Category: Growth

In this blog, Hayley Goff, CEO at Whiteoaks International, explores:

  • Why marketing leadership change is a predictable risk that PR programmes should plan for
  • What pausing PR activity during leadership changes actually costs
  • What a good agency handover gives an incoming marketing leader

 

Joining a business as a new Head of Marketing or Director of Communications means inheriting a strategy, agency relationships and budget that you may have had little involvement in shaping. Understandably, you’ll want to assess what’s working, where improvements could be made and whether existing campaigns align with your priorities for the business.

Reviewing existing PR programmes is a sensible part of that process. If activity isn’t delivering the expected results, changing direction or stopping it altogether may well be the right decision. But there’s a difference between making an informed decision to pause underperforming activity and automatically putting everything on hold while a new strategy takes shape.

The market doesn’t pause while a business reassesses its priorities. Competitors will continue building their media presence, journalists will still be looking for expert commentary, and opportunities to contribute to relevant industry conversations will keep emerging. Building and maintaining a strong market presence requires consistent activity, and momentum that has taken months to establish can be difficult to recover once lost.

If leadership changes are an inevitable part of business, shouldn’t continuity be something PR programmes are designed to deliver from the outset?

Protecting the PR momentum

PR activities, such as building and nurturing journalist relationships and establishing subject matter experts as credible voices, require sustained effort. But achieving meaningful visibility also means taking an integrated approach, bringing together media relations, social media and thought leadership to reach and engage audiences across different channels.

Putting these activities on hold can have immediate practical consequences. For example, a journalist’s deadline might pass while an interview or comment awaits approval, or planned thought leadership content could lose relevance before it’s published, particularly if it’s tied to a developing industry issue. When activity eventually resumes, internal teams may need to spend additional time restarting approval processes, re-briefing spokespeople and revisiting plans that were already agreed.

There’s also a commercial consequence. If a business has invested time and budget in building its reputation, why risk losing that momentum, only to potentially spend more time and money rebuilding it later?

That doesn’t mean every activity should continue unchanged. The important thing is to distinguish between work that’s delivering value and should be protected during the transition, and activity that warrants further review. During this transition, an agency that already understands the business objectives, brand messaging and media landscape should be able to help the internal team keep relevant activity moving.

Helping the new marketing leader get up to speed

A clear agency handover is essential for helping an incoming marketing leader assess existing PR activity and make informed decisions about what happens next. Amongst other things, it should provide an overview of:

  • The original campaign objectives and how they align with business priorities
  • Results delivered against agreed commitments and KPIs
  • The current budget, contractual commitments and outstanding deliverables
  • Live media opportunities, planned content and upcoming activity
  • Outstanding approvals and decisions requiring attention
  • Recommendations on which activities to continue, change or stop

 

Having this information ready ahead of a leadership change can save the internal marketing team valuable time and help ensure a smoother transition. Agencies should be prepared to demonstrate that value at any point, regardless of who’s asking. A leadership change shouldn’t suddenly create the need to justify activity that should already be measurable and accountable.

Our Performance PR approach is built around fixed fees for fixed outcomes, giving marketing leaders clear visibility of agreed deliverables, progress and outstanding commitments. That transparency makes it easier for an incoming leader to assess the programme and make informed decisions about what happens next, including reviewing agreed commitments with the agency if business priorities have changed.

Balancing continuity with new priorities

New people might identify opportunities in sectors the business hasn’t previously targeted, want greater emphasis on executive visibility or see more value in developing a thought leadership campaign than issuing a planned press release.

An experienced agency should welcome that challenge. After all, the objective is to deliver value for the business, rather than simply complete a plan agreed under previous leadership. That requires flexibility, but also an understanding of how proposed changes affect existing commitments and commercial objectives.

One practical approach is to agree an interim plan while the new marketing leader reviews the wider strategy. This could mean continuing time-sensitive media opportunities, scheduled interviews and content that’s still relevant to business priorities, while holding off on larger campaign launches or new investments until there’s been an opportunity to assess them properly.

The agency and internal team should agree what needs to keep moving, which decisions require the incoming leader’s input and when the programme will be reviewed. An experienced PR partner should also be able to explain the trade-offs involved, helping the new leader make informed decisions about where to maintain activity and where to take a different approach.

PR programmes should be built to deliver consistent results, even as leadership changes. If you’re looking for an agency that combines continuity with flexibility and accountability, talk to the Whiteoaks team about how our Performance PR approach can support your business.

In this blog, Hayley Goff, CEO, Whiteoaks, recaps the recent Whiteoaks webinar “Global PR Growth Strategies for B2B Tech Brands”, providing insights including:

  • Global PR campaign models
  • The need for local insight to avoid severe pitfalls
  • The importance of co-ordination and planning

 

There comes a point when every ambitious B2B tech business wants to expand into new markets – and many continue to do so with the right PR partners. But there is a widespread misconception that what works in one market will work in another.

The reality is very different – cutting and pasting what works in one country into another seldom produces the results businesses want, leading to wasted budget, inconsistent messaging and brand dilution.

