Challenges with being a PR Agency exclusively to SMEs

I made a decision a while ago when I started my PR agency to offer my services exclusively to SMEs. It was both an altruistic and strategic business decision.  Though it provides a number of opportunities, it is definitely not without its challenges; some of which I have listed below:

1.         VERY tight budget

PR practitioners are no strangers to the idea of limited and sometimes none existent budgets, however very few of us have made and sustained a business from this method. A large percentage of my clientele consists of SMEs. The only way I sustain my business is by limiting the product offering. By offering the client more product options, at a variety of price options, I am able to still give them quality service at a price they can easily afford.

2.        There is an even lesser demand from editors for PR pitches

The sometimes shaky relationship between journalists and PR practitioners is stretched even harder with more editors vying for sponsored articles as opposed to news articles. I have found it very difficult having to go back to a client and tell them that instead of a free media placement, we might need to pay to advertise before we get a news release placed. This is something a tight budgeted client isn’t always happy to hear.

3.         Clients STILL expect  more from you

Tying in with the first point, though I do my best to offer clients products at a price range they can afford, they still demand more from me. Even in the year 2017, with PR basically dominating the headlines, there are still some clients who seem to misinterpret PR as “free marketing”. Clients will come to me with a list of demands, asking for this and that and then drop a nonsensical budget along with it. I sometimes laugh it off to stop myself from cursing.

  

4.       Digital doesn’t always mean easier

Yes the advancement of digital and social media have made it rather cheaper to run a campaign. However no one ever said that it would be easy. It is much harder to track ROI through digital media. There are countless apps that offer the Holy Grail but deliver only silver debilitated cups of nothing while other apps do assist in the tracking process, but require money that the client just isn’t willing to pay.

5.       It’s more work

I have found it much easier to conduct work for clients with a reasonably higher budget to spend than I do for clients with understandably lower budgets. The latter requires more creativity, more energy, more time spent on newer, more creative ways to receive reputable coverage. Though this doesn’t require much cash spend, it definitely requires more hours than billed to make the client happy. I spend more time researching newer, much more creative opportunities for my clients to receive reputable coverage than I do actually implanting any plan I have drawn up for them.

I know it seems like it, but I am not complaining. I enjoy the creativity that comes with serving my clients. It is incredibly rewarding to receive the kind of approval I receive from my clients; knowing how difficult it is to compete in this industry on their TIGHT budgets. It validates time and again how right I was in my decision to focus my efforts on the SME sector. I know my business will continue to grow, because the fact of the matter is that there really will never be a shortage of SMEs, and for as long as I master the creativity of this niche market, my clients will remain with me for years on end, this I know for sure.

Happy New Year

We are all delighted to be a part of this amazing new year. To be fair, every new year is amazing. We would firstly love to wish every single individual that contributed to the growth and sustainability of this beautiful venture. We hope to grow even more and even further. Our sister company Roadspringer Events is setting off the new year with a bang, to be precise a BOOK bang.

On 20 February 2016 Roadspringer Events would like to introduce the Share a Book, Share a Moment Seminar. An entire seminar geared towards reading.

So for the many of you that are looking for an excuse to read and hang out with other people that like to read; do make it a point to join us on this day.

ANNOUNCEMENT

RPR Agency is proud to announce that it will be the official social media agency for The Tshwane Business Awards 2015. This is indeed exciting and big news not to share.

The TBAs are focused on the celebration of Tshwane entrepreneurs. Anyone who has attempted to open a business knows the struggle it takes to lead a business from an idea to an actual product. This is the primary reason behind the awards. The TBAs want to give the entrepreneur a pat on the back so to speak, a congratulatory hand-shake if you may.

The categories are varied and encompass all of Tshwane's major industries; i.e. ICT, Accounting, Law and even Township Economies to name just a few. These events are set to take place on the 28th of November 2015 at the prestigious Sheraton Hotel in Tshwane.

