src=”https://buffer.com/resources/content/images/2022/07/markus-spiske-fr7SSrc43AQ-unsplash–1-.jpg” alt=”What I’ve Learned About Getting Clients 11 Years into Running a PR and Social Media Agency”>
I made a huge leap of faith in 2011 and quit my stable job to start my own public relations agency. This was going to be difficult. But I was not ready to accept the guilt of not trying. So I launched Prohibition PR. It has been quite an adventure.
My blog was a personal blog that discussed social media trends and issues. Bloggers weren’t as competitive back then as they are today. You just had to create a great blog and optimize it correctly back then. This brought in some traffic. My first clients came to me through this blog. We are now a medium-sized social media and PR agency.
After more than a decade in the business, I would like to claim that I have mastered the “agency life.” Every now and again, I am surprised. It’s obvious that I don’t have all the answers and there is still much to learn. However, I have learned some important lessons along the journey that I want to share with my readers in this post.
Let’s get started.
1. Connect with creative people
One of the most valuable lessons I have learned during my first years as a social media and PR agency owner was networking. Not just for obvious reasons. Networking is an excellent way to build business relationships and gain clients. But, networking with the right people can reap many benefits.
You get to see how others run their businesses. I have had the opportunity to interact with entrepreneurs, public relations professionals, journalists, journalists, and many other professionals over the years. Although they share many commonalities, their business models are different. Why is this important?
I have learned so much about different industries through this exposure. I have also gained insight into the business operations of other entrepreneurs. These insights were crucial in developing bold social media PR campaigns that our clients could use. These insights influenced my leadership style in our social media and PR agency.
But what does this all mean? Don’t be limited by your narrow vision and see networking from a different perspective. Networking is a way for professionals to make connections and potentially form partnerships. Or get “hacks” to help them land more clients. All of this is fine with me. Good networking can bring you so much more.
Networks can give you new ideas and help you see the bigger picture. This will be a benefit for both your company as well as the clients you wish to serve. This is not all.
Not every event will result in real business connections or business. Over the years, I have spoken at many networking events. Most of them were terrible, though.
This was particularly true in the early 2010s, when social media marketing wasn’t as well-known as it is today. So I took to the stage to explain how social media can help you stand out and is much more affordable than traditional marketing. However, most people weren’t ready to pay attention.
Let’s cut to the chase: networking is essential. Attending events is key. These events are not the only thing I recommend. These events won’t be enough to propel your agency to the next level. They won’t be the best for all agencies. It’s wise to also rethink your network strategy.
Multifaceted networking strategies can be very beneficial. This means that you need to go beyond the industry-specific tradeshows and seminars. Other networking events such as career fairs, community services groups and alumni meetups are worth exploring.
2. Always be available to your clients or team
Every agency wants to grow and have a steady supply of clients who are satisfied. Unfortunately, agencies can lose touch with clients as they grow and acquire more clients. It’s hard to keep in touch with each client, especially when an agency that started out as a single venture has grown into a large organization with many clients. I know this because I have seen it firsthand.
It was easy to keep that spark going with just a handful of clients when I launched Prohibition PR back in 2011. As more clients joined, it became more difficult. I have worked with international consultancies and can tell you that even large companies with more resources find it difficult to be accessible to clients. This is a big problem.
Your agency clients, just like B2C customers need that personal touch. They must feel valued. You can reach them via email, SMS or a cloud-based phone. This is a great way to reassure them. Failure to deliver this will result in another agency taking your clients without a second thought.
It is therefore important to manage your time well. It is important to make time for clients. You’ll need to hire qualified client account managers as soon as your baby agency becomes an adult. You should train them to make sure they live by your brand values. Keep your doors open, but more importantly. Your employees are your most important connection to your clients.
In terms of employees, I believe agencies should win awards to attract top talent. I set out to win awards as soon as I could when I founded the agency. I wanted to attract the best talent and knew that candidates would prefer to work for a winning agency. I put in a lot of effort and was willing to go the extra mile for my clients. The agency began to earn recognitions and is now PRCA’s Best Medium Size PR Consultancy of 2022.
3. Accept criticism
One of the most difficult lessons I have learned is to accept criticism. This is to be expected in PR. However, I did not expect to tell clients that they would need to develop thick skins and learn to accept criticism.
A social media and PR agency that is skilled can help you manage any crisis and improve your brand image. This is true, there’s no doubt about it. They cannot make your brand immune from criticism. That is impossible. Even if you offer the best services, there will always a customer who has some criticism. It could be valid or unfounded.
Here’s the thing. Your agency can be a beneficiary of criticism. You don’t need to respond to it. When a client complains that a product failed to do something, this is constructive and meaningful criticism. Oder your customer service is slow to respond to calls. These criticisms can be used to improve your product or refine the customer experience.
Accept criticism. Accept criticism from clients and voice it publicly. Respond quickly to criticisms and show how you are going to solve the problem permanently.
This is what you need to know:
Apple and other major brands have done this when they were under fire. Taylor Swift, for example, criticized Apple in 2015 for not paying musicians whose music was streamed as part of a free trial. Apple admitted defeat and issued an apology via Eddy Cue, senior vice president. They also fixed the problem.