Without understanding of local markets and skilled co-ordination, campaigns are at risk of failing to connect with target audiences. Many B2B businesses, however, do not have a well of money and need to maximise the impact of every pound, dollar or euro. It is difficult to know which PR strategy to adopt for international success and who to engage with.

Tips from the experts

This was the subject of a recent Whiteoaks webinar where I was joined in conversation by Kirsten Leathers, executive vice president, V2 Communications in the US, Kristina Karachevtceva, PR manager at Hyve Managed Hosting, and Sophie King, associate director at Whiteoaks.

Bringing together B2B tech decision-makers, we discussed a common challenge experienced by businesses: while global PR networks have reach and resources, there can be a lack of accountability when an agency works well in one market but not in another. When a business wants to change who is delivering its PR campaign in a specific country, problems occur.

The alternative – engaging multiple agencies – can be very difficult to manage, however, unless there is a lead agency to act as a single point of contact co-ordinating campaigns, ensuring consistency of messaging and standardising reporting.

Collaboration and preparation are vital

For global PR success, collaboration between agencies in each country is essential, ensuring they deliver the right messages while adapting to what can be very significant differences between markets.

These factors are important because companies often spend time refining their messaging and positioning and then send it out to their agencies without any real feedback loop or insights into the local market. Within the main messaging of a campaign there should be strings of stories that are created for specific audiences or which local agencies can adapt successfully in line with the over-arching aims.

Crisis communications tactics also need to be agreed beforehand with full understanding that the legal ramifications of statements can differ between countries. This level of planning ensures that responses are fast and accurate – avoiding redrafts and the potential for serious mistakes.

The necessity of understanding varied cultural, media and business practices

To be successful a campaign needs to accommodate cultural distinctions. Some launches may benefit from local media coverage as well as trade media, but the ability to stimulate interest often depends on understanding how the country’s news organisations work – and what are currently hot topics for them. It is too easy to assume everyone everywhere has the same challenges and concerns.

Not only is language a barrier but different countries have different media ecosystems and business practices. In many countries, top-tier media want interviews in their own language and may focus exclusively on the impact of any product or service on their local market.

Local factors have major influence

Awareness of local factors is always vital. PR efforts may fail to land because of bad timing – coming out when events in a specific market are distracting people, such as national holidays, major news developments or industrial disputes. Ill-informed PR partners may operate in a way that simply does not fit into a region’s different pattern of weekly work. This is important in the Middle East, for example, where the working week runs from Sunday to Thursday.

Weak pick-up may be caused through failure to appreciate how terminology varies, or use of inappropriate images. The latter point is important because in some countries it is inappropriate to show the soles of feet or palms of hands, for example.

Regulation is also an important consideration in the tech world, especially in relation to data and cyber security. Awareness of the differences in market-specific regulation around the world is essential.

PR takes time to achieve maximum impact and should be measured

PR is a long game for the most part, and companies seeking to expand should accept that establishing a local PR presence is necessary to build any kind of momentum and credibility.

One of the keys to success in cross-border campaigns is being able to measure impact through KPIs which one lead agency should monitor to ensure effective delivery. Businesses entering new markets need a reason – a why – and their messaging needs to be built around it – whether it is pursuit of warm leads or the opening of a new office.

The metrics that emerge from the messaging discussion should be agreed at the outset and agreed across all partners. If there is misalignment of key metrics, then assessing the impact of a campaign becomes very difficult. This in turn leads to fragmented communications that slow down momentum.

Collaboration should be easy

Yet collaboration is now so easy. It only takes the effective use of SharePoint or Google Docs to make a huge difference to operations and KPI monitoring. Timings across different countries can be coordinated for launches or announcements to ensure best possible results, for instance. Where budgets are very tight, PR partners can be canny about targeting specific English-language publications or using wire releases – a method that remains effective in some countries.

There can be many challenges in a B2B tech PR campaign that runs across the boundaries of countries and selecting the right lead agency takes time and diligence. But when companies get it right, this lead agency approach will help accelerate global expansion.

To find out more, including Hyve Managed Hosting’s experience of working with Whiteoaks and V2 to achieve its global growth ambitions, watch the “Global PR Growth Strategies for B2B Tech Brands” webinar now.

In this blog we’ll:

  • Introduce our new blog series
  • Explore what we mean by silos in marketing and PR
  • Show how Performance PR integrates with paid social, content marketing and SEO
  • And explain how it breaks down silos to deliver greater impact

 

When Phil S. Ensor, the former director of Goodyear, coined the term “silo syndrome” back in 1988, he was obviously onto something.

“People across the organization do not share common goals…communication is heavily top-down, on the vertical axis. Little is shared on the horizontal axis.”

The metaphor stuck; rows of imposing grain stores – tall, parallel and sealed off. It’s become shorthand for the way departments in a business often operate: isolated, inward-looking and disconnected from the rest. Maybe it’s been overused to the point of cliché (although it’s still got nothing on blue sky thinking), ‘silo’ now gets tossed around to describe anything remotely uncollaborative. Still, the problem it points to is very real, and in marketing, the silo effect is still holding teams back, especially when it comes to PR.

But fortunately, we bear good news! Silo season is officially over!

