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A good client-agency relationship is a partnership. At least it should be. But too often it’s relegated to a transactional relationship – something we hear often in a new business environment.

One of the problems is the length of the relationship. In 1984, the average client-agency relationship tenure was 7.2 years. By 1997, that number declined by 25% to 5.3 years. Today the average client-agency tenure is thought to be less than three years. If that number continues to fall, people will be switching agencies every 6 months!

Trust is the most pivotal part of any working relationship now more than ever. If your agency doesn’t earn your trust early on then it’ll be very hard to get impactful results. While it’s the agency’s responsibility to gain the trust – you as the client need to give them the chance to prove themselves so that they can churn out the results for you, the client.

What’s needed to build a lasting long term relationship and ensure your long-term growth? What should you expect from your PR agency? While the list isn’t exhaustive, here are my 7 things:

#1 Responsiveness
Your agency should have consistent communication with your team to make sure they’re aligned with you. They should be learning everything they can about your business. Agencies need to ask the right questions to understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. By doing so the media relations and content writing team can translate the passion that you have for the business to the media and your audience to create impactful storylines.

#2 Proactiveness
On the other side of the coin, your team needs to show the initiative to get the campaign moving and maintain momentum. This doesn’t mean not giving them any input into content ideas or strategy, but it does mean they have the know-how and experience to identify opportunities, make suggestions, look for new angles and create campaigns without being spoon-fed.

#3 Valuable deliverables
It’s not enough to expect just some ROI numbers based on advertising equivalents anymore. We’ve moved way past that and there are so many more metrics to consider. Which means it’s good to agree with your agency what you exactly want and expect from a campaign. Whether that’s lead generation, raising awareness, social link clicks from coverage, volume of coverage, targeted press etc. These should be established at the start so that the campaign can be tailored around the deliverables and then continually tracked and measured against throughout the relationship.

#4 Onboarding sessions
Your agency should be taking the time to get to know you and an effective way to do this is onboarding sessions. The agency needs time with your wider to team to understand the company messages and its business goals. Without your input, even the best PR team will struggle to get good results. In addition, these sessions shouldn’t be a one-off, but can add real value throughout the relationship and as your business and goals evolve.

#5 Good industry knowledge
Most agencies will already have a good understanding of your industry due to previous experience but if you are a new area to them, then the agency needs to get up to speed on the latest trends and news stories. And keep up to date. A lot of this information can be gleaned from the onboarding sessions and early-stage research.

#6 Creativity
This is the one that is at the top of the list for many clients. Creativity is the ingredient that is going to make you stand out from the others and will stick in the mind of the customer and shouldn’t be forgotten in the B2B world. It’s an integral part of every campaign. So, of course, creativity is something to expect from your agency. It’s what many agencies invest a lot of money in to make sure they’ve got the edge.

#7 Specialist team
Are your team playing to their strengths? This may seem obvious but it’s missed by a lot of people. A lot of the time PR agencies use a team of generalists – everyone does a bit of everything from media relations to content writing. While this is a great experience for the team, it’s not beneficial for the client. You want everyone playing to their strengths, which means having a dedicated content writer that knows your tone of voice and consistently churns out high-quality content. A dedicated media relations specialist who can focus on the relationship with the journalists to guarantee placements in top tier publications. These are the people that will be working on your account day in day out so make sure to know they’re utilising everyone’s skills.

Choosing an agency can be a long and painful process but hopefully, my 7 tips make the next time you switch agency a bit less painful and will go a long way to cementing that long-term relationship with your next agency.

By John Broy, Chief Client Officer

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to dominate the headlines and filter down into our social media homepages, Doomscrolling (the simple act of endlessly scrolling through bad news articles, posts, and websites) has become one of the top buzz words of the last 10 months.

For many, the social pressure to keep up to date with the news can be of extreme detriment to our mental health without us even realising – and, with the majority of individuals out of routine due to restrictions, lockdown, and furlough, the temptation to use our phones as a way to access the outside world is all too real.

So, if like me and many others you find your weekly screen time on the up, here are a couple of alternative activities that definitely don’t include double-tapping, swiping or scrolling.

Get outside
The winter months make leaving the comfort of your home that much harder but having some fresh air and a change of scenery can be a welcome distraction. Not only this, but researchers in Holland and Japan have actually found that as little as 20-30 mins exposure to nature a day can significantly reduce cortisol levels.

Check in with yourself
The slower pace doesn’t need to be a bad thing and can actually give us the opportunity to take a step back and reflect. However, if this sounds too daunting, why not start by investing 5 minutes a day for meditation to offer a brief respite from chaotic news feeds.

Embrace being socially remote
Restrictions have opened a window for businesses looking to connect with customers from the comfort of their homes. You can now arrange Zoom cocktail making classes, host dinner parties or partake in pottery making courses!

Move
Working out has many mood-boosting benefits which are crucial in these difficult times so whether it is yoga, a brisk walk or PE with Joe Wicks, make sure you find something you enjoy.

The past year has brought ‘the future’ to the forefront of everyone’s minds. Phrases such as ‘the new normal’ have been well overused and frankly, we can all agree that Zoom quizzes can be left in 2020. Whilst we reminisce about the good ol’ days before ‘hands, space, face’ halted our social lives, technology innovators have been working tirelessly to create and develop impressive new gadgets. The pandemic may have rewired and contradicted our innate social behaviours, but thanks to the ever-growing and improving tech industry, we are still able to remain connected – albeit virtually!