There’s another way to look at it all. Sometimes, agencies get into trouble when they promise something that they can’t deliver. This is especially true for newer agencies who are eager to attract clients. In a matter of weeks, you promise to increase a client’s revenues by X percent. Client is impressed and agrees to join you. You fail to live up to your promises, and the client feels let down.
Although it can be a good way to impress potential clients by setting unrealistic targets, it is not a sustainable strategy. Too often clients are disappointed and start talking about their experience with others. Agent owners should be open and honest. Do not promise the world to clients just to make a quick buck. Experiential clients will see through your lies. Those who do not will be disappointed if you fail to deliver. You’re doing your brand and agency no favors.
4. With client surveys, Pulse checks your business
What is worse than losing a client out of the blue? It’s not uncommon to lose a client suddenly. After a few months of working with a client, it’s one thing to let go of a contract. A client abruptly ending a contract is another matter.
Both cases could mean that your business is suffering. The latter scenario could indicate a larger problem. It’s not enough to monitor the satisfaction of clients and overall business performance.
Performance issues can creep in if you fail to properly evaluate your clients and business. These issues can even slip through the cracks. This is when clients start to raise a long list spanning many months. It is difficult to retain clients like this.
You must constantly evaluate the performance of your agency and your client satisfaction to ensure it is on the right path. You can even let your clients evaluate your business. This doesn’t require a lengthy client survey. According to my experience, shorter client surveys are more effective. I suggest a maximum of 2 questions.
You want to find out how happy your client is, first and foremost. This could be done in a variety of ways. You could ask the client, “How likely are you to recommend our service?” Let the client choose a scale from 0-10.
Happy clients will choose a high number. You should quickly address the root cause of unhappy clients. Clients would be considered unhappy if they choose any number between six and nine going down.
You should get qualitative data from the follow-up question. What could we do better? This question is open-ended and will give you tons of data to use. You can use the answers to improve customer satisfaction and experience.
What frequency should you conduct client surveys The frequency of client surveys will vary depending on the project and the contract you have with the client. You should not be surveying clients more often than necessary. If you do it too often, it will make you appear insecure. You’ll lose touch with clients if it’s not done frequently enough.
Prohibition PR usually conducts quarterly surveys with clients who have long-term contracts. We adjust the frequency for project-based clients based on the scope and timeline of the project.
5. Social media is a powerful tool that can be used to your advantage
Happy customers will share more of their experiences with others than unhappy customers. This is something that marketers know well. It is also well-known that social media is where most negative experiences are shared. It can only take one tweet or thread to ruin a brand’s reputation.
Social media can be just as effective in building brands and delivering results for clients. We incorporate social media channels into our public relations strategies. Social platforms have been used numerous times by us to deliver outstanding results for clients.
As an example, take the 2017 social media campaign that Watches of Switzerland (WoS), created. WoS wanted to increase its presence at Baselworld 2017, the renowned global watch tradeshow. We created engaging content, such as animated Gifs and teaser videos. To help create a Facebook Live discussion, we also brought on board a production company.
WoS dominated the Baselword 2017 conversation thanks to their social media campaign. They had 3633% more content than their competitors. Their social media engagements and audience grew by 3633% compared to the competition.
Social media has been a key tool in our agency’s ability to acquire leads. LinkedIn is the best social media platform to get inquiries about our services. This is more than search. People who have interacted with us in various capacities would send me the “Hi Chris” DM. Some are referals, while others were at an event that I attended.
It’s quite remarkable that so many people prefer to contact them via LinkedIn over the official website. Maybe people prefer to know they are talking to someone in charge and not just a random employee answering questions?
Social media is essential for growing your agency and delivering results to clients. This applies to almost all industries. You can also supplement your clients’ content strategies and in-house content with social media content.
6. Be confident
Self-confidence is the common thread that unites most successful people. Businesses are built on taking calculated risks. Entrepreneurs quit their job to start their own business. Some might even try out a new industry. These stories are not new.
While not all stories like this have a happy ending, they are all important in some way. Brilliant if the venture succeeds. It doesn’t work, it’s a great idea. You won’t be living with regret about “what if”.
You need self-confidence to reach your full potential. It is important to believe in your abilities and skills enough to take action. You must give up on trying to reach a large client or start a new business.
It doesn’t always have to be in big decisions. Even in small situations, such as voicing your opinion during client briefings or suggesting alternative approaches, confidence is essential.
Sometimes you will need to have the courage to leave clients or contracts that don’t work for you. Do you think that is a difficult decision? Absolutely. However, it is worth considering whether it is worth inviting a client to join you if your services aren’t able to solve their problems.
In Closing
I have learned invaluable lessons in business and life from building a PR and Social Media Agency. Here are some of my top tips. You need to build a network of creative people. Don’t think of networking only as a way to find more clients and business partners. You need to think beyond this.
The second is to be available to your clients. Growth is great, but it’s not sustainable if your clients become distant. Next, take a pulse check of your business. Keep your clients happy and satisfied. Use social media to accept criticism and remain confident.
These lessons may have taught you a few things. These lessons may not be a guarantee of success, but they will help you make better decisions.
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Did you miss our previous article…
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