 

The lonely PR silo

If the SEO agency is chasing rankings, the in-house social team is focused on engagement, the PPC freelancer is driving clicks, then the PR agency’s job is just to secure coverage, right?

When most people think of PR, they picture media coverage: perhaps a feature in a trade publication and set of KPIs focused on visibility. When PR is thought of like that, its value and role in the wider marketing mix gets overlooked.

While visibility is still valuable, in modern PR it isn’t the only measurement which coverage counts for.

 

PR’s modern glow up

Today PR, and more specifically Performance PR, goes beyond traditional media relations. It encompasses social media, digital PR, content marketing and creative campaigns.

  • Digital PR and SEO: PR stories landing in online publications earn high-authority backlinks and brand mentions which lift search rankings and boost organic traffic.
  • Content marketing: Original research, compelling narratives and thought leadership become versatile assets, ready to be reshaped into blogs, guides, webinars or email campaigns.
  • Social media: Coverage, podcasts or key messages transform into LinkedIn carousels, short-form videos and social-first activations.
  • Paid social media: Standout PR content is a perfect candidate for targeted paid campaigns, amplifying reach and engagement with precision.

 

How PR is breaking down silos

And it’s not just that PR overlaps with these disciplines, indeed it has become many of them. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

  • SEO and online visibility: Earned digital PR coverage with backlinks and brand mentions helps a brand rank for high-intent search terms, driving organic traffic.
  • Web traffic: A tech influencer’s review of a SaaS product sends targeted visitors straight to a key landing page.
  • Lead generation: A whitepaper addressing buyer pain points delivers 100 qualified email leads, later nurtured through a paid social retargeting campaign.
  • Social media engagement: A blog post reimagined as a LinkedIn carousel becomes a high-performing post, sparking a conversation with a prospect.
  • Organic social media: A podcast interview is clipped and syndicated across multiple social channels, multiplying touchpoints.
  • Paid social media: Standout coverage is boosted to a targeted audience, increasing reach and engagement.

 

What happens when you keep PR in a silo

When PR is thought about as a silo, you miss the potentially powerful influences across the marketing and sales mix. Investing in PR isn’t just investing in coverage – it’s an investment in your whole funnel. Not only that, it makes the impact of all your activities much greater and your money goes further. Keep PR, social, SEO and paid social media in separate boxes, and you pay the price: underperforming channels, fragmented messaging and missed opportunities.

Your buyers don’t think in silos. They experience your brand as one story. And while the buyer’s journey may be fragmented, it’s also interconnected. They might spot your name in a trade headline, hear your spokesperson on a podcast, scroll past a LinkedIn carousel, dive into a blog, watch an explainer video or see you appear in an AI Overview, with each touchpoint building on the last.

The stronger and more consistent that story, the more likely you are to stay top of mind. That only happens when your channels work in harmony, not in isolation.

 

Silo season is over!

This is why we’re calling time on silo season and why this series is dedicated to showing what happens when PR works in sync with the rest of your marketing.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll explore how Performance PR can:

  • drive content marketing
  • create demand generation and nurture pipelines
  • boost visibility and authority in the SERPs
  • integrate with paid social

We’ll also show how to track and measure PR’s impact – proving its value and ROI  – and why it matters to work with a team that knows how to integrate channels from day one.

In the meantime if your B2B tech brand is looking for help breaking down barriers, get in touch with our team of experts to see how our integrated PR approach can turn your campaigns into a success story.

Here, Whiteoaks’ Chief Client Officer John Broy discusses:

  • Why the summer months offer a chance for profitable introspection
  • What to do if your PR is losing its edge
  • Boosting PR performance with KPIs

 

In many industries, the few weeks after the schools break up are a quieter time, when due to holidays, the daily demands on a business are not as intense, providing an opportunity for introspection.

With less day-to-day activity, this is a chance to invest time in internal planning and the kind of strategic thinking that supports the long-term growth of your business.

In this blog we’ll consider how companies in the B2B tech sector can use the summer lull to revise their PR strategies for greater impact. It is certainly true that the summer months provide the breathing space, because it is a time of lighter news cycles, smaller audiences and reduced activity among journalists.

Are there any signs your campaign is getting stale?

Any campaign can become stale because of outdated messaging and lack of media engagement. Content may be going over well-trodden ground that induces media fatigue and has lost relevance for audiences.

This is where there is a need for hard work – stepping outside your comfort zone to assess whether messaging reflects what makes the company unique and helps it stand out from the competition. Teams can help by coming together to brainstorm new story angles, look at existing themes, questioning how they have moved on and where you can be ahead of the curve – beating your competitors to the punch.

Take a fresh look at the media landscape

The review should also examine any changes in the media landscape that inevitably occur over the course of a PR campaign. Are the publications you target still read by the audiences you want to reach? Have publications shifted their focus to other areas? Are there any new journalists or publications that need to be added to your media list?

Taking the time to review your current media list is an extremely worthwhile task, after all if it’s coverage you’re aiming to achieve you need to ensure your contacts and understanding of what they’re looking for is kept continuously up to date.

It’s also a great opportunity to look at the type of content publications want – do you need to look at the imagery you have to support your outreach, or are key publications after video soundbites?

