I have noticed of late that there seems to be a trend in PR blogs to ask a lot of questions about who wins share of wallet out of PR: marketing or digital agencies? Setting aside the obvious self interest, the question seems to come back to the fact that digital publishing is here to stay so who is best to manage my portfolio to ensure that my content is working for me? The answer is easy; none of them, and here’s why.
The company in the best position to work with you to manage your digital content is one who can help you work with your customers, and potential customers, to understand their barriers and challenges to purchasing. Once you have that understanding it is only then that you can create a meaningful story that outlines how your product/service/skills can help them. You can then work with subject matter experts to refine those methods, but the tail should not be wagging the dog.
The days of having one agency fulfill all needs might work for big multinationals but there are a lot of inherent inefficiencies in this model. Once you work with a partner who can help you develop your story, subject matter experts should be drawn upon when needed, such as digital, media engagement or design. There are also a myriad of ways you can do this efficiently including looking at outsourced and offshore capabilities.
So ask yourself the question, is your marketing, PR or digital service directing you to a certain solution because it suits you or because it best suits them?
