Dear Colleague:

The Best PR Firm for Your Company

To determine which PR firm will work best for your company, consider such factors as experience, past performance, your account executive and supervisor, how the firm will keep you informed, years in business, references, web page quality, and cost.

Before hiring a firm, write a letter to yourself: detail why you want a firm, what you expect to accomplish with its support, and how you will evaluate it. To get a sense of the work environment, visit the office. Ask for a brief proposal stating what the firm will do for your company, its rationale, and its pricing.

The three most common goals of PR programs are to increase sales, create strategic relationships, and help raise capital or go public. The more concrete your objectives are, the more effectively you will be able to measure PR achievements.

The most widely used tools of PR are publicity, speaking engagements, brochures and other materials, and special events (trade shows, seminars, open houses, user groups, etc.).

Your PR firm has expertise in these areas, but its most important contribution will be in strategic thinking — creating new programs or messages that add whole new dimensions to meeting your goals.

Companies shopping for a PR firm often place undue weight on media contacts. More important than who your PR firm knows is the ability to work with new reporters and editors.

Media people change jobs very quickly. Just because an account executive knows certain reporters won't ensure coverage, and you may need to pitch writers in other departments. Perceived newsworthiness is the one factor that most controls placement.

As you search for a PR firm, consider these issues:

Do the PR firm's program objectives and yours match?
Should part of the work be carried out by your in-house staff?
How much time is required to interface with the firm?
Will the person selling you be involved after you've signed on?
What does the projected budget include?
How will you get your moneysworth?
How many hours of service should you expect?
If publicity is your primary interest, does the firm really know what makes a story?
Did your account executive write for a newspaper or magazine?
Does the firm tell you what's required to deliver reprintable articles?
As in all business relationships, chemistry is paramount. Do you like and respect the PR firm's staff?
Do they tell the hard truth, or are they yes people?
Get the new PR firm off to a good start with lots of prompt interchange -- not only by e-mail. Expect initiative and respond quickly. Let the firm know how you feel about it and the PR process so it can adjust to your preferences.


Producing a Brochure Strategy may vary depending on the nature of the brochure (corporate, product, etc.), but here are some guidelines to follow.

1 Estimate the life span of your brochure. If it had a pocket for inserts with changing or sensitive information, would it last longer?

2 Estimate the quantity needed — and thus the cost per unit.

3 Know your audiences and design the brochure with their needs in mind. Will your buying influences and other audiences change over time? A CEO needs one kind of brochure, a clerk another.

4 Literature should be easy to read and not filled with jargon. Readers outside your field should be able to understand your message and appreciate your expertise.

5 Consider including flattering testimonials from satisfied customers.

6 Organize your brochure into short sections, highlighting key points concisely.

7 Use photos or graphics to amplify and dramatize the text.

8 Invite a variety of people to proofread your brochure for content, implications, omissions, and inaccuracies. Will the brochure serve audiences in various countries?

9 When determining paper stock and coating, be certain that handling will not smudge the paper or leave fingerprints.

10 Ensure precise communication between the graphics people and the printer — you must get the printed product you expect.

Your Next Web Site Edition Every company is constantly updating and enhancing its web site. Consider these ideas for business-to-business, non-consumer companies.

How fast are most of the computers your site readers use? If their machines are slower than yours, your visitors will balk at the time it takes to download or print out graphics, flashing icons and other web designer "gee whiz."

Less is more. Simplicity wins the day. The more jargon you use, the less audience you'll reach.

Light rather than heavy. Easy to read rather than obscure. Simple black-and-white diagrams are much appreciated.

Frequent (or constant) updating: viewers like to see recent material. E.g., add your press releases to your site. And add excerpts of recent media coverage or entire articles.

Learn how viewers are finding your site — then increase the ways it can be located.

How does your page width compare with the width of the Netscape or Explorer page?

How will your pages be read by someone located abroad, someone for whom English is a second or third language?

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