For more information regarding the TBAs please email all queries to:

Email: info@tshwanebusinessawards.co.za
Facebook: Tshwane Business Awards Gala Dinner

We look forward to hearing and engaging with you, better yet we hope to see you on the night.

All growing businesses need to invest in good PR

By Thoriso Kolobe Managing Director of RPR Agency

To many small and medium businesses, PR is seen as more of a luxury than a necessity. “Reputation management is for the big guys” SMME owners will be heard uttering such words; “when s#*t hits the fan, that’s when I’ll call in a PRP, right now I don’t need one” another SMME owner will mutter.

Is that so? Is PR a luxury only for the big budget companies? Is it ridiculous to want to structure any agency around the SMME environment? I used to think so, until I realised just how many SMMEs are out there. If any company is to grow it must have a healthy bottom line, right? Yes but that’s not all it takes to grow a company, a company needs a bevy of loyal customers. These loyal customers build a relationship with the company, learn to trust a company and eventually tell their family and friends about it. These relationships require full-time management; which requires a PR practitioner.

As a young agency it is ill-advised to focus solely on SMMEs; the number one reason is that you will probably work at a shortfall. SMMEs don’t really value PR as a necessity in the company, yet ironically to grow their image and to be taken seriously by their biggest competitors, they mostly undergo a PR- makeover. If the reality is that SMMEs need PR and the illusion is that they don’t need PR; how does PR show up in reality as a need?

It shows up with facts, stats and insight. One of the many reasons why PR is not taken seriously as an industry on its own is because it has a bad reputation. For most of history, PR has been associated with negativity. Propaganda, publicity stunts and too many Hollywood disasters to mention; are just a few reasons as to why no SMME can really take the industry seriously.

PR needs to change course, it needs to go from being the lying, sexy, fun-type of partner to the more loyal, honest, transparent type of partner that every business needs. PR practitioners are encouraged to be more honest in their pitches. They are encouraged to not sell the world to SMMEs. Don’t promise your client that you will make them as big as Coca Cola within a year, don’t tell your client that you guarantee them first page status every week. Only do these if you are certain you can, and at that; tell them how much it would cost to get to that place.

SMMEs really want to be big, so feeding in to that need will only result in an epic fail from your side. Tell them what you can offer, which is at least a second page on the bottom corner of the Provincial Newspaper and a steady slot on the local radio station. With doing this, PR is able to regain its reputation as an industry and also prove to be a need for any growing SMME.

Our very first You Are It (YAI) feature is on up and coming motswako rapper Mopheme

Prince Makgareetsa affectionately known to his fans as Mopheme is a Cullinan born and bred motswako rapper. Mopheme is a stage name given to him by renowned hip hop artist HHP. A dream chaser and chance taker by virtue of birth, Mopheme’s hustle now sees him as one of the top 12 VuzuHustle contestant.

In recording his first single; in which he remixes HHP's Tswaka with a live band; he scored himself a bevy of downloads and ultimately gained a respectable fan base. He has had the privy of working with the likes of HHP, Andrew Jed and Lection just to name a few. He is currently said to be working on his first album (can’t wait for that one).

Mopheme is more than a motswako rapper, with his marketing communication background; he has co-founded an entertainment company with co-partner Khutsiso Babedi called Twenty28Media. The by-line explaining the name is that “We believe that numbers bring success”.  With his unrelenting hunger for success, I do believe that soon enough that tagline will prove to be his life.

If you would like to know more about him do check him out on the social media links below or catch him every Tuesday on Vuzu Amp 114 on the VuzuHustle.  

Bookings : MophemeBookings@Gmail.com

Twitter : @KeNnaMopheme

Instagram : @KeNnaMopheme

Facebook page : Mopheme

Nqobile is our #WCW

I met Nqobile when I was literally starting out my journey as an adolescent; I think I must have been 12 or 13 years old. The one thing that drew me close to her was her warmth. Nqobile as far back as I can remember had the kindest heart ever.

