The media and public relations fields can change quickly, especially with all the new communications and analytics technologies available to modern professionals. However, as any seasoned PR pro can tell you, there are some basic tenets of success on this career path that will always remain true.
To help newcomers to the agency world, members of Forbes Agency Council, below, share some of the lessons they learned from their mentors, as well as discuss why they matter.
Members discuss a few lessons they learned from mentors.
Photos courtesy of the individual members
1. Your Message Must Motivate Action
My very first sales manager taught me that if your message can’t motivate, you won’t ever make a sale. In today’s digital world, this has never been truer. So ask yourself, “Is my strategy causing people to act?” If not, keep working until you’ve met this minimum requirement. – Thomas Dudnyk, VIVO Agency
2. Map Out Your Strategy
My mentors really taught me how to document and plan versus just marketing. There has to be a well-thought-out strategic plan or roadmap to follow. One has to map out the journey and flow chart. The plan has to have goals and KPIs to then measure success. Continually meet to review success which is comparing the plan to actuals. Then, make adjustments when the plan is not being met or exceeded. – Michael Fox, Corberry Digital
3. Be Consistent In Your Efforts
PR and media strategies depend on consistency and a gradual build. Knowing that good exposure takes time to build and requires maintenance helps define the journey for both practitioners and clients. – Lynne Golodner, Your People LLC
4. Do Your Research First
Don’t jump into your PR and media strategy without doing good research and writing a plan. Yes, writing—because just having some thoughts and a quick plan in your mind doesn’t work. So do your research, take notes and write down your plan. – Jonnathan Trilleras, LED TRUCK MEDIA LLC
Read more in Three Basic Steps To Plan Your 2020 Content Marketing Campaign
5. Back Your Ideas With Strategy And Be A Resource
Think, research, and don’t rush. When you have an idea backed with a strategy, express yourself where your audience is listening. Be a resource for them. Provide useful insight and valuable information. Know your audience and speak to them directly. – Chelsey Pendock, Innovision Advertising
6. Use Validated Learning Principles
It is my indirect learning from the Lean Startup model by Eric Ries that the performance of media is directly proportional to an organized learning process that a brand can pursue. Specifically, validated learning and innovation accounting principles can be improvised and used for media management. – Kashif Zaman, Aisle Rocket
7. The Bad PR Adage Isn’t True
The most important thing a mentor taught me about PR is the old adage of PR—there’s no such thing as bad PR—is a fallacy, especially when it comes to a business. In a global economy of seemingly endless competition, the first impression a potential customer or client has about your company is lasting and directly impacts their decision on a working relationship. – Daniel Ehrlich, eCommerceGuy
8. Know That Effective Strategies Take Time
Respect the time and effort it takes to dream up and implement effective PR strategies, and learn to be patient. Despite the pace of business today, it still takes a bit of time for these initiatives to deliver significant business benefits. While creative ideas are invaluable, the only good ones are those that connect directly to your brand and that are implemented effectively. – James Burn, BrandActive
