"Acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than retaining an existing one.”- Dawkins and Reichheld
As a PR agency, it’s always interesting to find new brands and create new collaborations, but more importantly: it’s about retaining your clients.
“Acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than retaining an existing one.”- Dawkins and Reichheld
A brand that has already trusted you and with whom you have built a long-term relationship is an easier and, above all, more profitable option for your agency. Brand loyalty is the number one issue for any PR agency that wants to survive. That’s why we’re giving you 6 tips to build a lasting relationship with your clients.
- Save your clients’ time
It is always useful to show the little extra you bring to a brand. Even better if you make it save some time. So, you need to show them that you are the best agency to meet their needs with your expertise, but also the one that will save them valuable time that they can spend on other things.
Unlike the brand that calls on your services, you already have privileged relationships and expertise on whom to contact with certain media. Don’t hesitate to put them forward because that’s why your clients trust you to manage their public relations. Show them that they are right!
Also, don’t hesitate to share your ideas and actions with your client in the form of a concise, ready-to-use report. By providing clear and detailed brand and reputation reports, you save them time, so show them they are right to trust you.
- Listen to them
For the client, it is important to feel your attachment to their brand and their objectives. You must therefore take the time to listen to him, to understand his ideas, his needs, and his problems. Establish a climate of trust, conducive to exchanges, this will allow him to express himself comfortably and share his point of view more easily. Moreover, this will allow you to really understand his brand’s objectives and propose solutions adapted to its challenges.
“On the first day, we have a meeting of one or two hours maximum in order to understand the client’s issues and to get to grips with their problems.” (Source: trustfolio.co)
The privileged relationship that you have developed with the brand and the attentive listening that you show, will allow you to develop the most adapted strategy to reach the fixed objectives. In this way, your efforts will be optimized to satisfy your customer and ensure that you meet their expectations.
- Evaluate your initiatives
Don’t hesitate to evaluate your initiatives from different angles, and share the findings with your brands, this will demonstrate your ability to be critical and take a step back on your actions. Your client will appreciate the fact that you take time to analyse your progress and seek to improve your results.
Also, ask for feedback on your collaboration, what the brand thinks of the service provided and where you can improve. This will give them confidence that you are doing everything you can to continually improve your services, meet their goals and fulfil their needs. This will greatly increase the brand’s trust and commitment to you.
- Be proactive in keeping your customers informed
Once the brand entrusts you with the management of its public relations, it will expect results and improvements in its image. It is therefore important to keep brands informed about the progress of your work, step by step, but also about the evolution of their reputation.
Also, don’t hesitate to communicate each change that could have an impact (direct or indirect) on the brand’s image: this will allow the client to give you feedback and an opinion on each action. This way, your client will be reassured by staying up to date and you will have a better idea of the strategy to adopt for their objectives.
- Develop a relationship of trust with media outlets
Your relationships with the media are a big part of the benefit you bring to brands. This is the main reason why a brand will choose to work with your PR agency. As an agency, your relationships are your strength. Your experience has allowed you to build strong relationships with the press and other opinion leaders: highlight the importance of your privileged relationships with the media, and their usefulness in raising awareness of the brand.
You will need to develop strategic and solid relationships with the different media: your address book will include the contacts of many journalists, but also those of influencers and bloggers, which will allow you to cover all types of media (TV, radio, newspapers, electronic press, and social networks).
These trusted relationships will demonstrate your expertise, as well as the serious advantage you bring to the brand. Your client will be convinced that your agency has the right contacts and relationships to handle the brand’s public image.
Conclusion
As a PR agency, client retention should be the core of your business strategy. To do this, you need to work on several aspects of your business, while aiming to gain the brand’s trust and ensure its comfort throughout the duration of your collaboration. Also, don’t neglect the power of word-of-mouth: a satisfied customer is likely to talk about you to their friends and family and at the same time promote your service without costing you anything. This strategy will ensure the longevity of your agency and improve your revenues, while your competitors are constantly looking for new clients.
