FAQs Archive - Miles Clayton

Q: Does Agility PR have a minimum fee requirement?

Unlike many of the large London agencies which demand base-line retainers of nearly £6,000 per month to start, we only require a commitment which enables us to deliver at least one piece of unique content for you each month. That way we know we can add value month in month out. Agility PR has a much more flexible approach to billing which enables it to work on projects as simple as a single video case study or award entry, right through to regular Thought Leadership content engagements which demand the creation and publication of just one Thought Leadership piece per month for as little as £1,600 per month. At the other end of the spectrum, we take on multi-faceted, multi-country PR briefs demanding event support, press releases, articles, blogs, trade media buying, award entries, case studies, video content, social marketing, lobbying, and much more, billing a multiple of that entry-level figure.

Q: What is the secret to running successful social marketing campaigns?

Socials are like any other comms channel. You need to work out how many of your target audience are there, are you already connected with them or do you first need to do the work to expand the connection base. Also, it is important to provide a mix of informative and/or newsworthy content. Don’t simply rely on straight promotional pieces on your latest product launch or expo that your are speaking and/or exhibiting. Remember in people centric socials like LinkedIn it’s valuable to share people stories like staff promotions, new appointments, etc. LinkedIn is also ideal for publishing and sharing of your Thought Leadership articles, promoting other premium content like your latest video case study, white paper or awards accolade. Remember engagement comes from offering a mix of different types of content with links into your website to continue their content engagement journey. Try to keep it as personal as you can, while not being too overt in your promotion of specific products and services unless it is in the context of an informative article or newsworthy development.

Q: Are there specific technology markets which Agility PR specialises in?

We currently in several parts of the fintech world including advisertech, paytech. We specialise in working with tech firms serving wealth managers, IFAs, pensions operators, wrap and investment platforms for example. We also have a mix of clients in the physical and cybersecurity markets. We have recently completed proposition development, launch and promotional campaigns for climatetechs and cleantech firms in recent years. We are partnered with a like-minded agency which works with enterprise tech players as well.

Q: What is valuable about using original market research as part of PR campaigns?

Original market research, rather than simply quoting others market research findings is a very powerful statement for a company. It says, ‘we are committing to serving this target group or sector and we are determined to bring some new insights which will help you, our customers, serve your markets even better.’ On a practical comms level, original market research creates the potential to uncover new insights which are not only interesting, but feed into the need for your products, services and expertise. From a PR perspective, research also offered a source for multiple news stories, typically 6 but sometimes as many as 10 news stories/press releases flow out of recent market research studies I’ve designed. Market research also provides the basis for premium content including Management Reports (capturing all key finding with illustrations showing results), white papers, and even customer and trade association presentations. For consumer studies, you can support all the quantitative results from the online questionnaire responses with more qualitative reaction content by conducting vox pops interviewing target groups on the street or in local hotels.

Q: Why is Customer Advocacy so important and how can you help in that area?

Customer Advocacy is about getting your customers to sign your praises. Happy customers are always going to be your best advert. They will talk effusively about the great service your people provided and how brilliantly your products and services met their needs and what positive results they gained from engaging you. The content you develop in collaboration with your customer has an ever green quality which can open up opportunities in similar types of businesses perhaps in the same market or with firms wrestling with the same issues you solved for that customer advocate. Customer Advocacy creates the potential for momentum building. Case studies often form part of winning award entries and your responses to tenders. They are one of the most reviewed sections of your website. In short, they provide credible third party and yet first hand evidence that you do what you say you can do and do it brilliantly.

Q: What services does Agility PR and Miles Clayton focus on most with clients?

I have more than 25 years of expertise promoting and helping to build the reputation of technology businesses, often helping them to articulate how they can meet the needs of specific buyer decision-makers in specific markets. Most of my focus today is on helping B2B Tech firms articulate the benefits of their products and services - helping them to communicate the benefits of the tech expertise they can bring to clients. A good deal of this work is about articulating their market leadership and unique offering(s) by designing Thought Leadership-focused PR campaigns which deliver unique insights, premium content as well as regular newsworthy content.

Q: Do you handle Media Buying and PPC (Pay Per Click) digital advertising campaigns for clients?

We do handle media buying for clients which want a fully integrated marketing approach. This works very well for tech firms serving specific markets which are themselves served by a number of highly specialist trade publications, for example. We work with a digital marketing agency partner on PPC campaigns and for specialist socials advertising for example.

Q: What services can you expect PR agencies today to take on?

Traditionally, PR has had a very wide remit extending to managing communications with all stakeholders or ‘publics’ relevant to the success of the business including internal audiences and extending out to investor and government relations work (where appropriate for the success of the business). PR today owns the remit which is very often called Earned Media . Again, Earned Media offers a wide brief to PR professionals extending to all areas where clients can potentially earn or ‘command’ the right to speak on a topic relevant to their focus and expertise. This command differs from ‘control’ which involves what we used to call ‘above the line’ or paid marketing: advertorials, advertising, Paid Search etc.

Q: Why do you have this personal brand site as well as your agency website?

It is important to publicly express the thinking and views of the founder of a boutique PR agency like Agility PR – that’s me, here. It’s more like a blog-style site than a formal company website. The emphasis is on generating fresh content – news and views, as well as showcasing regular discussions with peers from right across the marketing world. Right now, Agility PR only employs one other employee so it is a very personal business, offering very personal service to a small number of B2B technology businesses. I have a specific take on PR and Earned Media which is best represented here in my personal brand site. Agility PR at agilitypr.co.uk, by contrast, shows some of the wider history and long tail expertise of me and our employees, past and present.