Keeping in touch with your PR clients and contacts is something we should be doing regularly. How we do this, and how frequently, will depend on a significant number of factors—but regular contact must be maintained. What’s the best way you can do this successfully?
There are many tips and tricks you can use to ensure your PR client communications are effective and successful—cultivating these relationships so you may work together in the future. Here are some suggestions that you may wish to employ when you next speak to your contacts.
Be clear on what you’re working towards
It’s important for you to agree on what great results look like before you start a new launch, or at the beginning of the new year. These may change from one campaign to the next for a fast-paced company: one year, it might be media coverage in a publication read by potential investors, for instance, and the next it’s coverage in a trade publication to establish the credibility of a product within a new market.
There shouldn’t be any ambiguity on what you’re working towards, what you need to get there, and how success will be measured. The message shouldn’t change, even if your goals do. You should understand what your client does and help them communicate this in a succinct way.
Collaborate
Creativity takes time, as well as meeting with those who want to collaborate and think through what to do next. A relationship where you do collaborate means people can be heard and are invested in the future. It builds trust, and your client can then feel comfortable in sharing information with you. You may also wish to use programs such as Boomerang Messaging to communicate news to them – everyday notices can be automated, sent either by SMS, email, or voice message.
Share valuable information
To be the person who your client comes to for answers, then you should prepare to stay one step ahead. Don’t wait for a client to contact you if a development happens or there’s some industry news: call them first and have an opinion. This shows you’re confident to have a viewpoint as you’re smart enough to know what’s happening.
Take your time
Do your homework when preparing to meet with a client. With a new or potential one, research what their needs are and how you can help. Alternatively, with regular clients, review their files and speak with other colleagues who’ve worked with them. Also, schedule enough time to have a great discussion with them.
Stay relevant
Make sure you have a great working knowledge of what you offer. You should know what your services are, how much they cost, and how long it takes to deliver them to your client. Make sure you have any details of information you won’t remember either readily available or written down. Also, don’t waste your client’s time when you communicate with them: be quick.
These five points can help you to improve the success of communications with your PR clients and contacts. Implementing these and others will boost how you transmit messages to those with whom you work.
