We’re a deliberately different kind of tech PR agency. Here are the six reasons why:
#1 Set fees for set deliverables
#2 Absolute clarity from the outset in terms of investment, activity and outputs
#3 Agreed performance targets
#4 Commitment to results-driven, transparent campaigns ensure we truly deliver for clients
#5 Formal service level agreement with a pro-rata fee rebate if targets are missed
#6 Specialist teams dedicated to content, digital, creative and media
You may be familiar with the conventional PR model – paying for hours on a monthly retainer
with very little commitment or transparency from the agency to what you will actually get for that investment. This has always struck me as a problematic model for clients, and I know from the conversations we have with current and prospective clients that I’m not wrong. The retainer model encourages agencies to be inefficient. If the agency needs to rewrite an article three times, that comes at the cost to the client. Why should the client be punished for agency mistakes?
At Whiteoaks we are deliberately different. We set-up our model to be results-focused – we want you to know from the outset what we’ll be delivering for you. We don’t want to talk to you about hours and retainers because we know that this isn’t a good way for you to invest your PR spend. Instead, we make strategic campaign recommendations based on your brief, and then give you complete transparency on what we will deliver, over what timeframe, and what the exact cost per item will be. That means you know from the start what you’re paying for and exactly what you’re getting. We can be flexible too; if your needs change mid-campaign we can adjust the deliverables and outputs accordingly.
The differences don’t stop there. It’s not all about activity – results are the real measure of success. Having agreed the deliverables with you, we will also put in place guaranteed performance targets such as coverage volume and key message penetration. These metrics will depend on the type of campaign we’re running (for example, success will look different between social media and traditional media relations campaigns) but these are all agreed upfront to make sure we’re delivering a true return on your investment. And we’re so confident in delivering these results for you that we offer all of our clients a formal service level agreement with a pro-rata fee rebate if we miss the targets set at the start of the campaign.
Another common frustration we see with prospects is lots of PR agencies use a team of generalists to execute the campaign. It is unrealistic to expect that everyone is great at everything; people have different strengths and skills they can bring to the team. We utilise this by employing teams of specialists. Instead of having a team do a bit of everything – you’ll have someone dedicated to each discipline. That means a media specialist, content creator, creative designer and social media specialist working on your campaign alongside your dedicated account team. This guarantees you a consistent stream of quality outputs because they are always delivered by those best suited to that discipline.
Our dedicated practice streams
We’re proud to be deliberately different in the PR industry and have provided some of the most exciting brands in the tech industry with a unique approach to guaranteeing ROI on their PR investment.
If you want to learn more about our model please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
By Bekki Bushnell, Head of Business Development
