With Coronavirus not going away any time soon, the challenges both economically and socially will only increase for businesses. The reality is that businesses are now looking at great PR and marketing to help them stand out from the crowd and increase their visibility in the ‘new normal’.
Cyber security vendors have a plethora of agencies to choose from. Picking the right one that best matches their needs and fulfil objectives can be a minefield.
A big question when appointing an agency is how much specialist knowledge do they need to have to be able to understand who you are and create the stories you need.? I’ve put together a few points to help you decide.
1) Flexibility
With great niche, comes great flexibility. Agencies that specialise in a particular industry means that everyone working there has an enhanced understanding of what type of marketing and PR will better connect with target audiences. This means that if larger projects come in, more expert resource can be assigned to them.
The added benefit of a smaller agency is that there aren’t the siloes of roles and teams that often occur in bigger agencies. Many larger tech PR agencies do not have the ability to adapt to the changing requirements of the client and tend not to deviate from a set, one size fits all approach.
2) Industry knowledge / right level of expertise
Really knowing a specific market enables an agency to quickly come up with newsworthy campaign ideas that resonate with trade press.
If an agency is not specialised in the client’s marketplace it can be an uphill struggle to achieve meaningful coverage. The sign of a successful agency is one that can generate coverage when there is no hard news on the horizon.
An agency should listen to what their clients need and understand their objectives before recommending any particular PR approach.
3) Relationships with key media
When it comes to national and trade publication media relationships, niche agencies have the benefit of regular conversations with the same key contacts. At éclat, we focus on building credible relationships with key security media using events such as pub quizzes, to lunches with journalists to understand what stories really resonate with them.
Niche agencies also have the in-depth knowledge around the most effective publications to build brand credibility which, when integrated into existing marketing activities, can be leveraged to target the right markets.
4) Flat structure / point of contact
By using a smaller niche agency that is a specialist in your industry, you will benefit from working closely with its senior people. Larger, more generalist agencies may use senior directors and partners to sell the PR dream and then delegate the legwork down the chain to a more junior employee.
When you work with a boutique firm, it is likely that senior staff will be the point of contact for more strategic activities.
In conclusion
At éclat Marketing, we focus solely on the cyber security industry. This focus over the years has enabled us to build in-depth industry knowledge and great relationships with key media which has consistently delivered brilliant results for our clients and adding real value to their goals.
The benefits of being a specialist PR agency are clear to see. At a base level, it makes it easier to stay on top of industry news and journalist moves, as well as to holistically understand clients’ competitive landscapes.
For more information about how a niche PR agency could help you contact info@eclat.co.uk