To maximise media relevance, it is important too, to review your PR calendar to ensure you attend or contribute to the right events, and are ready to respond to any significant announcements or trends in industry thinking that emerge.

Are the KPIs right?

To get the most success from PR, it should be aligned from the very outset with your business’ strategic goals. However, these can of course evolve over time.

The summer is a good halfway point through the year to look at whether those business objectives set out at the start of a campaign still apply, for instance, are you still going after that particular target market or are you still focusing on a certain solution etc.?

Getting the answers to those questions will help to ensure that your PR activity still matches up. And if those objectives have changed, then it’s only logical the approach to PR should follow suit.

This aligns to that fact that for PR to deliver it must be measurable, so you should never hesitate about revising KPIs to ensure Performance PR maintains maximum effectiveness.

For instance, if driving website traffic is becoming a priority, it might be time to shift focus to activity and measurement that reflects that, looking at a digital PR approach to combine SEO and PR best practices.

So those summer days when the living is theoretically easy present a great opportunity to run the rule over a PR strategy. The result should be more sharply-focused content, stronger media relationships and much greater impact in the second half of the business year.

If you want to audit your current PR activity and understand how Performance PR can work for you, please get in touch now to find out more.

In this blog, Hugh Cadman, Senior Content Creator, shares:

  • The growing need for data centre providers to differentiate
  • The role of the explainer video
  • Why creativity isn’t off limits for B2B tech brands

When a co-location or edge cloud provider unveils a new facility or service tier, they will focus on telling a story about why their newly-launched operation stands out from the competition.

With co-location and edge computing set for expansion and increased competition, explaining important points of differentiation simply and succinctly is a necessity. Every provider has story to tell about how its new service or facility is the solution to industry challenges or niche requirements. But the number of voices clamouring for attention is growing all the time.

There are currently an estimated 274 colocation providers in the UK (and 523 data centres) and the market is set to expand significantly at more than 13% compound annual growth up to 2030, according to ResearchandMarkets. Demand is driven by corporate and public sector digitalisation initiatives and the massive growth in AI use among businesses and consumers.

In addition, the rollout of 5G and advanced industrial IoT networks will continue to stimulate the growth of edge workloads – processing data closer to the point of generation or consumption for ultra-low latency. To meet this demand, the edge data centre market is forecast to grow at nearly 19% compound annual growth up to 2030, according to Grand View Research.

 

A gateway to greater detail

With more data centres planned all the time, a provider operating in these markets needs a way to explain to prospects why their site offers faster connectivity, more sustainable processes, or more robust cyber security than the competition. In edge computing, for example, a regional data centre may have significant advantages for nearby businesses compared with larger competitors based close to the main connectivity hubs in the South-East.

Security, hardware maintenance, resilience and sustainability are always high on clients’ lists of concerns, so an explainer video animation must swiftly convey key points, providing a gateway to the greater detail available in slides, datasheets and brochures.

This approach works well as an introduction for the non-IT specialists in a potential client. The people who hold the purse-strings are often unaware of the extent to which data centres differ in the services they offer. Many people who are not involved in IT can too easily see data centres as undifferentiated, featureless, automated bunkers.

 

Creativity in connectivity

A concise animated explainer video developed with the help of a B2B tech PR agency can make all the difference, especially those with in-house creative departments. The addition of a voiceover can support in guiding prospects through the mysteries of each operation – from racks and cabling to uninterruptible power supplies.

Data centre cooling is a hot topic because of electricity and water consumption. An animation provides a quickly-understood explanation of the options and technologies such as hot aisle/cold aisle configurations, adiabatic methods, liquid cooling or renewable energy routing and so on.

Visualising what was previously invisible, an animation can effectively ‘peel away’ the wall of the facility to show what happens inside a data centre – including the hardware, cabling and connectivity.

Connectivity is increasingly critical as a point of differentiation in data centres, offering low latency and ease of data-transmission to other regions of the country or the wider world for specific purposes. But among non-specialists, it is easily overlooked. Concepts such as peering or internet exchanges are poorly understood. An animated video could address this, by for example, using live action to track a data packet’s journey from the server rack to a regional point of presence (PoP) in real time, summarising in a few words what is taking place and why it matters.

A video can sum up how a provider meets specific industry requirements and outline the benefits of superfast fibre and dark fibre. Experienced script-writers and animation teams can describe sophisticated approaches such as SD-WAN and SASE in simple terms, along with their advantages for business performance.

Creativity isn’t limited just because you’re operating in a tech space. Introducing a character to personify your offering can help the target audience understand what goes on inside a data centre, for instance. This approach is memorable, differentiated and can help to explain complex topics in layman’s terms. Such initiatives can be a breath of fresh air which cut through the standard, expected explainer video angle and bring something new to the table.

The value that data centre operators can derive from a short video goes beyond the 90 seconds or so of animation. Having attracted attention to their points of differentiation, data centre providers can draw on the services of a Performance PR agency to develop gated transcripts or Q&A documents which generate and track additional leads and build ongoing sales value. Short and sweet, videos pack a real punch.

