Tech is a unique industry. Start-ups, established brands and something in between, all battling for attention. PR and related services (influencers, messaging, media relations, content marketing, etc.) are not identical across each industry. There’s a significant difference between PR for a fast food restaurant and PR for a wearable. While there are many boutique agencies that carve out expertise around one senior professional’s experience in a category, there is rarely an agency with this depth of experience across the entire organization. Below we explore some of the reasons we’ve seen success over the years focused on technology PR, and why an agency specializing in your space is best equipped to navigate you through the marketing landscape.
Experience: You want an agency that has done what you are trying to do.
They should be confident in strategy and be able to articulate specific examples of how they’ve done it or something similar before. For tech, its launching products/brands, driving funding and acquisitions, harnessing crowdfunding and breaking into new markets. If the agency can’t provide relevant examples of how they’ve succeeded in your category in the past, that should be a cause for concern.
Insights: It’s one thing to have had success in a certain category, but is the agency continuing to evolve?
A specialized agency can bring data and insights from their previous experiences to help direct strategy for you. With every campaign they should get smarter, faster and just plain better at what they do. An agency should be able to share proof of successful tactics and show data that supports their strategic recommendations.
Execution: An agency can’t focus on hospitality, beauty products, fast food, sports AND technology… Jack of all trades, master of none.
Any knowledge or expertise gained by an agency working a hotel chain, does not translate to helping your tech company. With a focused, technology PR agency, every relationship, every process and every activity provides learning and efficiencies that feed back into the system to benefit each and every client.
Adversity: You might be dealing with your first surprise product launch delay, it should not be the first time for your agency.
Tech is unique in the hurdles that companies face. Product development delays, manufacturing issues, fundraising, and about a million other curveballs get thrown your way daily. For an agency living solely in tech, these scenarios are normal. These events should be built into their timeline and action plan, adjusting as needed. At MBA, we always have a plan for when the plan doesn’t go as planned.
Team: Your agency shouldn’t depend on the experience of one senior executive you might rarely (if ever) get access to.
One account manager can only have so many relationships and so many skillsets for you to leverage. A focused agency scales that expertise across the entire account services team. Its like having the deep dive of a boutique firm, at a scale and impact of a large firm. Every tech focused PR professional has some knowledge or relationship to tap into for your brand.
So how does that look in practice? We’ve been focused on technology PR for more than 15 years. Tech-focused isn’t referencing the outlets and influencers we have relationships with, or the content and strategies we create. It’s a declaration of the types of companies we work with. They all start with tech at their core. That can range from fashion-forward headphones to the latest drone, or an Alexa integrated smart home security system to a fitness app. Our capabilities span all verticals. We just focus our expertise in navigating these markets for tech brands.
Companies at all stages of their life cycle typically seek MBA out for one of two things:
1) They are known in the tech space and want to tell their story to a mainstream audience and expand to new verticals (Think Silicon Valley startup that needs to tell their story to the lifestyle audience or drill deeper into the smart home category).
OR
2) The brand is established in a niche vertical but wants to drive an innovation story in the tech community and expand to newer audiences (Think outdoor company with a strong niche following, but needs to drive growth within tech, position themselves as a leader and branch out to other verticals where their product/service applies).
That’s where we specialize, taking technology brands from Point A to B, C, and D or from Point D, to A, B, and C. Our 15+ years of experience and the insights gained from that experience, allow us to act quickly and execute at a scale a boutique agency or generalist’s agency can’t match. Understanding your business is a large part of your agency’s job. You should teach them about the ins and outs of your brand and product, but you shouldn’t have to educate them on your industry and how to reach your goals.
In need of PR for your tech brand? Look no further than an agency focused solely on technology PR. Contact us today!
