Is Your Agency_s Marketing and PR Super or Sh*te? Take the 11 Step Quiz

I once went to an expensive conference which featured an American marketing guru (I despise that term, guru shmuru).

I was struck by how shiny his face was and his equally glossy suit. I imagined him sitting on a chair and sliding right off it.

Shiny Sid said a lot of things I didn_t understand. Literally. His 45 minute talk was peppered with jargon, marketing speak and other assorted weirdly phrased bollocks.

Only one thing stood out about his lecture and that was when he was asked to define marketing in a few words _ his response was as vague as Donald Trump_s current economic plan _ _it_s more than words can explain._

It left me thinking _gee, thanks buddy, I just spent œ300 to hear that marketing is really a dark mystical art shrouded in a cloak of jargon and waffle that can_t be explained in plain English._

It ain_t. Here_s my simple 11 question test to see whether your agency_s marketing and PR is super shiny or sorrowful shite.

  • Do you have a marketing and PR plan for 2017 with a dedicated budget?
  • Do you produce a quarterly newsletter and deliver it to more than 10000 homes in your area?
  • Do you have a regular (at least fortnightly) blog on your website?
  • Do you have an email marketing system / software in place?
  • Do you network at least once a month within your local market?
  • Does your business card feature your photo?
  • Does your website have a way of enticing people to share their email address?
  • Have you ever carried out a scouting mission on what marketing and PR your rivals are up to?
  • Do you know the name of the reporter who covers your patch for the local paper?
  • Do you have a system / method of keeping in touch with former clients?
  • Does your agency have written values and / or an ethics policy?

Results:

If you said yes to all 11 questions your agency is more than likely one of the most successful in your area.

If you said no to all 11 you might want to start brushing up your CV because you will probably need it pretty soon.

If like most agents your answers were a 50 / 50 ish split that_s positive.

Because by adding a few more marginal gains / little points of difference / applying a bit more effort to your marketing and PR mix you_ll stand out for all the right reasons.

Obviously there_s more to successful marketing and PR than what I_ve mentioned here. But it_s not such a magic secret as Shiny State Side Sid would have you believe.

If you think I can help add value to your agency_s work get in touch.

Thanks for reading and here_s to your next instruction.

Jerry

PS: One REALLY good American marketer with a ton of sensible ideas is Seth Godin. He has a daily email full of good thinking.

ENDS

Jerry Lyons

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