As a PR firm, you know exactly what to tell your clients in any situation, know the exact media they should be targeting, and you have a solid plan for getting them the publicity you know they deserve. So, how about for yourselves? It’s easy to get caught up in your day-to-day activities for your clients and forget about your own needs as a company. Sure, you may have a solid customer-base but it’s important to remember a few things as you’re out there doing you main job to ensure it sticks around for a while:

1. Find your niche and stick to it, darnit. PR firms all have a speciality, whether we want to believe it or not. The important thing to remember is that you need to live this specialty wherever possible. First things first, figure out what yours is and don’t be afraid to shout it from the rooftops! Notice more than half of your clients are restaurants? Do you love working with them? Then say it, loud and proud, at every opportunity. You won’t scare off potential new clients but, in fact, you’ll probably find some great new ones because now your referrers know exactly what you do and there’s no doubt in their minds. Good work. Onto #2.

 

1. Use your voice. Social media is where the funs at, and I’d assume everyone uses these tools to some degree. Remember, this is a place for your personal brand as well. That niche we discussed in #1? Make sure you live that here as best you can. Check in to great new restaurants, post 140-character reviews, send links about valley chefs, whether they’re your clients or not. It shows your involvement in the community in which you have positioned yourself. Be proud.

 

1. Live what you sell. If you suggest something for a client, you had better do it yourself. Encouraging them to get on Twitter? You had better have your @ reserved ASAP. Suggesting email marketing? Get a newsletter. Content marketing? You get the idea. There’s no better way to  sell your services to someone than to have yourself as your prime example. Plus, you won’t have to worry about NDAs when you can refer to your own success for your clients. (Don’t have time to manage this yourself, that’s where we come in.)

 

1. Be a thought leader. Get in the habit of writing for yourself. You probably spend your entire day writing for others, but I’m sure at least a dozen ideas for content for yourself floats through your head on occasion. Instead of feeling guilty, simply jot down a  note and come back to it when you have free time. Thought leadership can happen, you just need to make the time for yourself.

 

1. HARO is your hero. You probably make use of this wonderfully helpful tool but may gloss over the requests that come in almost daily for source on articles about PR from those in the field. Take a few minutes to review those queries and see if they fit for you. It’s OK to pitch yourself on occasion, really.

 

1. Network within your field. Go to PRSA events, attend communications-focused lunches, get out there for yourself every once in a while. And make sure you have your niche/elevator pitch practiced. You spent all that time perfecting what your offering to the market, go on and sell it!

 

1. Your website needs to rock AND roll. This is where your clients are likely going to or coming from, and your bare bones site just doesn’t cut it. Make sure your website has everything on it you’d suggest for your clients, INCLUDING a press room. Go on, toot that horn.

 

1. Continually learn. It’s easy to get wrapped up with client work and forget how important it is to refill that well every once in a while. There are plenty of events for your field that you can find, but why not get better acquainted with fields outside your own. Take a beginner’s HTML class and learn how to navigate through some code, or take a cooking class so you can speak with your clients about the rue you concocted, just always be exploring outside your world. As small as it seems at time, it’s a big, big world out there.

 

1. Take a look inside. Culture is one of the most important things to address when it comes to running your company. Your company culture provides dozens of exciting possibilities to discuss with clients, it helps to live your brand from the inside out, and it can really shine through in your work when you have a little fun internally. Find some things that connects your team in a way that’s entirely “you”. Trust falls and happy hours are great for everyone, but what can you really be doing that is unique to your business to have a little fun.

 

1. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There’s a reason most PR firms don’t have great marketing under their belts, if it was easy, everyone would do it. Just like your clients who come to you for help, you haven’t failed if you seek outside help for your own brand.

 

These may seem like the absolute basics that you’d tell any potential or current client, but really take a good hard look at your own brand. Do you do all of these things on a regular basis? They’re simple, little tips that you can use as a checklist to make sure you’re keeping the clients coming in, no matter how busy you may get.