Fri., Apr. 19, 2024
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April White, CEO of Trust Relations and its founder tells Doug Simon that there are many challenges in trying to make an agency profitable. The agency world is often staffed with young, inexperienced people who aren’t ready for the jobs they hold. Senior people tend to get pulled away from the actual work to do more business development tasks.
This has resulted in “some struggles just to try to be profitable as an industry, which have led to some practice that doesn’t work for everyone.”
White’s solution to keeping costs down is “to create a virtual agency”. We can save money by not having to pay for an expensive office in New York City, Los Angeles or elsewhere.
She says another hurdle that agencies face is the communication problems on the agency and client sides.
White says to Simon, “I believe that many of the issues with communication are still due to the fact that you don’t have the experience or seniority required to gain the trust of your client.” She does, however, stress that newcomers are also effective.
If you find yourself in a position where you are unsure of what to do, this is an excellent opportunity to grow and expand your horizons. It’s important to get involved in the industry. This is especially true if you are working with B2B technology or something else really interesting. Mentorship is also important to her. You can ask anyone with experience and seniority who you are able to befriend.
Comms professionals should also resist pressure to provide immediate solutions to issues. If in doubt, it’s okay to say, “You know, let us circle back.” “We’re going brainstorm on this, and then we will come back with recommendations.”
White’s agency name makes it clear that she believes trust is the key to any effective PR strategy. I think the entire industry needs to reinvent how it views public relations. It is important to demonstrate that you are doing what you promise before you claim to be.
In closing, she says that it’s “really important” to work closely with clients in order to ensure that they know their unique selling points and that you help them identify them and provide substance. You can tell a better story if they have evidence to back up their claims.
All the Interviews In the series “PR’s Top Pros Talk”, we will be discussing the top PR professionals. Get notified by subscribing When new episodes become available.
Are you interested in participating? Contact Doug Simon at [email protected]
D S Simon Media Helps clients to get their stories broadcast on TV satellite media tours The company also produces and distributes content for the media. It also produces live social media events.
Category: Professional Development