Did you know that more than 85% of PR and marketing agencies claim to be creative, innovative, client-focused, results orientated and fun to work with? All essential agency traits, but such generic messaging can make it difficult for marketing managers to narrow down a shortlist of agencies that are best placed to represent their brand.
At ADPR, we like to think it’s a given that we have all these qualities (and more!), but what really sets us apart from the crowd is our proven ability to create meaningful connections for growth within the marine and active lifestyle sectors. Whilst PR is a transferable skill, we believe our in-depth sector knowledge is what makes us invaluable as a strategic growth partner for our clients.
With over 5,000 PR agencies to choose from (in the UK alone), it can be difficult to know where to begin. To help with the decision making, we have broken down the benefits of partnering with an agency that truly understands the nuances, challenges and opportunities within your specific sector.
Industry knowledge
Every industry comes with its own set of unique characteristics, challenges and jargon. Selecting an agency that already has a deep insight into these everyday nuances can add huge value to the service you receive and will undoubtedly save significant amounts of time when it comes to the onboarding process. Not only will the agency be able to hit the ground running, but they will already have in-depth understanding and experience about what works, what doesn’t work and importantly how to get the results you need for your business. They will also be able to anticipate trends and changes within your sector, enabling them to provide excellent counsel as well as pre-empting any adaptations that may need to be made to your comms strategy.
Proven track record
Becoming a true expert in any sector takes years and is achieved by working closely with a wide variety of businesses and organisations operating within that sector, as well as keeping up to date with industry specific news, trends and data. Any agency worth its salt should be able to back up its expertise with a wide range of case studies and references showcasing its ongoing success within the sector it claims to be an expert in. It is not uncommon for an agency to claim sector expertise based on the success of one or two campaigns. Don’t be afraid to ask an agency to prove the breadth and depth of experience they have within your sector. True experts will love nothing more than chatting about an industry they are genuinely passionate about.
Creating connections
It doesn’t matter what sector you work in, creating the right connections for your brand is essential. A specialist agency will already know who your stakeholders are and how to reach them. They will have well established relationships with key journalists, influencers and trade associations, and they will know how to communicate with them. Your agency will already be known on the networking circuit in your sector and will be attending important industry events. They will be so immersed within your world that they will naturally be networking on your behalf, and will be proactive at bringing new connections to the table.
An often-overlooked benefit of working with an agency that operates within your industry is the ability to meet and collaborate with complimentary brands within the agency’s portfolio of clients.
A meaningful partnership
Very few marketing managers want to recruit an agency that can only provide functional and tactical activity. PR works best on a long-term basis and should always be strategic. Marketing managers should feel proud and confident to put their agency team in-front of the C-Suite. True experts will never shy away from difficult conversations, will know the value they bring to the table and will fully understand the depth of input required to achieve impact for the businesses and brands they represent. The best success happens when the client and agency work in true partnership with one another to achieve a shared goal.
If you have any questions or would like to speak to one of our team of experts to support your next PR campaign, please get in touch via hello@adpr.co.uk.