references. Our dictum to “verify then trust” applies to more than just assessing a PR firm’s industry experience and knowledge. A B2B company should only contract with a PR partner that can provide real evidence of their success beyond hollow honors or anonymous 4-star reviews. Ask an agency for case studies and examples of results earned for clients, and seek out reputable references who can speak the PR partner’s praises.
PR is a revenue driver, not a cost center
Ultimately, the stakes in B2B PR are too high to leave to chance: Traditional PR fluff has no place in the world of enterprise-technology vendors and B2B buyers. To earn its slot of a company’s annual budget, PR needs to support revenue growth, period. It takes a smart, motivated PR partner to earn results that go beyond vanity metrics to driving real business outcomes. Ask around for referrals on a PR partner with targeted experience in your industry — it may be the best business development investment your company makes.
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Vanessa Horwell is chief strategy officer of ThinkInk, a specialist agency serving technology companies across the advertising, airline, loyalty, mobile, payments and travel sectors.
Laura Anderson, who rose to VP/GM of global communications and events in a nearly 20 year stint at Intel, will take on the Americas technology chair at Burson following the completion of the BCW and H+K merger on July 1.
WE Communications has partnered with ROKK Solutions to form the WE ROKK AI service.
In the dynamic world of modern business, effective communication is a pivotal tool for success across various industries. At Communications Strategy Group (CSG®), our expertise in embracing innovation in communication extends beyond traditional marketing strategies, paving the way for transformative industry-specific solutions.
There are two types of tech PR professionals. Which one are you? And are C-suite executives making that decision for you?
While there’s an impulse to grab reporters’ attention with the newest industry-transforming tech product or service, a back-to-basics approach focused on telling the right stories to the right people is a far more successful way to ensure your technology campaign breaks through the clutter of today’s crowded tech landscape.
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