How much marketing costs, or how much to spend on marketing can be a very tricky question for a lot of companies to their collective head around. It’s kind of like the chicken and the egg scenario. You need to undertake marketing to attract clients but unless you have clients (and therefore a bit of cashflow), you can’t afford to undertake marketing. Sound about right? And when it comes to working out a marketing budget, how much to spend can be impossible to work out. How long is a piece of string? While we can’t answer that for you, we can give you some elements to consider when putting together a marketing budget.

First of all, do you know what marketing actually is? What is marketing in a nutshell? In case you aren’t sure here you are: marketing is everything that your company does in order to reach your target audience and convince them to buy your product and service. Don’t forget about the second step in that definition. It is no good to just ‘reach’ your audience. You must motivate them to take action, to buy your product, to log on to your website, to phone your service number. This is the only way you are going to convert your marketing spend into profit. Otherwise, what’s the point of spending the cash at all?

The next thing to remember is that marketing is a process, comprised of many elements, steps and phases. A good marketing campaign is not a two day TV ad placement. It is an integrated program which may include (but in way should be limited to): television, radio, social media, print, PR and mobile marketing elements. As such, you will probably need to purchase a few resources and bring in an expert consultant to help you out with all these elements.

How much you need to spend on these resources and experts is up to you and will differ greatly, depending on the industry you might be in and the scale of the business. There are a few ways that you might like to work out your marketing spend: a percentage of your total revenue; a percentage of profits; or a specific amount each year.

Regardless of how much you actually spend on marketing, the most important thing to keep in mind is return on investment. There is no point in spending big bucks and getting nothing back in return. Marketing should increase revenue and profit. Maybe not immediately, but definitely over time.

Just remember that free marketing does not exist. Unfortunately, to grow your business, you will need to invest in it. You will either have to pay with your time or with cold hard cash for results in the world of marketing. In today’s fast-paced, consumer driven marketplace, there just isn’t any other option.

Now that 2012 has gotten off to a roaring start, perhaps it is time to take a look at what’s in store for the digital marketing industry for the year. As with any industry, in any year, there will be challenges as well as successes.

From our extensive research (well, we did a bit of a Google search), we reckon that 2012 will be the year of the application. Bet you didn’t see that one coming did you? (Side note: if you didn’t see that one coming, and you are working in the digital marketing space, we suggest that you change careers NOW!)

As such, we’ve put together our five top items that you might want to put on your digital marketing agenda for the year.

1. Get mobile: we don’t mean that you should rush out to Telstra and arm all your employees with the latest iPhone. What we do mean (and we’re talking to all you marketing and advertising execs out there) is that you need to work out how to effectively integrate ‘mobile-ness’ into your annual business plans and budgets. With consumers increasing their use of mobile devices exponentially every year, mobile marketing is no longer optional (at least, not if you want a successful brand). It is now indispensible. In 2011, Google estimated that 44% of last-minute shopping searches were from either smartphones or tablets. In 2012, if you do not optimise your website for ‘mobile-ness’, with a specific format and landing page for mobile devices, you will be at a serious disadvantage.
2. Better methods of measuring Return On Investment: as with any type of expenditure by a company, there has to be a clear Return On Investment (ROI). To calculate and better demonstrate this ROI, there has to be a solid foundation of digital marketing measurement metrics. Generally, in the world of digital marketing, this is currently based around the concepts of ‘cost per click’ and ‘conversion rate’. However, as companies begin to allocate more funding to the digital marketing pool, there will need to be a more direct correlation between digital marketing expenditure and profit (and obviously a means by which to measure this).
3. Increased focus on research: for a relatively new marketing medium, most companies do not undertake a great deal of research into the field of digital marketing. As overall budgets for digital marketing increase, so will digital marketing research budgets. There is no industry standard for digital marketing, like radio and television rating schemes. Research will help build on aspects such as this.
4. Integrated marketing methods: this phrase has been hanging around for a few years now. The reason that it is still around is that most companies still haven’t quite got it right. Integrated marketing is not simply about using all marketing mediums; it is really just the first step. The second step is using one channel to promote the other channels. What you really need to do is leverage the use of each channel through an integrated marketing plan. Sound tricky? Well, that’s why it’s still on the agenda. It requires innovative thought, big ideas and artful execution.
5. Customer engagement through digital marketing: we all know that customer engagement (and to a lesser degree validation) is vital in any marketing strategy these days. This is where social media comes in to play. Customers (or consumers or clients or whatever term you like to use) like to feel as though they are part of the process and can shape your brand, product or service with their feedback. So, we believe that in 2012, companies will tap into this, particularly during the lifecycle of new products (it’s free feedback throughout the planning, concept development and testing and launch phases). In 2012, companies that are digital marketing savvy will use social media to ensure the product they are launching is popular, the process will bolster their online community, strengthen their brand and give them a competitive advantage. Ticks all the boxes really.

