PUBLIC RELATIONS FORUM

Choosing and briefing your consultancy

Here are some of the factors to think about when evaluating your consultancy. Their inclusion in a checklist and their weighting will vary according to circumstances. Intangibility comes in here: there will often be little direct evidence, it is a question of making a judgement.

• strategic thinking Strategic thinking
• Quality of the recommendations
• Experience in your market / technology areas
• Ability to interact with key technical staff – developers, engineers and sales
• Ability to execute the plan and produce results
• Ability to work/plan against strategies and objectives
• Resources/contacts/research capabilities/staffing
• Creativity with focus
• Initiative / sense of urgency
• Ability to integrate with other marketing communications
• People talent / skills / style

What you expect from the consultancy will govern the brief you give them. There are six key elements of an effective brief for a public relations consultancy. Ensure that they:

• Are given background on the organisation, its technologies and the market it operates in
• Are informed of current and past communications activity (the good, the bad and the ugly)
• Are provided with clear objectives
• Are given an overall strategy or rationale for the project
• Have the chance to meet the key people involved, including marketing, technical and managerial staff
• Know the budget

• Public relations deliverables
• The public relations function
• The objectives of public relations
• Choosing and briefing your consultancy
• Public relations tactics