By Eclipse Media Group

Any public relations, marketing or communications agency faces the same dilemma – how to build a sustainable PR practice. Furthermore, it can even be difficult to answer the question: what makes a sustainable business? Is it employee or client retention, relationships with media, journalists and your audience or by offering attainable and valuable services? It’s likely a mixture of all of these. Here are a few tips on how we have worked to build a sustainable PR agency:

Foster relationships with clients and media
While so many of us in the PR industry are focusing on the reputation of our clients, we must not forget our own. Building a favorable reputation starts at the individual level within the agency. We ask ourselves this all the time: How is our team interacting with and presenting to both clients and the media? Are we taking the time to actively listen to and engage with present and potential clients? It’s important to maintain an open dialogue which often enriches the outcome and extends the life of the partnership. We try to be upfront about expectations, deadlines and feedback. The same goes for our relationships with journalists. Building a reputation of excellence and trustworthiness for media, clients and audiences is key.

Be adaptable and open to evolution
Eclipse Media Group was founded 15 years ago in a time where social media was just entering the mainstream sphere and print media still reigned supreme. The rate of evolution of platforms to consume media, as well as methods of information dissemination, have rapidly become mainstream – some ending as quickly as they began and others changing the world as we know it. PR agencies all over the world began to leverage these other services as part of their offerings, and EMG was no exception. Today, as we see a continued evolution with traditional media formats and an increase in digital and social content, it’s even more important to be flexible.

Encourage a culture of authenticity and transparency
This is something many PR and marketing firms have found themselves facing in the past few years, even more so after the events of 2020. Much of the workforce has asked for a culture of transparency, as we all sought to navigate new challenges. Additionally, many employees looked to their workplace leaders for guidance and as a source of reliable information. More and more businesses and brands across the globe are being called upon to be authentic in their mission, as well as internally – the PR and marketing industry are no exception. Encouraging a culture of authenticity and transparency goes hand in hand with being adaptable as a business, especially during turbulent times of great economic, social and cultural change. Obstacles faced by clients and employees two years ago are unlikely to be the same today.

Building a sustainable PR agency starts from the ground up – focusing on a strong, attainable mission and lots of flexibility. Relationships with clients, audience and media is the backbone of our organization, but it’s also important for us to invest in our company culture, as well as embrace change when needed.

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