AMR Agency Growth Webinar Series

Next month’s webinar: Stephen Woessner, “Predictive ROI/SEO Results You Can Guarantee” February 5 th at 11 am eastern

This month’s webinar: Nancy Marshall, Building a PR Practice Inside Your Agency

How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services (and dramatically increase your revenue streams)

My agency: Nancy Marshall Communications How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services ▪ Started in 1991 with three ongoing monthly clients ▪ Ongoing fees were all I knew!

The best results take time: the importance of educating your clients about PR—with many clients, the best results come in year #3. How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services ▪ How magazine editorial calendars work ▪ Working with freelance writers ▪ Creating “Most Wanted” media lists ▪ Pitching to media ▪ Developing trusted relationships with the media

What it’s all about: How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services ▪ Understanding the news media ▪ Developing relationships with journalists ▪ Providing accurate, newsworthy information ▪ Following up with support necessary to help them do their stories

You must never, ever lie or even stretch the truth with the news media. This will bring your agency’s reputation down. Make sure you verify all facts and are able to substantiate all claims made in news releases or pitches. How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services

Start with the end in mind: create your own branded plan. Our “Marshall Plan” is a three-month process that includes: How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services ▪ A brand platform: core story, message map, sound bite ▪ Strategies for increasing brand strength and exposure ▪ Three suggested taglines and refreshed logo (or new logo) ▪ SWOT analysis

Marshall Plan components, continued: How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services ▪ Competitive analysis ▪ Key target audiences ▪ Measurable goals and objectives ▪ Strategy to connect fundraising, internet, marketing, and public relations ▪ Strategy for refreshing and updating the website

Marshall Plan components, continued: How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services ▪ Social media strategy to raise awareness of the organization and its projects, build brand awareness, create a community of supporters, facilitate ongoing communication and dialogue, and showcase beautiful photos and videos of the lands, the recreational activities taking place and the social events such as fundraisers and organized outings ▪ Electronic newsletter template, along with content suggestions and suggestions for growing the distribution list and number of supporters

Marshall Plan components, continued: How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services ▪ Public relations tactics to generate an ongoing stream of positive media coverage in key markets; provide specific story ideas as well as tips on how to establish an ongoing relationship with key media outlets; develop templates or provide suggestions for: ▪ Press releases ▪ Pitch letters ▪ Media advisories ▪ Ghost-written articles ▪ Guest columns ▪ Media events ▪ Timeline and budget ▪ Measures of success

Marshall Plan components, continued: How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services ▪ Identify new strategic partnerships, collaborations and referral sources ▪ Strategic networking opportunities ▪ Present marketing tactics that serve to build awareness and support ▪ Develop contact lists, contact letters and marketing templates that will enable client to carry out the tactics laid out in the plan

Important Note: How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services The beauty of this process is that it gives us a chance to ‘date’ our client for three months before we get ‘married’ for a year or more!

Now comes the ongoing work: Implementing the Plan. Our typical monthly fees would include the following… How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services ▪ Issuing 2 to 3 press releases: est 20 hrs. ▪ Media pitching: est. 10 hrs. ▪ Ongoing media monitoring: est. 2 hrs. ▪ Social media monitoring and posting: est 5 hrs ▪ Search engine optimization: est. 4 hrs. ▪ Monthly client meeting with agenda and meeting minutes: est. 3 hrs. ▪ Monthly activity report: est. 2 hrs. ▪ Having staff available to manage the account and respond to calls and s during regular business hours: est. 5 hrs. ▪ Total estimate 50 hours for a $5000 monthly fee Critically Important: Continual communication between AE and Client so they know we are always thinking about them and working for them.

Additional projects would include (quoted as an additional fee): How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services ▪ Advertising design and placement (traditional and online) ▪ Brochure design ▪ Website design ▪ Special event management ▪ Press conference management ▪ Media tours ▪ Crisis management

How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services Helpful resources:  HARO —  Cision and My Media Info — Subscription-based media databases  Cision or Burrelles — Media clipping services (Google News Alerts provide clips for free)

We create and maintain a Client Binder that is presented to the client at the end of the year; usually at the time when we are asking them to sign on for a new year. The binder has tabs for: How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services ▪ Copy of proposal/agreement letter ▪ Meeting agenda and minutes ▪ Press releases and media advisories ▪ Media results ▪ Collateral/promotional materials created for client ▪ Programs, agendas for special events ▪ Copies of all invoices

Our contracts are all based on an annual agreement but they may be canceled at any time. I never want a client to feel that they are locked into doing business with us. How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services

Best staffing options: How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services I would recommend you start with two people: one who is very good on the phone with the media and in dealing with clients, and the other who is good with database management, proofreading and the administrative side of PR. At least one of them needs to be a good writer; it doesn’t matter whether it’s your client-facing person or the admin person. Both of them need to understand that PR is not the same as advertising, and their materials need to have a newsworthy hook.

My forthcoming manual: How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services Into the Mix: Strategies for Building a PR Profit Center for Your Agency (coming out in February 2013) Send me an if you want to be notified when it is published.

Check out my blog at and Sign up for my monthly newsletter, “The NMC Report” at: How to Add Public Relations into Your Agency Services

Nancy Marshall Agency Questions? Feel free to me at