Some do's & don'ts in hiring a PR Consultant

What strikes me today is an issue I come across from time to time as a consultant to non-profits. Namely, many association or charitable executives have in mind the idea that public relations can be of help to them but they are unclear really of the scope of help they need. More often, it's because of this unclear view of things that more often than not don't have a clear budget in mind either. For those of us poor saps trying to provide services to the sector, this uncertainty makes it difficult to propose effective solutions to meet the challenges of our clients.

So, as my thought for the day, here are a few do's before going out and asking for a quote:

1. Understand that putting a proposal together involves creativity, time, and an investment in intellectual capital. We respect that your time and limits on budget put strains on your day to day responsibilities. Please be respectful and understand that our time is valuable.

2. If you don't have an idea at all how much a campaign will cost, do some research first before calling for quotes or placing an RFP. Try calling a few consultants and be upfront from the beginning that you're only looking for information.

3. Go back to your strategic plan. How would a PR campaign back this up? If you get down to basics and understand first why you are doing this, my sense is you will get a good sense of the real scope of what you will be potentially asking a consultant to bid on.

4. Go back to step one and repeat the process!

What are your thoughts? What challenges do you encounter when figuring what will be required in budget for a campaign?

Social Media Risk for Non-Profits? What if Someone Says Something Negative About us?

Coming off a recent talk before the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation, I came across a common question that seems to prevail amongst other associations, non-profits and charitable organizations. Namely, "isn't it dangerous to get involved in social networking because there's a risk that someone might say something negative about us?"

What's your thoughts on the matter?



Mark A. Buzan, APR
Principal & Chief Magnifier
Action Strategies
#3, 270 rue Champlain
Gatineau, Quebec J8X 3S1
819.770.2899 phone
877-336-2701 toll free fax
http://www.actionstrategies.ca (Action Strategies website)

LinkedIn Group for Government Relations: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2465512&trk=hb_side_g
LinkedIn Group for Non-Profit Communications: http://tinyurl.com/nonprofitideas

Social Media strategies for association membership and retention

Last week on Thursday, April 8, I was the invited speaker for the Canadian Society of Association Executives. The subject: Social Media strategies for association membership and retention. Recruiting and retaining members takes a lot of hard work, creativity, and communication to cut through today's intensifying competition. Everyone gets a little stale, and often associations find themselves in the same old trap of "this is how we've always done it."  Associations are different than corporate entities who need to sell a product.  They need to keep multiple stakeholders engaged, have limited resources, and in many cases, a (partly) volunteer workforce.
 
To put it bluntly, the reason existing members are dropping out and “many” new members are not coming into associations is because they do not find the existing benefits of membership attractive in relation to the fee they pay. In this session, I addressed a number of issues including how to:
 
• Develop personal profile throughout the Association and Not-for-Profit world by ensuring your voice is heard beyond your organization.
• Discover new marketing trends and ideas from presenter Mark Buzan, APR, co-author of "Online PR and Social Media for Associations and Not-for-Profits" with expertise on membership recruitment and retention.
• Current trends in membership development
• Social media tactics
• Membership recruitment and retention initiatives
• Marketing ideas for your success

Check it out here:

Social Media Strategies For Membership Recruitment & Retention

View more presentations from Action Strategies.

Mark A. Buzan, APR
Principal & Chief Magnifier
Action Strategies
#3, 270 rue Champlain
Gatineau, Quebec J8X 3S1
819.770.2899 phone
877-336-2701 toll free fax
http://www.actionstrategies.ca (Action Strategies website)

LinkedIn Group for Government Relations: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2465512&trk=hb_side_g
LinkedIn Group for Non-Profit Communications: http://tinyurl.com/nonprofitideas