BUYER PERSONA
A buyer persona is a representative of a type of buyer that you have identified as having a specific interest in your organization or product or having a market problem that your product or service solves. In this case, the “buyers” I am trying to create are professionals from the types of companies I would like to hire me. Creating these personas is the first step and probably the single most important thing that someone can do in creating a marketing plan. In order to understand what these different types of companies are looking for in employees and appeal to that, I need to first understand who their current employees are.
In order to gather information, I will look at the top PR agencies in each of the following industries: tech, events, and health and wellness. I will find a handful of agencies in each category will observe the reasons for their success by looking at examples of their work for their clients. By looking at the company’s social media usage, I can better understand the types of stories they present and the writing styles they use.
Startup PR
Startup PR started by running PR for companies like Dell in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They now run the PR for many startups like the now widely known, Foursquare. The buzz that was created by Startup PR around client, Mailbox, eventually led to a multi-million dollar buyout by Dropbox . To say the people at Startup PR are well connected is an understatement. For startups, it can be challenging to generate stories for clients, so the pitch has to be perfect, and Startup PR knows that. Some of their larger clients are constantly hounded with an endless stream of questions from the media, all needing answers on a deadline. Startup PR makes it a priority to tell stories that answer those questions.
Some of the agency’s interests include engineering and technology. Many of the professionals at Startup PR have strong backgrounds in engineering or in tech sales and marketing. Understanding social media and the ways to leverage these tools to reach more audiences is a strong interest of everyone at Startup PR. These tools are constantly changing so it is important to stay on top of them. Lastly, Startup PR has a solid understanding of the way in which products are launched and marketed in other countries outside of the United States. Understanding of the communication styles of other cultures is a priority among the people at Startup PR.
Startup PR makes it a goal to turn every story and press release digital, in order to reach the right people. Another goal at Startup PR is to deliver valuable content that tells stories that answer questions the consumer has about the client. Another primary goal is to execute media campaigns that will boost sales performance and increase brand awareness for clients.
When it comes to utilizing social media, Startup PR uses just about everything, but they make sure to use the platforms that best fit the client’s goals. They use a variety of different kinds of social media, from sharing video on Youtube, to micro-blogging on Twitter. In order to keep up with the client, Startup PR must be able to identify the right social media sites to utilize and understand exactly how to do so.
Agencies in the tech industry like Startup PR are always taking on new hires who can prove their ability to utilize social media. Many PR professionals, in all industries, start out as an intern or in an entry-level position, where they can learn a lot before being totally responsible for clients. In tech PR, most of the stories that are pitched are aimed at other businesses, instead of general consumers, so it is important to understand a client and be able to speak the language they speak.
One Stop Shop PR
One Stop Shop PR is a full service PR agency based in San Francisco. Whether you’re looking to gain major press attendance, pack the red carpet with influential names, conference with industry media, or just fill the seats, One Stop Shop has you covered. One Stop Shop understands how to make an event run smoothly by managing full pre press, sponsorship obtainment, post press, and a large number of additional event PR services.
One Stop Shop has experience with a variety of different large-scale events, where one might need PR assistance. They have full experience in concerts, fashion shows, sporting events, galas, corporate events, media tours, and many more. It is their goal to provide a strong knowledge to customers about the PR needs for a variety of event types. They want to let clients know that they are a developed agency within the Public Relations industry and have a strong understanding of what is trendy and hot right now. Most of all, they are masters in brand development and will take an event’s PR campaign to an unsurpassed level of excellence.
It can be a challenge to keep an event’s PR current and relevant when competing with all of the other events that constantly occur. The research and fight to get a story published never ends at One Stop Shop PR. The professionals at One Stop Shop PR deliver aggressive PR campaigns and worthwhile media buzz that you wont’ find anywhere else.
One Stop Shop loves to integrate social media into their marketing plans, and prefers video content to market upcoming events. They also utilize their blog often to get information out there relating to marketing and PR for events. By showcasing past clients, results of major campaigns, and knowledge of the industry on their blog, they’re establishing themselves as major thought leaders in the PR world.
One Stop Shop PR is always looking for talented writers and passionate self-starters to join their team. They must be able to communicate well, exhibit strong organizational skills, and have an eye for detail. Many publicists start as interns to learn the ins and outs of the business quickly and are promoted from within.
Right Fit PR
Right Fit PR is known for engaging relationships with media to increase brand awareness for clients. They started in 2000 and made name for themselves in media and entertainment dealing with reporters, big media corporations, and stars in showbiz. They believe in forming lasting relationships with clients, being bold and adventurous when planning product launches, and taking risks to make things happen.
Their goals are to constantly innovate and improve upon their PR practices, form lasting relationships with clients and with influencers in the health and fitness industry, and to create memorable and legendary campaigns. The challenge with producing publicity for products in the health and wellness industry is that there are so many competing or similar products on the market. It can be difficult to land a story, which is why Right Fit PR believes in being aggressive with the media and utilizing their relationships to land press.
Right Fit PR tends to use a lot of video to show new product design and explain how they work to healthcare professionals. By utilizing athletes or influencers in the health industry to use their client’s product, Right Fit PR can reach larger audiences. They’re also staying current by publishing stories in a variety of print media and social media sites like Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Right Fit PR links with influential bloggers in the health industry who have a strong audience and wide reach on these social media sites.
Right Fit PR are looking for people who are committed to living and promoting a healthy lifestyle. It can be difficult to break into this kind of PR with little knowledge about the health and fitness industry. A lot of the PR for these kinds of products are done in house but some of the larger health and fitness companies hire outside PR agencies to handle all their publicity.
The main competitors in this race to find a job at a marketing/PR agency are graduating students who have a degree in journalism/PR and young professionals that have studied communications or marketing. Marketing and PR firms are looking for students who have an understanding of PR to start as interns in order to learn about the firm and it's clients. Since these students have learned about PR and had experience writing press releases, they already have a fairly strong understanding of the industry and a collection of work to show employers. Professionals that have a few years of experience in marketing an communications can easily transition into an entry level or mid level publicist position because they have experience handling clients and communicating information to the public.