To find out more, contact the Whiteoaks team today and for more inspiration view our creative showreel.

If you’re a fintech brand, you’re probably under no illusions: growth must be profitable, positioning must be perfect and performance must be provable. If you’re feeling the pressure from investors or senior management, it’s because the bar for success just got raised. Here’s the barometer of the highs, lows and rising pressure fintechs are facing right now:

 

The highs

The UK is the powerhouse of European fintech, pulling in almost half the funding across the EMEA region. In 2024 the UK was also the second largest recipient of fintech investment globally, after the US.

 

The lows

Unfortunately investment was down in 2024. Globally investment dropped from $113.7 billion in 2023 to $95 billion last year, while in the UK it fell by over 25% from £10.95 billion to £7.97 billion.

This slow down is driven by several factors including rising interest rates, inflation and global economic instability – all of which have made investors more risk averse.

Meanwhile, venture capitalists are also tightening their criteria. They want growth, yes, but not at all costs; they’re also hunting for proof of profitability, stability, resilience – and that your fintech brand is built to last.

 

The rising pressure

Unfortunately this slow down signals the end of those free-flowing investment days. And it means that as a fintech brand, the pressure’s on: 

  • Pressure to show growth – specifically growth which is sustainable and profitable. 
  • Pressure to differentiate – with funding harder to secure, you need to make sure your brand stands out. 
  • Pressure to maximise budgets and deliver ROI – every outgoing, such as marketing, is under the microscope. 

So let’s get this straight: the brief is to grow profitably, cut through the noise and make sure your comms budget is working hard for you?

It’s a tough brief for sure, but the right fintech PR strategy can help you deliver on all of those fronts. 

The pressure to show sustainable, profitable growth 

The 101 of Performance PR is that campaigns are designed to align with your business objectives.

Every activity or piece of content, like a press release, LinkedIn post or eBook, contributes to achieving your overall business goal. Depending on what that is, the metrics a campaign delivers could be customer signups, leads, improvements in brand consideration or perception change. 

But for a brand looking to scale, the main KPIs of a campaign should be increased visibility, credibility and authenticity. The latter two being the key elements which are going to support that long-term sustainable growth. 

In order to generate visibility, your brand needs a regular stream of strong media coverage to bring the buzz and create hype. 

But those alone are not what investors are looking for. 

As well as being seen, you need to be seen as credible, otherwise you won’t stay memorable for long.

Credibility and authenticity are what turns attention into action, and action into growth. 

Those come through securing coverage in relevant, trusted publications as well as publishing supporting content which demonstrates your expertise – be that blog posts, showcasing your knowledge on a podcast or educational LinkedIn content. 

When people see that you share quality, valuable information time and time again, they begin to trust you. With trust, you’re on their radar. And if you’re on their radar, they come to consider you, and ultimately buy from or invest with you. 

While the formula sounds simple it really does take an experienced toolkit; an in-depth knowledge of the B2B technology space and a team of PR, media, content, social media and creative specialists who have many years executing fintech PR campaigns under their belts. 

And you need the individual expertise of those specialists because Performance PR is multichannel, and when maximised all help to amplify the impact of the coverage. 

B2B tech PR can also help you tell your growth story to your (potential or existing) investors.

It can help you show off your wins such as user growth, revenue milestones and new partnerships and tie them into the bigger fintech trends investors are interested in. 

When you close a funding round, break into a new market or hit a major user milestone, PR can make sure the right people know about it.

The pressure to differentiate

What can you do as a fintech brand to stand out from your competition and cut through the noise? 

How do you show investors your brand is deserving of their cash? 

You must speak directly to your audience’s needs, motivations and pain points. You must use compelling narratives which spark action. You must position your product as the breakthrough solution.

Developing these narratives is where we come in. We create bold, authentic narratives which demand attention. We weave them into thought leadership, visual storytelling and press activity to establish authority, authenticity and dominance wherever your investors, buyers and partners are looking.

How do we measure cutting through the noise? Share of voice (compared to competitors), media coverage, branded search growth, social media engagement rates and of course inbound interest from target investors or partners.

 

The pressure to maximise budgets and deliver ROI

The campaign is over. The results are in. You are called into the office to show what all that fintech PR investment has actually delivered.

But because we align campaigns to your business goals, you can walk in confident, ready to show exactly how PR helped drive growth and how it’s given a return on their investment – whether that’s to senior management or to your investors. 

We stand by our ‘fixed fees for fixed outcomes’ model, giving you complete clarity on costs with no hidden extras or nasty surprises. From day one, we work as your partner, setting clear, agreed targets which align directly with your business goals, all backed by a formal service level agreement. And here’s where our version of B2B tech PR is different: if we don’t deliver on those targets, you get your money back. It’s a model built to give you peace of mind and to hold us fully accountable for delivering the best results.

So don’t worry, that investor presentation will be a breeze to put together. 

If you’re a fintech brand feeling the pressure to show growth, stand out and prove ROI on your marketing budget – then we’ve got your brief. Find out how we can help. 

