InsidEPR

Cabbage and Egg Rolls: All in a Day's Work!

By Cari Goodrich

Eight-hour days can really fly by when you’re busy with client activity, which makes it difficult to take on extra, non-billable work.

As followers of the EPR blog are aware, our company engages in quarterly community service projects. This quarter my colleague Chelsea and I were responsible for organizing the Q107 project.

From past experience I knew that time management was going to be the key factor in organizing a successful project. A lot of back-and-forth with organizations occurs before we obtain the “perfect” schedule.  This process can often take weeks, if not months.

We’ve worked with many wonderful organizations in the past and have had very successful outings. We’ve done it all in the name of community service – gardened, cooked, and even exercised!  This time around, Chelsea and I wanted to do something new and refreshing. We wanted everyone who participated in the event to immediately feel the work they were doing was rewarding.

The Power of the Internet

By Becky Caudill

A ton has been written this week about what happened to Kathy Sierra and the fallout from the actions of her online attackers.  Since I do not know Kathy or these other bloggers personally, there’s not a whole lot I can say about their characters or why they did what they did that hasn’t already been covered by folks like Robert Scoble, Doc Searls, Ken Camp, and countless others, including Dan Fost at the San Francisco Chronicle (his article gives a good, neutral overview on what happened).

What I can talk about, however, is the other side of the blogosphere - the one that is often overlooked in the face of controversy and punditry.  This post is not meant to minimize Ms. Sierra’s experiences—they are truly appalling and make my skin crawl—but rather to show that the Internet can be a safe haven for people and the blogosphere need not be a place where people are scared to venture. 

I’ve been participating in online chat rooms, message boards, and the blogosphere for many years now.  In fact, I can remember discovering ICQ (a form of internet chat that I used long before IM) the first day of my freshman year of college.  I’ve had countless interactions with perfectly anonymous strangers, all in the hopes of reaching out and connecting with like-minded individuals.  And you know what?  My life is better for it.

Taking Time for the Community

By Becky Caudill

You know it’s a busy time at Engage PR when the posts on this blog are few and far between.  This month the account team has been go, go, go – product launches, media tours, and tradeshows, to name just a few of the things we’ve got on our plates.  It all adds up and unfortunately, leaves very little time to devote to the blogosphere.  That said, this past week my colleagues and I took time out from our hectic schedules to give back to the community by volunteering our time (and energy!) to the Alameda County Community Food Bank. 

The Alameda County Community Food Bank is a nonprofit organization that has been serving the area since 1985. As the county’s clearinghouse for donated food, the Food Bank provides food assistance for 40,000 low-income Alameda County residents each week, including 14,000 children and 7,000 seniors. Most adults served are among the working poor.

Whether it was sorting and boxing cabbage or egg rolls, we know that the time we spent will better the lives of some of our area’s most hungry, and at the end of the day, that’s time well spent.

How to Successfully Choose a PR Firm

By Kristin Kiltz

Choosing a PR firm is a big decision, one that will have a major impact on your business. I’ve worked in PR for over ten years and play an active role in adding new clients to Engage PR’s roster. We want to work with clients that value PR and see us an extension of their business. When looking for a PR firm, make sure you take the time to choose wisely.

Here are some tips to consider.

1. Budget – You need to know going into the agency selection process what your budget is and what you want it to include. Most agencies require a minimum monthly budget. Depending on your budget, it may make more sense to hire a contractor than work with an agency. Be clear with the agency about what programs and deliverables you expect to be included in the budget.
2. Do your research – If you do a Google search on PR firms you are going to get bombarded with agencies. Start by asking people you know and respect about PR firms they have worked with or have heard have a good reputation. This could include VCs, board members, press and analysts in your market, and other marketing and C-level execs. Narrow down the candidate pool to 3-4 agencies. Dealing with too many will make your search very long.
3. Know what you want – Determine your top three priorities. Do you want a program that focuses mostly on media relations? Strategy? What are your marketing goals?  Select an agency that can help you achieve these goals.
4. Meet the team – Make sure you meet the folks who are going to be on YOUR team, not the folks who know how to give a good presentation. You don’t want to buy off on a team, only to find out they won’t be on your account. In addition, find out the responsibilities of each team member and how much time they have to dedicate to your account. Make sure to get references from past and current clients, as well as from media and analysts. Call these references as well as people you respect to get their opinion of the agency and the people working on your team.
5. Get it in writing – Make sure that the agency has outlined specific quantitative goals for each program included in your proposal. For example, the agency might say it will secure 3-4 contributed articles every six months. You need to ensure that you can measure the success of your program and be able to show the success to your executive team, board, VCs, and other stakeholders.
6. Make a decision – After you’ve had the opportunity to meet the team, review the proposal, and call references, make a decision. Too often this process gets dragged out. Keep in mind as you are evaluating agencies that they too are evaluating other prospects and need to make timely business decisions.

By following these simple guidelines, you should feel really good about the agency you selected. A good agency selection will make you look good, it will make your company look good, and of course it will increase sales!