By Neila Matheny
Over the years at Engage PR, I have been able to take part in a variety of events with my clients. From trade shows to sponsored events at the race track, these in-person events have been one of my favorite parts of PR. Recently, I once again was able to participate in my favorite of these events, a customer user group.
While the benefits of a customer user group are clear for our clients and their customers, the value of the event to a company’s PR team is often overlooked. Clients have, in the past, been reluctant to let the PR team take part in these events and have often questioned whether time spent at the event would be of value. Having experienced my fourth different user group, I can say without hesitation that there is a great deal of value in the event for the PR team.
Many times, there are specific objectives for the team at the event such as filming a video, meeting with a customer regarding a press release or coordinating media participation. However, it is often the time spent outside of these tasks that provide the most value.
By listening to panel discussions with customers, analysts and industry experts, PR teams can gain a lot of insight into complex technical and business issues in a client’s industry. Often, new perspectives can spark an idea for a trend story or a contributed article. Maybe a customer provided details on a project that would make for a strong case study or award submission.
Outside of the planned events, networking with customers and clients can do PR for the PR team. Just by making customers and sales staff aware of PR and giving a face to the name on the email, a variety of opportunities can appear. Many times, a slew of new press releases and customer references pop up right after these events.
So, the next time a customer event arises, look past the immediate deliverables for the long-lasting value it can provide PR.
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