Some years, everything changes. Innovation and rapid technological advances have been known to change the whole face of the marketing industry in one foul swoop. This has been particularly true throughout the naughties, with the ever-advancing avalanche of social media launches.

2011 was not like this.

Rather, 2011 saw a plethora of incremental upgrades across all social media platforms. Nothing fundamental changed. There was no new social media platform launched (like in 2006 when Twitter invaded our screens, or even in 2009 when Foursquare skipped into view). Everyone stopped asking, ‘What’s going to be the next Facebook?’ and started to wonder what Facebook would do next.

But what about the launch of Google+ I hear you ask? While Google+ did arrive in 2011, it is more of a long-term trend. For those of you who haven’t spent too much time familiarising yourself with the platform, Google+ provides a means by which users can recommend search results and websites by “+1′ing” a page. Keep an eye out for it in 2012.

While it was light on for big, sweeping changes in the marketing industry, there were a few interesting developments in 2011:

Mobile internet usage increased: according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, mobile internet usage (including mobile broadband, mobile phones and tablet computers) is up 50%. Australia is now a global leader in terms of smartphone usage rates, with the second highest penetration of smartphone usage, according to Google. In 2011, 50% of the Australian population accessed the internet via their smartphone.

Virtual word of mouth increased: Nielsen Research released The State of The Online Nation. Nielsen found that: 73% of people polled had read online reviews of brands, products and services; 26% read online reviews regularly; 46% have commented themselves; and 33% post new reviews.

Social media marketing went mainstream: corporate use of social media marketing increased enormously. Companies have come to realise that social media is not a passing phase and to be competitive within the marketplace, they need to have a social media presence. Companies also took a more sophisticated approach to their use of social media. There was a realisation that it is not just a matter of having a Facebook page, you have to engage your fans (otherwise known as customers).

Yellow Pages went online: the good old yellow bible stopped printing hard copies, and moved to a wholly online format. Not happy Jan? Worried about how your Nan will find a local mechanic? Take it from us, these aren’t the questions you should be asking. How will it change your marketing strategy? It signals the end of set-and-forget marketing campaigns.

So there you have it. No earth-shatteringly amazing marketing trends for 2011. Just baby steps (or upgrades) towards a marketing industry that is even more focused on online and digital platforms.

Facebook has again released its analysis of the most popular trends, topics and ‘memes’ for 2011 in it’s annual Memology. The highly anticipated Memology is usually a fairly accurate and concise summary of the year’s events, or at least the most talked about events.

The analysis shows the top ten Facebook status trends globally by month and then the top ten status trends for each country, as well as the fastest growing pages (categorised according to Entertainment, Music, Sport and News). What the Memology didn’t highlight this year was the most talked about brands or products and the fastest growing brand pages. This is probably so as not to upset the lucrative Facebook advertisers by promoting their competition.

Topping the list of global topics on Facebook was the death of Osama bin Laden on May 1. This historic event was the topic of 10% of status updates when the news first broke. Number two on the list was not quite so historic (at least not for us Aussies); it was the Packers win of this year’s Super Bowl. Not to be outdone by a bunch of athletes, Charlie Sheen’s more public outbursts in March also made headlines on Facebook. Some of his more unusual catch phrases (for those who have chosen to block these from their subconscious, may we take this opportunity to remind you: ‘winning’, ‘goddesses’ and ‘tiger blood’) took off.

In Australia, the short-lived phenomenon of Planking topped our list of most popular status updates. According to Facebook, this occurred after Max Key, the New Zealand Prime Minister’s son, posted a photo of himself planking in the lounge room with Dad in the background. Sticking with the political theme, the census also made it into the Australian top ten; a pat on the back to the Australian Government for the level of engagement it was able to achieve with ‘Spotlight’, an interactive tool that accompanied the census which published an info graphic on the user’s wall.