In this blog, Hayley Goff, CEO at Whiteoaks, discusses:

  • Why marketing works best when tied to clear goals, KPIs and ROI
  • Why CEOs should trust marketers, but expect clear scope, fit and accountability
  • The need for PR and marketing to have a sustained focus, not rushed cuts or scattered spend

 

Money doesn’t grow on trees…When I was growing up this was a favourite pearl of wisdom from my mum. Now, as an adult and more notably as a CEO, I can fully appreciate it. Every pound counts – and with budgets and economic conditions being what they are, those pounds are highly scrutinised.

Even though you’re likely the one doing the scrutinising, as a business leader you’re answerable to your board and your shareholders. Part of your remit is to refine your focus areas, your goals, and forge the best path forward to make them happen – all within the constraints of budget. And with departments clamouring for more, how do you prioritise what needs to be done?

One of those departments is marketing, stating with absolute certainty they can help you drive the business growth you’re after. Sounds like a win-win – but again, you’re balancing keeping shareholders happy with achieving your organisational objectives. In theory, the two are inexorably linked. In practice, you’re still scrutinising that spend to make sure you’re getting the expected return.

So how do you ensure your business is getting the right return on investment from marketing? Is marketing even worth it?

Emphatically, yes. But where do you start?

Put your faith in marketing

Trust your marketing leader. As CEO, you can’t be expected to know everything about marketing and lead gen – whether you have an internal team or fully outsourced support – take advantage of those capabilities and trust their consultancy.

It also goes without saying that you and the business need clarity in terms of what you’re trying to achieve and this will influence the brief for marketing. Importantly, based on that, agree KPIs with your marketing team to guide delivery and hold them to account.

If you don’t have internal marketing resource (or even if you do and it’s not quite as mature as it could be) evaluate whether you need external agency support. I appreciate you may have been burnt in the past with agencies and left wondering about the value that was delivered (you’re not alone) but they can be helpful in helping you reach those growth or awareness objectives.

They can be mobilised quickly and offer the added benefit of having specialist skills in the right places, able to either take on your whole marketing function or become an extended part of your existing team.

Important to note here that if you do decide to use an agency partner (or partners), make sure they’re the right fit for your business – not just in terms of skills and specialisms, but also when it comes to culture and (of course) targets and ROI.

Ensure your marketing team establishes KPIs against the plan that they and agency partners are delivering with regular performance updates – if you are exploring agencies only work with ones that can clearly define a scope of work, budget and performance commitments so you are clear on the ROI that any investment will deliver.

Measuring the impact

With established KPIs you and your marketing team (or external partners) can measure impact. You are making a significant investment (again, be it internally or with agencies) and it should be clear how marketing communications is performing and supporting the business achieve its goals. Understanding what is working so you can replicate success and where things haven’t worked to understand why and adjust accordingly.

Resist the urge to bow to economic pressure and apply the brakes if you don’t see immediate results – an agency should deliver tangible assets from very early on but this doesn’t necessarily mean in month one the marketing qualitied leads (MQLs) will see a massive spike.

PR and marketing need a sustained effort to deliver maximum impact, and cutting marketing often means cutting the new business pipeline. In the same vein, avoid the temptation to do ‘a little bit of everything’. Instead, prioritise your marketing critical activities, establish success and then scale.

The key to success

Each business is different – but we all face some of the same pressures and the same scrutiny when it comes to spend, whether that is on marketing efforts, product development or digital transformation. The key to success is establishing objectives and having the right facts and figures to prove ROI. Of course, the bits in the middle are also important, but will be guided largely by your business goals.

Marketing is more than worth it, but getting it right takes some consideration. Our team are on hand to discuss more.

In this blog, Hayley Goff, Whiteoaks’ CEO, explores:                               

  • How agency support can help start-ups make better use of limited internal resources

  • The benefits of accessing specialist PR and marketing expertise without increasing headcount

  • How to choose a PR partner and ensure your investment delivers measurable results

 

Building a successful B2B tech business isn’t easy. Just ask any CEO or board of directors. This is especially true when it comes to start-ups and smaller companies where traditional roles of sales, marketing, operations overlap and are carried out by one or two people.

Not all new businesses have the budget to hire a powerful marketing team from the get-go. In our experience, when businesses like these secure funding, PR and marketing is often on the wish list – a nice to have instead of an absolute must-have. We’re of the opinion (naturally) that PR and marketing is absolutely essential for business growth.

The power of PR in business growth

PR fulfils many functions. It elevates brand awareness amongst target markets, investors and the media, helps businesses differentiate themselves from competitors, nurtures your profile as an attractive employer to attract the right talent and plays a role in supporting sales with lead generation.

But achieving these outcomes requires more than simply generating media coverage. It takes a clear strategy, an understanding of the audiences that matter to the business and the ability to turn PR activity into meaningful results.

For some businesses, this can be managed effectively in-house. Others may benefit from the specialist expertise, media relationships and additional resource that an external PR agency can provide. The decision should come down to what the business needs, what it can realistically deliver internally and where external support could add value.

For start-ups with limited internal resources and ambitious growth plans, working with an agency can be a worthwhile investment. But as with any marketing expenditure, there needs to be a clear commercial rationale. Here are five reasons why agency support may make sense:

1. Find a B2B tech PR agency that understands your business

That’s the most important thing to remember. You need to choose the right agency with the right experts and approach to PR to meet your business needs.

