How to Gain Clarity & Create a Strategy for Your PR Agency During Uncertain Times

Apr 09, 2020

We are living in really interesting and uncertain times right now.

When it comes to your business, it’s important to look at this moment as an opportunity. This pandemic is not something that is happening to us - it’s a collective pause where we can reframe and see that it is, in fact, happening for us.

We need to stop and think: 

“How can we add value to our client’s businesses?”

“How can we support these businesses through this challenging time?”

“How can we ensure that they come out on the other side with their businesses intact?”

As marketers and PR professionals, our jobs are so incredibly valuable. This may seem counterintuitive because we’re hearing so much about companies cutting expenses and employees, but I actually am seeing a lot of companies trying to figure out how to gain market share and do what they have to to survive.

This is the time where we can step up, serve as leaders, and provide value to these companies.

How You Can Step Up As a Leader and Add Value Right Now to Serve Your Industry

I want to help other people succeed through this recession as much as possible.

I saw this in 2008, and we were thriving because we were able to effectively communicate to prospective clients and current clients how we could help them survive and thrive during really challenging times.

You need to brainstorm some ways you can position your services to help current and prospective clients come out on the other side of this relatively unscathed.

Are there ways you can pivot your offering so you aren’t going after your typical monthly retainer businesses, but instead create a bundled offer with niche businesses that serve your ideal clients and come up with ways you can put all of these businesses with shared goals, interests, and efforts together?

For example, maybe you represent a client that is a manufacturing company for a certain product, but during this crisis, they’ve pivoted their operation and are now producing face masks or ventilators.

We have a client who is producing hand sanitizer that wasn’t doing that before. They originally produced beauty supplies, hair care, or skin care and one of their products is aloe vera gel. They pivoted their entire operation with all hands on deck on the manufacturing floor, even the CEO of the company. 

Now, they’re producing and selling 10,000 units a day of aloe vera gel for hand sanitizer, and that’s their way of serving a need right now. We are doing a big media outreach around that.

Part of surviving this challenging time is serving your clients in a way where they see you as an invaluable partner. 

Imagine how comforting it will be to your clients to step up and serve them as a leader with clear direction, clear strategy, clear focus, and confidently being a beacon of hope. 

Strategies for Reaching Out to Decision-Makers and Getting New Clients

Demonstrating the value you have to offer and positioning it in a way that shows clients how your services are essential to them right now is the way to make it through this time.

The companies that are cutting marketing, advertising, and PR expenses are the ones making a short term decision that has long term negative ramifications. They’re losing out on an opportunity to stay in front of the mind with their consumers and capture market share in a way that’s authentic.

You, as a communications professional, can help your clients navigate these challenges.

It’s not as hard as it sounds, I promise!

And, if you’re interested, we actually put together a COVID 19 support bundle, which is a free resource and is a compilation of all the information we’ve received from our media contacts that have best practices for pitching angles.

How You Can Continue to Succeed + Thrive During These Uncertain Times

The times may feel aimless, but I promise that there is so much opportunity right now!

Companies need our services more than ever, so when you understand your business’s value and that you’re offering a tremendous service, you’ll be able to position yourself in a way to market what you do.

The people who are panicking right now and scrambling aren’t going to fare as well as those who take a second, regain control, and implement a plan.

As soon as you have a plan, your confidence will build to ask for what you’re worth.

Related: How to Succeed in Business by Doing this One Thing 

Buttoning Up Your Systems and Processes

It’s entirely possible for all of you PR professionals, agency owners, and solopreneurs to come out of this with your business still intact! 

By buttoning up your systems and processes now, you’ll be able to have a successful, thriving, and profitable business throughout these hard times. 

The way many of my clients are doing this is by focusing on the business, not the tedium and the day to day of running the business.

A few ways you can do this is by:

  • Revisiting how to refine your niche
  • Work on your proposal
  • Find ways to serve others in your niche
  • Reach out and bring in new leads 
  • Take classes to expand your knowledge in your niche
  • Know your value

The world might feel out of control right now, but that doesn’t mean you need to. By understanding the value you bring to your clients and stepping up as a leader in your industry, your agency is sure to thrive throughout this difficult time.

There is so much opportunity happening right now, so get out there (metaphorically, of course!) and find yours!