This was followed by Cyclone Yasi which hit Queensland in early February. Also making into our top ten was Skrillex. Never come across this term? Wondering how on earth it made it into the top ten if you’ve never even heard of it? Me too. It was only in researching this story I discovered that Skrillex is actually a person; a music producer to be exact.

The beautiful people took out the most popular pages: Megan Fox, Vin Diesel and Rhianna were among the favourites. The supernatural took out the top movies for 2011 with Harry Potter at number one and the Twilight Saga chomping at its heels (or maybe neck) in number two.

In terms of acronyms, ‘lms’ and ‘tbh’ were top trending new memes this year. I know what you’re thinking; just what we need, further butchery of the English language. In case you are considering using them, ‘lms’ stands for ‘like my status’ and is a means by which to increase your visibility as a Facebook user and the content you are posting. Meanwhile, ‘tbh’ means ‘to be honest’ and is generally used to emphasise the sincerity of a post. I think Shakespeare just rolled over in his grave.

There is no telling what 2012 might bring in the ever-expanding world of Facebook. tbh though, we’re sure the 2012 memology will be a fairly accurate representation of the most talked about events and issues. Please lms?

If you want to check it out yourself, just visit: http://www.facebook.com/FacebookPages?sk=app_271705986210152

Consumers are often unaware of product placement, of the use of integrated marketing campaigns, and celebrity and media endorsements to ensure a product’s success. These tactics are increasing due to difficulties capturing the attention of Y gen.

No matter how much public relations consultants want to believe it – there is no research to support the claim that PR-generated media coverage is worth two or three times more than paid advertising.

In 2005, David Michaelson and Don W. Stacks, professors at the University of Miami, tried to establish whether readers attributed greater credibility to news columns compared to advertisements. They looked at differences in credibility, message recall and interest levels.

In a nutshell, the researchers discovered that there were negligible differences between editorial and advertising. PR-generated media coverage and print advertising enjoyed equal credibility and both marketing mechanisms scored higher on the credibility and interest rating levels than online or radio advertising campaigns.

The professors’ results suggested that there is an enormous benefit to delivering marketing messages through a variety of communication channels. And (good news for PR professionals) with PR-generated media coverage obviously on par with paid advertising, it bolsters the argument for reallocating budgets into the public relations coffers (PR has always operated with considerably less cash than advertising).

There are some experts like Al Ries, author of The Fall of Advertising and The Rise of PR, that believe that most companies shouldn’t waste money on advertising until they have established some level of brand recognition and credibility through PR.

Al Ries states that all the recent brand successes have been due to public relations, not advertising; Red Bull, Starbucks, Harry Potter, The Body Shop, Google, e-Bay. Starbucks spent less than $10 million in advertising its first 10 years. That’s less than $1 million a year; a trivial amount for a national brand.

Some brand managers contend that an integrated approach is the best model; an integrated marketing plan delivers on PR, advertising and promotions. It considers all elements of the marketing mix. When only one element of the marketing mix is used in isolation; the message can be weaker. If you bombard your audience at every possible turn, eventually they will remember what you have been trying to tell them.

According to Advertising Age Magazine, the number one advertisement of the 20th century was produced by Rolls Royce: ‘At 60 miles per hour, the loudest noise in the new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock’. David Ogilvy took this catch phrase directly from the first paragraph of a road test in a motoring magazine; he reinforced the ideas already put into the consumers mind via public relations.

This need is increasingly poignant when the elusive Gen Y is marketed to (or at, as the case may be). Traditional marketing seems to have little or no effect on members of Gen Y which is unfortunate because, according to research from Lifelounge Urban Market Research, Gen Y spends $48 billion a year on entertainment, fashion, sport, travel and music.

In our ever increasingly fast paced society, marketers and public relations consultants will continue to bombard the consumer with product placement, celebrity endorsements via any tool plausible. After all, every company wants a slice of the $48 billion pie.

As a market researcher, the pressure is always on to deliver the most insightful and actionable results for your clients. You need to keep your finger on the pulse of what the upcoming trends are, so you can develop research methods that will help you to use these trends to your advantage and keep one step ahead of competitors. You don’t want your clients to be looking elsewhere for suppliers because you are not evolving with the industry.