Every business has different priorities, challenges and ambitions, so finding a PR partner that understands your industry and what you’re trying to achieve is vital. That might mean having specialist knowledge of your market or the ability to deliver integrated campaigns across different channels.

A shared understanding of your objectives will help build a stronger working relationship and ensure PR activity supports wider business goals.

2. Free up your time to focus on growing your business

While you recognise the value that PR and marketing activities can deliver, you don’t necessarily have the time to dedicate to making them happen. Neither does the rest of your team, particularly when people are already managing multiple responsibilities.

Working with an external agency can take some of that pressure off, allowing your team to focus on their core responsibilities while ensuring PR activity continues to move forward.

3. Access specialist expertise

Building an in-house team with expertise across every area of PR and marketing isn’t always realistic for a growing business. Working with an agency gives you access to specialist skills without having to recruit for every discipline.

Depending on the agency structure, you could have access to specialists across media relations, creative, social and content. At Whiteoaks, our approach brings these capabilities together, allowing us to deploy the right expertise depending on the objectives of each campaign.

4. Set clear objectives and hold your agency accountable

Before appointing an agency, establish what you want PR to achieve and how you’ll measure success. Whether that’s based on coverage achieved, assets delivered or media interviews secured, work with your agency to agree clear targets that support your wider business objectives.

It’s also important to look beyond activity and consider the impact PR is having on the business. Depending on your objectives, this could include changes in reputation, brand consideration, lead generation or the establishment of new partnerships.

Having clear commitments from the outset gives both parties something to work towards and makes it easier to assess whether the investment is delivering value.

5. Benefit from a flexible, results-focused approach to PR

We often hear from prospects, especially those in the start-up space, that they are concerned about the traditional retainer model. Having access to ongoing agency support can be valuable, but businesses also need clarity about what they’re paying for and what they can expect in return. This is particularly important when every pound is under the microscope.

At Whiteoaks, we’ve moved away from the traditional retainer model in favour of a fixed fees for fixed outcomes model with a money back guarantee. This gives clients clarity over the deliverables they’re investing in from the outset, with the flexibility to adapt those commitments as business priorities change.

Whatever commercial model you choose, the important thing is that it provides transparency, accountability and enough flexibility to support the changing needs of a growing business.

A PR partner that works hard for you

Ultimately, when your growing business invests in external support, you want that investment to deliver measurable value while allowing your team to focus on what it does best. The right agency should act as an extension of your team, providing specialist expertise and remaining accountable to your commercial priorities.

Contact Whiteoaks to discuss the communications support your next stage of growth requires.

In this blog, Hayley Goff, CEO at Whiteoaks, explores:

  • Why marketing resource decisions should start with business outcomes
  • How a specialist B2B tech PR agency can strengthen an in-house team
  • Why a Performance PR approach makes agencies more accountable

 

Marketing teams are under constant pressure to deliver more. Growth targets rise, sales teams need stronger support and leadership expects clear evidence that investment is working.

Adding headcount can seem like the obvious answer. Sometimes it is, although it should never be the starting point for a resource decision.

Instead, B2B brands should begin with the outcome their business needs, then decide what capability and structure will deliver it most effectively.

Match the resource to the requirement

A permanent hire makes sense when a business needs long-term ownership of a function and close day-to-day involvement across the organisation.

The challenge comes when the role is expected to cover several specialist areas. A well-executed PR programme that meets business goals may need senior strategy at one stage followed by media expertise, content development or creative support. Finding one person who can deliver across the whole brief to the same high standard is difficult, and expecting them to do so can place immense pressure on the individual.

An alternative and common approach is to partner with a specialist B2B tech PR agency which can give an in-house team access to a wider group of experts without asking one employee to cover every discipline. The agency can bring in the right capability as the programme develops, while the internal team continues to lead on business knowledge and stakeholder relationships.

This also creates greater consistency across the programme. Rather than managing separate suppliers or disconnected strands of activity, the in-house team has one partner working to the same objectives, timelines and measures of success.

Consider the full cost of an internal hire

Salary accounts for only part of the investment in a new employee. Recruitment, onboarding, benefits and management requirements all increase the total cost.

A new team member also needs time to onboard and understand the company, its market and its commercial priorities before they can work at full pace. For a business preparing for a new product launch or pursuing an immediate growth opportunity, that delay can limit progress.

An experienced agency should already have the processes and sector knowledge needed to move quickly. It will still need a strong brief and access to the right people, although learning a client’s business and turning that understanding into action forms part of its role.

Relevant sector experience can shorten that process further. An agency familiar with areas such as fintech, cyber security, digital infrastructure or healthtech should be able to understand a complex proposition quickly and focus on the audiences most likely to influence growth.

Make accountability part of the agreement

Cost and capability are only part of the decision. Any external partner also needs to provide clarity about what it will deliver.

Businesses are right to challenge the traditional agency retainer. Paying for a block of time can leave marketing leaders unsure about what the agency has committed to achieve or how its work will support the wider business.

