By Holly Daulby,

PR isn’t what it used to be and it has naturally evolved to be all encompassing which is why agencies need to pride themselves on being able to support brands with fully integrated campaigns that cross all platforms and are planned to have maximum impact at the right time.

Got a new product launch at a show? Make sure you get all your plans aligned. From PR editorial appearing at the same time as website promotions, and then social media support too which coincides with newsletter, marketing materials and adverts in your desired media.

For the client, the benefits of an integrated agency are endless! Apart from the fact that one point of contact instead of multiple agencies means that someone else will do all the chasing and project management, but all activity will be co-ordinated which is vital in a sector where timing is everything. This will deliver maximum efficiency as everyone will be working on the same page, and all teams will be working together which will boost effectiveness and get stronger results.

From a creative point of view, having more avenues to explore and more platforms to get stuck in with always gets the creative juices flowing! The end result therefore is that the overall appearance of the brand is strengthened, making the customer experience more considered and united. Ultimately resulting in happier customers - and more of them!

Evolving PR agencies help to shape a brand’s whole identity, and then to convey it. Being a full service agency, with many strings to the bow, enables this. PR and communications are about shareable content, so the creation of that and then the subsequent sharing process needs support. It’s not just putting the message out there but also the various means of directing people to it that can shine here – enter SEO, PPC and digital advertising too!

PR agencies need to recognise the need to evolve to meet modern client demands. As part of the evolution, the days of media lists being a little black book of print journalists are long gone. Influencer relations are the new chapter of media relations, and are such a hotly disputed topic at the moment, and the debate between genuine endorsement vs. sponsored rumbles on.

Influencers have the power to make (or break!) a brand. When pitching an influencer to a client, “how big is their following” is a standard response. When what they really should be asking is “how engaged is their following”.

Wouldn’t you rather have 1000 loyal followers, who dote on every word said about you and engage with, react to and share your content rather than 500,000 who follow you but ignore every word you say? It’s a tough argument to put across because ultimately every client is after the big numbers but with a justified reasoning they’ll soon listen and realise it’s about quality not quantity!

Holly Daulby is Managing Director, Honest Communications.

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