We came across the GRIT report, which you may have already seen but we’d like to share it with you. It discusses what you can expect to see in the Market Research industry in 2012. To get a full copy of this report visit http://www.greenbookblog.org/grit/.

Years ago we saw research methodology moving from paper to online. Now with the online space evolving at such a rapid rate, if you are not already, you should be investigating how you can use this space to add value to your research projects. The report discusses that the top five trends that are expected to see massive growth in 2012 are:

1. Social Media Analytics – which is when data is gathered from blogs and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. The data is then analysed to help inform business decisions
2. MROCs – which is when you use private social networking platforms or websites to conduct qualitative market research
3. Data Mining – extracting information from databases or systems
4. Mobile – for both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies
5. Text Analytics – also sometimes referred to as Text Mining, where text data is analysed looking at things such as word frequency distributions

What do you think of these trends? Have you had experience you’d like to share? Visit the forum to discuss.

Image taken from the fantastic Klout dashboard.

With smartphone usage in Australia estimated at a whopping 40%, if you’re not already getting serious about mobile, now may be the time.

According to Morgan Stanley research mobile internet access will be greater than access from laptops and desktop computers. And according to Google, 44% of searches last-minute gifts will be performed on mobile devices.

12.81% of all visitors to Marketing.com.au are using mobile devices. At the time of writing iPhone, iPad and Android are the top device type. I’ll post a follow up article with more detailed statistics in a few weeks when the sample is larger.

I’ve checked a few other sites and the stats range from 5% to 20%. I’d be very interested in your stats, in particular the overall percentage of mobile visitors.

These exciting figures provide great opportunity for savvy marketers, but it’s not just the mobile web where the action is. The Envato Marketplace Newsletter has 223,000 subscribers, with over 6000 new subscriptions every month. The Envato infographic itself is quite interesting, however most interesting of all is the “most frequently used mail client” being the built-in iPhone mail app client.

If you’re keen on getting into mobile, you might be interested in a group called Mobile Monday. There are chapters all around the world with groups in most Australian cities.

Image taken from Google Analytics.

In 2011, 80% of businesses in America with over 100 employees will use social media marketing. Compared with two years ago, when only 42% of companies were using social media, this is an enormous change (source eMarketer). As more and more people adopt the use of social media in their daily lives, marketers are being forced to recognise the potential of this communication tool and integrate it into the marketing mix.

Social Media is one of those mysterious (and slightly scary) terms in the world of marketing. When Facebook exploded on the world stage, followed not long after by Twitter, all those ‘slow adopters’ buried their heads in the sand and hoped (or in some cases prayed) that it would quickly evaporate. Surely this was just another passing Gen-Y fad? No such luck.
Social media has changed the way advertising and marketing is rolled out: bombarding customers with endless two-for-the-price-of-one email deals creates short-term leads but does not ensure long-term success. Social media allows two-way communication with potential customers and can generate online conversations about your brand between customers. So how do you integrate social media into your marketing mix? Make social media part of everything you do; social media is more than just another marketing tool.

It would be really easy to just create a Facebook page, update it perhaps once a week (or every other week if I’m busy). That’s social media isn’t it? Not quite. Consumers do not participate in social media so that marketers have another vehicle to deliver their two-for-the-price-of-one spam. Consumers want to communicate with other people, connect with their friends, their family, and gain an insight into the people behind the brand that they know and love. Marketing through social media marketing should enable this connection. It should create an actual, real relationship (and conversation) between the brand and the customer.

We’ll let you in on the secret to social media: draft, discuss and then implement a social media strategy. It can be a component of a marketing strategy or a stand-alone strategy. It’s up to you. But just make sure that you have one.
Choose a couple of key social media vehicles (those most relevant to your customers or audience). There is no need to use every social media vehicle. Unless you have unlimited resources, you will end up spreading yourself thin and doing all social media badly instead of a couple extremely well. There’s no point in having a half-baked blog, Facebook page, Twitter account and RSS feed. You are better off just having a top notch Facebook and Twitter account. Choose carefully though. Ask yourself: Who is my ideal customer? How and what do I want to communicate with them? Which social media vehicle will be most effective to do so?