 You ever had a friend that seemed like they never wanted to go home; that for some odd reason they seemed to spend most of their time at your house? Well I was that friend. I didn’t care if she had to go to sleep, if she and her family had to go somewhere, I was always there like a terrible rash that refused to go away; look if you met her, you would know what I was talking about.

Apart from her being one of the sweetest people I had ever met, Nqobile is this week’s #WCW because of her unforgiving commitment to saving the world one helpless soul at a time. Her warm heart shines through in the projects she chooses to devote most of her time to, one of them being Project Help.  This organisation is geared towards helping NGO’s in and around greater Pretoria. They do this by organising fund raising events and driving awareness campaigns for community organisations. 

Well don’t take my word for it, and read about her in her own words below:

1)      What do you love most about your life?

Simply put the people in it. I am surrounded by the most amazing people from family, to friends, to colleagues and acquaintances. Each one plays such an incredible role in building my dreams and going through life on a daily basis.

2)      Do you believe in God, if so what does God mean to you?

Yes I do. I believe that He is my all and without Him I simply cannot be. God means to me the author and leader of my life and everything in it, He is my king and personal Lord and Saviour.

3)      What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

Quit my job and fully commit to my dreams to ensure they get fulfilled.

4)      What are you most insecure about?

It’s not all the time, but it does come time to time, it is how I portray myself in front of people.

5)      What do you know for sure?

I AM a conqueror!

6)      Who is your #WCW and why?

             This changes so often, but for this week I will say my cousin Bathabile Lekhuleni. I have picked her this week after some personal things she has and is going through but her strength and courage that she displays is completely admirable. If I am allowed tohave 2 WCW, my second one would be Phuti Mahanyele (featuring for the 3^rd time now lol). After reading her feature on this month’s Destiny magazine, I could resonate a lot with her and through her story got encourage and re-evaluated some things in my life as well based on the advises spoken through her life story.

7)      What makes you proud to be a woman?

Women were chosen to bring forth life, not just naturally, but in everything they do, they have the ability to speak things into existence, bring life to any situation. Essentially, the power and strength within a woman is out of this world, all we need to do is to tap into this great resource and bring along change in our homes, societies, companies, businesses and ultimately the world. I am proud to be a woman because of the power God has instilled in me and has trusted me with.

8)      The one dream that scares you the most is:

...Being responsible for changing the world. This scares me because changing the world means somehow changing people in a way and that I can say for sure won’t be an easy task to do.

9)   If you could trade lives with any celebrity who it be and why?

     In all honesty there is no one. For the simple reason that no one person has been dealt the same deck of cards of life and furthermore, do not have the same capabilities to endure even the exact same life challenges and even joys. For what looks glamorous in another person, may be simply the tip of the ice berg of beneath all of that is some really heavy things that the person has had to go through and overcome. So I really wouldn’t even want to trade lives with anyone, even for one day.

10)   Are you happy with whom you are?

Absolutely! Once I recognised whom I am, my position in the world and the promise hanging over my life, because nothing can take that away from me, I have reached and maintained a level of contentment and I am at peace with who I am, where I am going and I am ecstatic about the woman I am becoming. 

RPR Agency's #WCW is Molebogeng

Our very first #WCW hails all the way from Pretoria; her name is Molebogeng Maswabi. I met this phenomenal young lady in my high school years when I was 14 years old. Molebogeng had an energy about her that read “I have people to see, places to be in and things to do”. I remember thinking dear God how on earth can I get the same energy to make it through this stack of homework?

A lot has changed over 10 years for this young woman but one thing remains prevalent, her unending zest for life; and dare I say it is even “zestier” than I recall. Molebogeng has managed to graduate with a degree in Corporate Communication, along with that she belted an honours degree in Communication Science and Media Studies. She also holds a certificate in Thought Leadership from the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute.

