The Top 5 Things You Should Look For when Choosing the Best Public Relations Firms in St. Louis for Your Marketing and Sales Goals

You may be wondering, “What should I look for?” when I’m looking for the Best Public Relations Firms in St. Louis. This is a great question! It helps to have a set of objective criteria when you make this decision, because public relations has evolved rapidly over the past decade. There are many strong PR firms in St. Louis.

The best one for your business’ communications and marketing needs may drill down to only a few firms.

Below are the Top 5 things you should look for and think about before selecting a PR firm:

  1. Expertise – Does the PR firm understand your industry and the issues facing it? You want an agency that remains cool, calm, and collected during times of intense activity. You also want a PR firm that understands that PR is a means to an end, and that is increased sales and revenue. All too often, PR firms speak in terms of placements without quantifying how those placements will drive sales, nor how many leads a placement will generate.
  2. Responsiveness – How responsive is the public relations firm to your needs? If you have a crisis or your reputation is at stake, is your public relations firm available 24/7? Does your public relations firm understand how to handle a crisis and the legal ramifications of getting it wrong? Again, losing customers due to bad publicity makes it even more difficult to replace those customers, much less grow your customer base in the future, at least in the short-term.
  3. Agility – Does your PR firm understand how to use social media, content marketing, and digital marketing to amplify your content? The world of digital marketing is perpetually changing, does your PR firm stay on top of current trends? Many PR firms say that they are experts in digital marketing, but do not have a significant digital footprint for their own agency nor for the people who work there.
  4. Network of Contacts – A PR firm that has extensive media contacts is invaluable, especially during times of emergency. You also want an agency that can leverage your story with the maximum amount of media outlets and pitch stories to reporters. The Best Public Relations Firms in St. Louis have extensive media contacts nationwide, or the ability to access those decision makers through their personal networks.
  5. Business Development and Sales-Focus – the PR industry has changed and moved beyond traditional PR activities, and PR measurement is the key. Does your PR agency understand the acquisition cost of each of your new customers and place a value on each of those customers? Once a value is determined, it can be measured.

The one question you must ask when you interview a PR firm is, “What are you doing to incorporate current communications technology into your PR and marketing services?”

Gone are the days of “traditional” PR. Every industry has gone through a disruption due to technology; public relations, marketing, digital marketing, etc. are no exception. Look for PR professionals who bring excitement, enthusiasm, creativity, and the ability to clearly articulate ideas, when servicing your account.

The lines between public relations and marketing has become blurred, with many PR firms claiming that they do marketing, and marketing firms claiming that they do PR. What sets them apart is sales focus, because at the end of the day, if no one sells anything, a magical thing happens, nothing! So, when you are looking for the Best Public Relations Firms in St. Louis for your marketing and sales goals, keep these 5 things in mind, and AMM Communications has all 5 capabilities.