Before you update your status, upload that photo or decide to tweet, think about how that action will be improving your brand. Social media is like a giant, expensive, online advertising campaign. As soon as you publish something online, it is visible to the whole world. If you wouldn’t want it on a billboard in Times Square, then don’t post it online. Every social media action should build the strength and value of your brand. It should not just be another excuse for verbal diarrhoea. Even if you are the CEO of IBM, no one cares what you ate for breakfast. And remember, social media should always use your logo, company colours, relevant pictures and any other branding vehicles available, just as advertising would.

Social media does have its limitations though. If your company has no brand recognition to start with, social media won’t really help. You can utilise social media to increase brand recognition, but not to create it. A Facebook page won’t win over new customers.

You can use social media as a vehicle for communicating with customers (particularly younger, Gen Y customers) or for retaining existing happy customers. But if your customers aren’t happy with your product, daily Facebook status updates will probably upset, rather than impress them. If your brand, product or customer service isn’t 100%, it’s probably better to work on business operations and improvements before venturing into the world of social media.

As with any marketing activity, you need to be able to determine how effective social media as well as calculate its Return on Investment. To fully understand the effectiveness of your social media marketing campaign, it is best to use both internal and external systems of measurement.

Internal measurement is much easier to gauge. It includes how many Twitter followers you have, how many friends on Facebook or how many people ‘liked’ your last status update. While all these elements will give you solid, quantitative evidence (your accountant or CFO will like these), they won’t tell you whether a social media campaign is actually working, or whether your key messages are being heard (and understood or acted upon) by your audience.

Don’t get discourage though, this is the same of an above-the-line advertising campaign. You can run all the television advertisements you like (with information from the TV networks on viewer ratings and audience breakdown) but, how do you know that your target audience isn’t in the kitchen making a cup of tea during the ad break?

As such, you need to couple internal measurement with external measurement tools. External measurement is a bit trickier to gauge. It includes website traffic and customer enquiries. You know when companies ask how you heard about them? Well, this is why. They are trying to get an understanding of which marketing methods work best for their brand. If sales haven’t increased, then whether you have two or two million Facebook fans is irrelevant.

RSS stands for ‘Really Simple Syndication’ (or Rich Site Summary) and is a relatively easy and free way to communicate updates to your (or your client’s) website. Users can subscribe free to one or more ‘feeds’ which send a headline and a short summary of articles that have been recently added or updated on any given website.

RSS is not a widely used (or known) term just yet, but techno savvy web developers and consumers are using RSS more and more. RSS is probably the most reliable (and quickest) online method by which to deliver content. It can improve search engine rankings, reach new audiences through syndication, is an easier and less expensive communication tool than email, enhance email marketing campaigns, generate media coverage and develop online conversations. If you are considering jumping on the RSS bandwagon, you should consider the following tips to ensure that your feed stands out from the crowd.

Any marketing activity should begin with research; gaining a thorough understanding of how the chosen marketing medium works is essential. It is extremely difficult to fully understand how something works (particularly when it comes to constantly changing technology) without having actually used it. So, first of all, pick an RSS aggregator (the most popular are My Yahoo!, Bloglines and Firefox and) and subscribe to some RSS feeds. You will very quickly pick up which feeds work and why, and similarly, what should be avoided.

You should always include specific key words in your RSS feed’s channel title and description. As with any website search, users generally search for RSS feeds using key words or phrases. If you have specific, descriptive key words in your RSS feed, it will be more easily found and you will end up with a much better (and extensive) subscriber list.
Always include the date a feed item was published, even if the content is not date specific. This will help your subscribers to determine when the content was published – there is nothing worse than reading an RSS feed that you think is up-to-date, only to find it was created months (or even years) ago.

Don’t create splogs. Splogs or ‘spam blogs’ are generally characterised as a blog that is generated by a machine (rather than a human being). They increase visibility (through a higher search engine ranking) of another website that the splogger is trying to promote. Splogs jam search engines, making it difficult to find RSS feeds with real, specific content. Make sure you write and post the content for your RSS feed, don’t set up an automated system. It won’t help build trust in your brand.

Don’t violate copyright by republishing the content of another company’s RSS feed without permission. If you quote another RSS feed, always reference the original source and provide a link to the article. If you are approached by another company that wants to republish your RSS, then say yes (and say it loud and clear!). Allowing third parties to use your RSS feed and broadcast your news on their homepage will work to your advantage. Your news will reach a new, broader market this way. A bigger market means more potential customers and better return on investment.