As if any of those weren’t enough to recognise why she is our #WCW; she went ahead and founded not one but two social development companies; that is the Fundisa Bonke Foundation and the Women’s Empowerment Network of South Africa (WENOSA). That should seal the deal for any doubters.

No longer is she driven by the “I have people to see, places to be in and things to do” energy, she is motivated rather by the “I am the change I want to see in the world” energy. She knows this and she lives by this truth. Here she is in her own words:

RPR:       What do you love most about your life?

M:         There are quite a number of things I love about my life – I’m blessed. However, what I love most about it is the divine purpose which it carries. It is through this purpose that my life is lived largely to make a meaningful difference in the life of the next person. This is also what fulfills me most.

RPR:       Do you believe in God, if so what does God mean to you?

M:          I believe in God. I would not be alive, nor be the person I am today had it not been for God. I often find it very difficult to describe what He means to me, because of the overwhelmingly profound role which He plays in my life. Simply put, ‘HE IS MY LIFELINE’.

RPR:       What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

M:          I’ve always been described as someone who’s brave. On that front, there’s very little I’m afraid of. If at all I wasn’t afraid of even the little, I’d ‘FLY’. By that I mean, I would conquer the world in a magnificent way. I’m working on this, every day. I dare you to ask me this question again five years from today. I’ll be telling you a different and more noteworthy story.

RPR:       What are you most insecure about?

M:          I find it amusing how I’m most insecure about what I am usually applauded for – and that is addressing large audiences. I’m enrolling with a public speaking forum during the coming months, as a means to develop my confidence in this regard, and overcoming this ridiculous insecurity.

RPR:       What do you know for sure?

M:          That I’m destined for greatness, and that by living out/demonstrating my greatness, millions of people across the globe will develop the confidence to live out theirs as well

RPR:       Who is your #WCW and why?

M:          My #WCW is my mother, whose strength and resilience challenges and inspires me to confidently tackle whatever challenge I encounter. She’s certainly a women I commend on many fronts, particularly for the distinguished, respectful and esteemed young woman I have grown to become

RPR:       What makes you proud to be a woman?

M:          My in-built power, which enables me to create, transform and nurture.

RPR:       The one dream that scares you the most is...

M:          Seeing the Women’s Empowerment Network of South Africa, for which I am the founding president, expand its reach into the rest of Africa, and potentially other continents.

RPR:       If you could trade lives with any celebrity who would it be and why?

M:          There’s NO celebrity I’d trade lives with. I’m content with my life.

RPR:       Are you happy with whom you are?

M:          I am happy. Because I am human, I have weaknesses and make mistakes. For this reason, I strive to improve my character daily, so as to become a far better person than the one I might have been yesterday.

Woman Crush Wednesday

We love women, especially young, passionate, South African women. So here's an idea: Why don't we have a little chit-chat with some of our awesome women and pick their brains about certain ideas they have about life. I being a woman understand the importance of allowing women to converse and share their thoughts about life. We may not agree about everything but we must learn to hear what we each have to say.

And it is because of this that I want to learn more about being a woman from other young women. Starting next week Wednesday we will do a feature on one of our #WCW for that week and pick her brain about life. Some of the women we will feature already run their own businesses and will be given the platform to share with us what their business is all about, that way you can contact them if you are interested in working with them. 

Exciting times ahead :-)

We want YOU to trust us

We are currently on the look-out for new clientele. We are seeking young entrepreneurs that need some help in the PR department. It happens that you open a business and you have some idea about what you would like to do in your business, however you just seem to fail at getting your message out there to your target market.

This is where we come in. We will conduct basic market research to determine who is your target market, where do they most likely get information about their products and lastly how much are they willing to spend on the things they like. This will enable us to find out the most basic, yet important information needed to build and maintain loyal relationships with your customer.

We have a strong understanding that as a small business and as an entrepreneur money is one of the toughest aspects to get a good hold on. So all our prices will be tailor-made to not only fit your budget but also fit your company size.

We have a deep understanding that we are who we are only because you trust us to be who we are.