New Year, New You doesn’t just apply to personal New Year’s resolution goals. Both agencies and brands take advantage of a fresh new calendar year as an opportunity to achieve businesses growth. A new year means new companies just starting out, others looking to rebrand their current business or product, and still others finally ready to implement new marketing and PR strategies.
January is a great time for public relations firms to add new clients take on new clients ready to tackle the year with awesome campaigns. Of course, with new clients, comes new responsibility. Once the holiday dust (or is that glitter!), settles, make sure you’re in a good position to welcome in new clients with open arms. Here are the top five ways to prepare your team for an upswing of client on-boarding in the new year:
Clients want a fresh start, but they still want results and case studies can make or break a new client win. Now that short-lead gift guide submissions are coming to a close and clients are heading into holiday vacay mode, review client reports and update final numbers. Make sure to have a mix of strategies and client verticals represented. If you haven’t taken the time to create a cohesive case study structure and design, this is the time to step up your game.
The new year means internal reviews, new promotions and new jobs for your favorite reporters and editors. Ensure you have a clear agency process to keep up-to-date on media moves as well as a way to wish them a hearty congrats on their new position. And of course, keep your media lists updated with the latest contact information. Opening or reopening the doors of communication with editors is a great way to hit the ground running come January 2nd and take advantage of top-of-mind status as they begin to look for sources, products, and stories in their new position. Warming up these leads also means that when you sign a new client, you won’t feel uncomfortable reaching out cold to see if there is any interest in your new pitch.
Hold an internal evaluation meeting with your team to get feedback on what’s working and what needs improving. Consider having a discussion on workplace collaboration, learning/working styles, and any current challenges. Invite your team to brainstorm new solutions regarding agency systems, project management, new software solutions and ideas to be more efficient and profitable in the new year. If there are new programs or skills to learn, now is a good time to source tutorials and allow non-billable hours to be spent getting up to speed. Allow at least two to three weeks for the team to learn the new ropes being put in place, and get ready for the onslaught of new businesses and steady work processes.
Clean out the office and ditch outdated files in the office and on your computer. And please, for your own sanity, take the time to clean out your email. A cluttered inbox is so stressful, it is not fair to your, your current clients, and potential new clients if your inbox is a source of overwhelm. A messy inbox can also affect timelines, project execution, and worst of all: work nightmares (who was that one person who emailed me about that thing) while you’re trying to get a good night’s rest. Clean out your desk drawers, find an organizer for all those business cards, and throw away all those sticky notes that you don’t need anymore.
Yes, that’s right! You still have current clients to worry about. This is a perfect time to schedule an in-person meeting with your current clients and see where they are in terms of new year goals for their company and where they would like to see their campaign or brand in the coming months. This is a great opportunity to share a nice client gift and ask if they have any referrals. These meetings are a great way to begin prepping for a shift in the initial campaign and keep a solid relationship with your clients whose contract may be coming to an end soon.
Retention is so important towards the end of the year, as you don’t want to have to be looking for new business, but allowing new business come to you. Having a balance of loyal clients and expanding your business with new clients is the perfect way to start off the new year!
