The Road Ahead: SPRD’S Prime Focus For 2022
Asif Upadhye – Director and The Dark Knight at SPRD
While we can all agree that change is inevitable, the unprecedented upheaval that COVID-19 brought with it shook the world in more ways than one. With the inevitable upsurge in strategic-led communications, public relations professionals, CMOs and CCOs have kept an eagle eye on consumer behavior, perception, and their evolving needs. Just like every other industry, the public relations sector has had a harsh year and a half, but if we take a step back and notice how PR teams navigated the first few months of the outbreak, it’s evident how their crisis management skills shone right through. PR agencies have been trained to navigate murky waters from day one, but with businesses opening at a snail’s pace and a certain level of ambiguity still in the air, the one element that I personally believe is crucial to any agency is trust.
Over the course of this article as I dive a little deeper into a 5-point agenda for SPRD | Stories. PR. Digital to throw light on our focus areas for 2022, I am reminded of how the PR and communications industry demonstrated sheer persistence and resilience through it all.
This is the spirit that we intend on bringing into 2022 while concentrating on:
New pitches
The feeling of elation when a story idea that you have pitched lands a coveted spot in a media publication or appears in print is unmatched. With 34% of PR pros stating that one of their biggest challenges is finding and interacting with journalists, technology has altered the way that both professionals do their jobs. Persuading a journalist that your idea is newsworthy in the first place is an uphill task, but is also the most effective way to quickly make headway andgain publicity. Being a fresh face in the PR industry, SPRD not only survived the pandemic, but also picked up a few nuggets of wisdom along the way too. Crafting pitches that are not just relevant but also personalized, enabling our team to identify what kind of stories media outlets are looking out for and most importantly, building relationships with journalists that are genuine and based on mutual levels of trust are all on our agenda for the upcoming year!
Razor-sharp ROI for clients
PR strategies that are designed with a brand’s objectives and goals in mind go a long way in proving to your client’s that they’re getting the most out of their buck. The first step (in my opinion) is to have an in-depth and honest conversation with your client to determine how they want a PR agency to fit into their business as a whole. When it comes to something as crucial as a return on their investment (ROI), setting realistic expectations about how much ROI is possible and in what forms they will come in goes a long way in putting the building blocks of trust in place right at the start. In terms of ROI, splitting it into two clear categories – monetary gains and earned media gains will allow us to evaluate the efficiency of a client’s investment. Be it through tacking press clippings, media impressions, page views, click-through rate, and even the quality of messages, continuing to nail the way we measure ROI will be a big step ahead in 2022.
Better synergies and collaborations
Great PR is not a one-man job. Ever since we started SPRD in 2019, it became increasingly clear over the years that the best agency-client relationships are based on collaboration and partnerships. With the right processes (read: strategy) in place that factors in a number of challenges and obstacles, involving your client from day one sets the tone for the remainder of the contract. It might sound repetitive to mention that as a PR agency, anticipating your client’s needs and communicating expectations needs to be at the top of your bucket list at all times, but it sure does help sustain collaborative relationships. Drawing back to the element of trust that I mentioned earlier in this piece, focusing on strengthening synergies and collaborations will help clients see you as a trusted advisor who plays a fundamental role in impacting their overall brand image.
New offerings
Being a digital-first agency, we already offer a range of services that include Influencer Marketing, Reputation and Crisis Management, ORM and Digital Influence. From what we’ve observed over the past year and a half, new offerings will stem from a strategic amalgamation of our existing suite of services. Keeping our ears to the ground, trusting our instincts and evolving with the market are all indispensable skills that we aim to carry into 2022 and beyond.
Team dynamics and growth
Building a bulletproof PR team that is capable of adapting to changing communication is possibly the goal of every PR agency. With that being said, the sharp growth within our own team at SPRD has stemmed from careful planning and sustainable practices. Understanding the nuances and absorbing the minute details of what clients are looking for has helped us focus on building a lean team with individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds who in their own way add value to the business. Be it an SEO specialist or a social media maverick, being cognizant of the dynamics of our team and charting a clear pathway for their growth (both individually and together) will not only build a culture of transparency but will also have a positive impact on how we move forward in 2022.
