To maximize results, take full advantage of the high-level counsel that your public relations strategists can provide. Use your public relations counselors as your company’s external arms and legs to accomplish tasks – and then ask for more.
 
     Make them an integral part of your in-house marketing team. Provide them with access to your company’s executives. You might consider inviting them to participate in key strategy sessions and staff meetings. Or ask them to shadow a sales executive for a day.

     “Today's public relations professionals get a seat at the company's strategy table along with the CEO, marketing executives, lobbying professionals, customer service leaders and human resource management staff to make sure the best possible decisions are made,” wrote Direct magazine’s Lamotta. 

     Begin by candidly articulating your company’s business goals. Consider the following: In which areas is your company strongest? In which markets do you want additional penetration? 

     Next, obtain agreement among your company’s executives of your company’s mission. It’s also important that you identify your company’s unique selling proposition and key messages. Then, ask your public relations counselors to formulate a 12-month program that specifically supports those objectives.

     Meet regularly. Conduct weekly conference calls to discuss tactics. Schedule quarterly meetings to discuss big-picture strategies. Don’t just call your public relations counselors when there’s a fire. Put a plan in place and follow it. 

     As in any relationship, maintain open communication with your public relations counselors. Share your concerns and work together to identify solutions.

     Open communication helped Thorp & Company maximize results for client Inktel Direct. Inktel is a national provider of outsourced direct-marketing services to Fortune 500 companies.

     President Ricky Arriola shared a concern: He felt overwhelmed by the volume of interviews secured. He didn’t have enough time to conduct them all. Rather than reduce the number of interviews we obtained for his company, we shifted gears and media-trained several top executives in Chicago, Baltimore and Miami. Arriola now assigns some interview opportunities to his team members.

     “My team enjoys conducting the interviews, and everyone is pleased with the media coverage,” said Arriola. “Our profile has been significantly elevated, we’re getting calls from prospects nationwide, and the burden doesn’t fall on my shoulders.”
 
    Finally, work with your public relations counselors to develop a budget, timeline for completion of tasks as well as a plan for how to evaluate the program’s results by measuring outputs and/or outcomes. The greater the understanding and communication between your company and your public relations counselors, the better the outcomes.
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