The 2026 CMO Survey found that marketing leaders rated the CMO-CFO partnership just 4.5 out of seven for building a business case for marketing spend. With investment under close scrutiny, agencies need to explain what they will deliver and how success will be measured.

Performance PR provides that clarity by agreeing the objectives and expected outcomes before the programme begins.

At Whiteoaks, we work on a fixed-fee, fixed-outcomes basis, so clients know exactly what deliverables they are paying for and what has been promised in terms of KPIs. Our money-back guarantee provides additional accountability if those outcomes are not delivered.

The emphasis therefore remains on impact rather than the number of hours spent on an account. The agency must set credible targets, put the appropriate team in place and report clearly against the original objectives.

Those objectives will of course depend on the client’s priorities. A business entering a new market may need top-tier media coverage to build credibility, while an established brand may want to raise awareness or position its spokespeople as recognised thought leaders. In each case, the measures of success should be agreed before PR activity begins.

Use the right mix to fast-track growth

Choosing an agency does not mean replacing an internal marketing team. In many cases, the most effective approach combines the organisation’s knowledge with specialist external support.

A trusted partner should be prepared to challenge the brief where needed, explain its recommendations and take responsibility for delivery. The relationship should ease pressure on the marketing team rather than adding another layer for it to manage.

With budgets under greater scrutiny, businesses need to be deliberate about where they invest. Start with the required outcome, assess the expertise available internally and identify where external support can add the most value.

If your marketing team needs specialist support with clear accountability, talk to Whiteoaks today.

When economic uncertainty is rife, fuel prices are leaping upwards and markets become nervous, PR proves its worth.

In this blog, Hugh Cadman, Interim Head of Content at Whiteoaks, explores:

  • Why uncertainty makes clear, consistent communication more important, not less
  • How visibility and trust can support commercial resilience when buyers hold back
  • Why flexible, measurable PR activity protects momentum

 

The last year has seen increased global uncertainty, I think you will agree. The conflict between the US and Iran in the Gulf is only the latest setback to growth in the world economy and the free flow of trade.

The IPA’s Bellwether Report covering the final quarter of 2025 found that UK marketing budgets were already tightening and the outlook for 2026-2027 was one of the weakest  in the survey’s history. Yet the effects of any event are unpredictable as evidenced by the US jobs surge in March when the Gulf conflict was well underway.

The risk of disappearing beneath the waves

When volatility shoots up from any source, PR and marketing are often among the first areas to come under review. But if you run a B2B tech company, a reduced PR budget risks your organisation slipping into invisibility .

Respected research published by Harvard Business Review found businesses that maintain marketing investment during downturns, while adapting where and how they spend it, tend to perform better than those that retreat completely.

For B2B tech brands, the case for continued PR is not about doing more for the sake of it. It is about protecting trust, maintaining relevance and making sure your business is still in the minds of buyers, investors and partners looking for reassurance.

Communication stops other B2B businesses from stealing your thunder

That makes targeted communication a business necessity. It helps organisations explain what is changing, what is staying the same and how they are responding to shifting market conditions. It also reduces the risk of others filling in the blanks for you.

This matters externally as much as internally. Media relationships, analyst conversations, owned content, executive commentary, and social activity all help shape how your business is understood. If those channels are silent for too long, it becomes harder for people to remember you, and harder to rebuild momentum.

Trust is more valuable when B2B buyers tread warily

During periods of turbulence, buyers want confidence the companies they choose understand their challenges, can deliver reliably and will still be a strong partner six or twelve months from now.

PR helps businesses show evidence of progress and credibility through the stories that matter to their audience. That might include product innovation, customer insight, senior appointments, investment decisions, partnerships, research or a clear point of view on the pressures shaping the market.

The strongest messaging does more than announce what a business has done. It connects with what customers are facing right now. Done well, that builds confidence because it shows a business understands the market and is responding in a practical way.

PR can adapt when priorities change

A PR campaign during turbulence, when budgets are reined in, needs to concentrate on the channels that perform best. It may be a question of giving more weight to executive profiling, customer stories or insight-led content that works across different platforms. It could also mean looking at brand reputation while the market remains unpredictable.

A Performance PR partner is best suited to these requirements, working to agreed outcomes, but with the natural flexibility that meets the changing priorities of sudden economic ups and downs.

PR is broader than media coverage alone

That Performance PR approach covers a wider mix of channels than many brands expect.

Media relations still matter, but so do LinkedIn visibility, executive profiling, research-led campaigns, speaking opportunities and content that supports the most advanced AI-driven search and website performance.

This joined-up approach makes it easier to extract more value from a budget.

Less about cutting noise, more about maintaining presence

When uncertainty abounds, it is understandable that B2B tech companies re-examine where the PR spend is going. But reducing PR activity altogether is a losing strategy that reduces the likelihood of riding the upswing when it comes.

Performance PR for B2B tech companies keeps the lines of communication open with the right segments of the market. In uncertain times it prioritises the messages that reflect real customer concerns, delivering measurable return on investment. It keeps B2B tech businesses visible by ensuring key audiences continue to pay attention.

Discover how to gain maximum visibility on a budget with a Performance PR-led approach by talking with our team.