Don’t provide multiple feed formats with the exact same content. As far as the subscriber (or potential customer) is concerned, the type of RSS used by any brand, website or company is irrelevant. Multiple versions of the same feed cause confusion and annoy users with their repetition. Choose one version, provide a single feed and stick with it.

Promote your RSS feed. You can do this quite easily yourself. The best way is through an RSS presentation page. An RSS presentation page should explain what RSS is as well as its benefits, recommend a free RSS aggregator, explain the benefits of your RSS feed to users (or potential customers) and include an online form for users to complete to subscribe to your RSS feed.

You should also promote your feeds through any and all available external channels. Submit your feeds to search engines, ping RSS aggregator sites every time content is updated online content and give permission to users and other websites to syndicate your feed on other websites.

RSS is a one-stop-shop for consumption of online content. It does away with the need to visit several websites each day just to check what might have been updated. Breaking news is received as it becomes available. It gives users complete control over content consumption; they can unsubscribe at any time. RSS makes sure that users receive the content and updates they want, minus all the spam. Like any other communication tool, with some planning and careful integration into your existing marketing program, RSS can generate real brand boosting benefits.

So, you’ve decided that your brand needs a helping hand to get cut-through in today’s cut-throat consumer driven market. You’re set with the advertising campaign but a bit unsure on what PR even is, let alone what its benefits are. Isn’t it all just spin? Don’t today’s marketing savvy consumers see through PR fluff these days?

This is exactly the attitude that a switched on PR agency will dispel immediately. Good PR can boost your sales, increase your own profile (or that of your company’s) within the industry and enhance consumer brand awareness. If you approach PR with the right attitude (and know a little about it), it will become an essential element of your brand’s marketing mix.

When it comes to PR, and getting the most out of those monthly retainer fees, the most important thing to remember is: stories do not write themselves. Your PR agency should be able to come up with a few story angles and even organise a few promo events to generate coverage in the social pages. But, if you have nothing interesting to say about your brand, then what do you expect journalists to pen stories about? Unfortunately, PR agencies cannot manufacture stories from thin air. Newspaper column inches are highly sort after (and highly expensive if you are paying for them in advertising dollars); journalists will not give them away for fluff.

The key is to brief your PR agency thoroughly. Make sure they know what’s going on in your business. Make sure they understand your products. Make sure they know who your target audience is. Make sure they meet all your key staff. And, most importantly, make sure they know what is on the horizon for your business. Believe it or not, magazines often work up to three months in advance. So, if you want coverage in Cosmo for that new line of lipstick you are releasing in November, you had better have your PR agency hounding the journos in August.

If you are the face of the business, get media trained. There is nothing more frustrating for a journalist than going to the trouble of setting up an interview, doing background research and organising a photographer only to find that the subject is a dud. A dud doesn’t know what their key messages are, what they are trying to sell or what attitude they want to get across. If this is the case, chances are your interview will be boring (and go unpublished) or, even worse, you will do more harm than good to your brand.

Make sure you help give your PR agency the tools they need to do a good job. One of the most important tools for a PR agency is high resolution, print ready images. If a journalist is interested in running a story (based on one of your PR agency’s media releases), one of the first requests will be for an image to accompany it. So, if your PR agency wants to set up a product photo shoot or even a photo shoot to get some headshots of your key employees, this is not to create extra work for you. This is to ensure bigger, better exposure for your brand.

Be prepared to invest some of your time in the PR exercise. While your PR agency will be able to work autonomously for the majority of time, they will need your input. They will need approvals on media releases. They might need you to give an interview to a journalist. They might even need you to attend a photo shoot. Most of all, they will want to meet face-to-face on a regular basis; it’s the easiest way to find out what’s happening in your business.

Make sure you don’t set unreasonable (or simply unattainable) goals for your PR agency. PR is a long-term investment. It won’t happen overnight. You won’t be on television tomorrow. Journalists received hundreds of media releases every day. It will take time for them to get to yours. But a good PR agency will make sure that they do get to yours. If PR is used as a long-term marketing tool, journalists will inevitably start to approach you for stories and information. You might become their preferred industry expert to quote in stories. They might start asking you for product information (rather than receiving it unsolicited from your PR agency).

Employing a PR agency to raise the profile your brand should be one of the most beneficial marketing strategies you employee. If you follow the tips above, your relationship with your PR agency should flourish, alongside consumer awareness of your brand.