I was once asked by a new client why – after just a week or two – I hadn’t generated any national media commitments. I thought about the answer for a minute. And then I fired the client.
That’s the old conundrum still facing many PR practitioners. Sometimes it seems like every client wants results now. Unfortunately, though, many of them don’t understand the importance of creating and implementing a strategy that generates long-term results.
I’ve learned to always ask new prospects one important question. Are you looking for a quick, short-term “bump?” Or a long-term strategy that helps you prepare for the future? If I detect some hesitation in the answer, I generally suggest they might feel more comfortable with a different PR firm.
Some prospects, though, can relate to what I call my “snowflake analogy.” (Bear with me for a minute.) You might be able to see a snowflake falling; but, in actuality, it really doesn’t have much of an impact. But what if that snowflake turned into flurries? And what if those flurries turned into a snowball that starts rolling downhill? What if that snowball grew in size and momentum, into the size of a boulder. What if that boulder grew into a snowdrift? And what if that snowdrift grew into an avalanche?
You see where I’m going here?
Which is more important, for example, in media relations…an immediate “hit” that generates good feelings (and sometimes, little else), or a series of hits that builds in momentum over the longer-term? Which is more important…tossing out release after release, and hoping a couple of them stick; or focusing on a structured strategy generating increasing results over time?
If we can’t – or won’t – ask those questions of ourselves as well as our clients, we’re unwittingly aiding and abetting the unrealistic expectations they may have. And, in doing so, we’re guaranteeing these short-term band-aid approaches will keep presenting problems to conscientious practitioners in our industry.
It’s time that all of us who consider ourselves Public Relations “professionals” realize that our discipline is generally most effective if it’s strategic. And the strategic approach is often not a sprint. Sometimes it’s a marathon.
Otherwise, it can turn out to be a Race to Nowhere.