The ever growing shift towards doing business digitally has changed the way many companies operate, and has understandably led to an increase in the number of start-up organisations that are dealing directly with commercial clients rather than members of the public. This process began as a trickle before slowly becoming a stream then quickly developing into a torrent.
Not so long ago, new companies in all sectors of industry had to understand the way the public think, behave and buy, but in many cases now highly successful organisations have no direct dealings with Joe Public at all. They are able to focus solely on commercial entities within their chosen target market, and therefore the mannerisms and behaviour patterns of the general population don’t seem to matter as much.
The B2B sector is a strong, robust and reliable stand-alone industry, and it’s one that offers plentiful rewards to those who know how to work within it. And one of the cornerstones of that success should be the engagement of an experienced, knowledgeable and innovative B2B PR agency to facilitate and coordinate a range of activities.
Knowing how YOU work
While there’s no specific list of qualities that a B2B PR agency will need – everyone has their own opinion, after all – there are certain characteristics that your business will want to seek out. They include a sound knowledge and understanding of your competition, the market in which it operates and the processes that turn occasional victories into continuous, long-running successes. It’s important to remember that public perceptions of a company carry huge importance, even for companies that only work on a B2B basis, so a finger on the pulse will rightly be seen as a major advantage.
Getting YOUR message across
There is no single definitive answer to questions asking what constitutes good PR. Your chosen agency should be skilfully adept – and suitably experienced – at everything from media outreach and current affairs to strategic communications and content creation. Your agency will help you refine your message in your style, with an emphasis on substance. The buzz you help to nurture needs to be the narrative you want it to be, at all times. They used to say that knowledge is power. These days we could reasonably say that content is king.
Adapting to your bespoke requirements
Understanding the specific needs of the client is crucial for B2B PR agencies to succeed. This includes knowing which media outlets will prove more favourable to getting their messages across. Certain websites and magazines that will be useful in some industry sectors, for example, could be of little or no value in others. In short, what works very well in automotive may not get the job done in construction, and vice versa.
Rose Media Group strongly believe in the benefits of a holistic approach to commercial relations. In other words, why allocate a single individual to a client when you can allocate several? Whether our clients need to talk about media exposure, content creation, social media platforms, press releases, search engine optimisation, networking events or anything else, they can speak with the relevant specialists from RMG as and when they need.
Working together, working successfully
Finally, perhaps a requirement that all too often gets overlooked: your B2B PR specialists need to communicate with the outside world, of course, but even more important than that is the need to communicate with YOU. Regular reports, timely updates and strategy meetings all have their place, for sure, but it’s also important for them to just make contact from time to time and ask how you are and what’s happening in your world.
Maintaining open lines of communication is often all about remaining proactive. Clients are busy, of course, so knowing when to get in touch will often only start to become second nature over a period of time. Here at Rose Media Group, we’ve worked with each of our major clients for an average of more than eight years now, but we never lose that personal touch. Even amid the high-tech splendour that the 21st century has brought us, there’s still a place for a quick call or a brief catch-up over tea and biscuits. Now THAT’S what we call good PR!