Living in the 21st Century is centred around convenience, speed and effortlessness, even more so with schools remaining shut forcing teachers to hold virtual classrooms and home workers to connect via email or instant messaging. Unless you’ve been living under a rock – or live in the middle of nowhere – you will have heard of the rollout and controversies surrounding 5G. We are constantly connected and interact with some form of technology at least once a day. In fact, the average Brit checks their phone 27 times a day! From online shopping for Mum’s last-minute birthday present to binge-watching your favourite series on a video streaming platform, we are constantly plugged into the ever-expanding technological world.

The inaugural all-digital Consumer Technology Association (CES) event kicked off last Tuesday and we have seen a plethora of tech innovations, including tuneable prescription glasses and a stick on button that can tell you whether you have Covid-19. Below I have rounded up three of the top technology creatives I have seen so far:

Just roll with it

Electronic creator giants such as LG and TCL have showcased the newest in the series of mobile fads: foldable and rollout handsets. This latest trend transpires to flat screens, with roll-up screens having been in the works from LG since CES 2018, which impressed so much it won the ‘must see’ award. Since then, these TV show-stoppers haven’t yet made their way to the UK market, but they’re still pretty cool.

Robots aren’t taking over, yet

Whilst the future of technology – at least for the next 20 years or so – isn’t flying cars or robots to replace shopworkers, it is certainly exciting. Although, perhaps we’re not as far away from having our own personal WALL-E companion as we thought. Samsung showed off their new robo-assistant, Bot Handy, at CES 2021 and it impressively uses AI to complete tasks such as laying the table and pouring you a glass of wine. The handy robot is complete with digital eyes that change expression as it moves, however, it is still in development and likely to have a hefty price tag attached should it come to the market in the coming years. So, you’ll just have to make do with folding your own laundry and emptying the dishwasher the old fashioned way for now.

Cool Cars

Since 2012 when a self-driving Google car was granted its drivers license in Nevada, driverless cars have tried to steer away from criticism and plans for their rollout have been stalled by safety and regulation critics. Despite concerns, the development of automated technology has advanced, in fact, Apple has re-launched Project Titan straight into the driving seat. They plan to have a fully functional, self-driving car complete with their own battery by 2024. But hey Apple, maybe if we could get a battery that doesn’t compromise performance after a year or two? I doubt you’ll be offering an upgrade plan and the car is too big to bring into the store.

So there we are folks, the future of technology is nigh. There are lots of exciting developments on the horizon, but you’ll just have to wait and see what comes next.

Our specialist Content Creators are quiet wordsmiths devoted to perfecting articles, blogs and marketing materials that hit the spot for clients. When Christmas comes they like to relax by reading about serial killers, global wars and the antics of millionaire footballers. Oh, they also like napping and watching old family favourites on the telly. This year is no exception, despite the strange circumstances of the pandemic.

Here is what they are up to:

Ollie:
This Christmas I plan to re-read ‘Kill Your Friends’ by John Niven. It’s similar to American Psycho but set against a ‘Cool Britannia’ backdrop with plenty of 90s pop culture references and a generous side trimming of acerbic wit. Having grown up in the 90s, I really enjoyed reading this the first time around, although my experience of the era didn’t involve nearly half as much depravity. It’s certainly not your ordinary Christmas read, but this isn’t going to be any ordinary Christmas.

I’m not too fussed about watching anything over the holidays – we’ve binged a lot of TV though the different lockdowns and tiers of 2020 and I’ll be grateful for a break from screen time. The other members of my household can fight over the TV remote while the dog and I scuffle over space to nap on the sofa.

Richard:
I’m currently reading The Second World War, an epic history of the last global conflict by one of our best military historians, Antony Beevor. It is very well written throughout and pays equal attention to the stories of civilians in the conflict zones as to those of the combatants, which really helps to bring the whole narrative to life.

In terms of TV, one of the best series I’ve watched this year is ‘Dark’, a German science fiction thriller which follows the lives of different families in one small town in the present day and also at various points in the past as they travel back in time. It has quite a claustrophobic feel to it and is unsettling, tense and gripping all the way through.

Alex:
This year, much of my TV watching has been driven by the launch of Disney+. For me, The Mandalorian successfully balanced new storytelling with lots of references to the original trilogy of films for longtime Star Wars fans. I also enjoyed watching The World According to Jeff Goldblum, where the actor best known for starring in Jurassic Park travels the world to learn the history around topics such as jeans, tattoos and ice cream.

For some light relief from a troubling year, I took the opportunity to delve into a humorous book by reading Peter Crouch – How to be a footballer, where the infamously tall former striker takes a self-deprecating look at his efforts to fit in with the “footballer’s lifestyle”. Well worth a read for anyone with an interest in the sport. For those who have already checked it out, he also has his own podcast!

Nick:
For what threatens to be the least Christmassy-feeling Christmas in living memory I will be making a concerted effort to fill our house with as much of the usual ‘magical atmosphere’ as possible by playing an unrelenting line-up of classic Christmas films and music. It will start with what must rank as one of the most hilarious ‘Christmas flicks’ of all time – Home Alone (perhaps Joe Pesci’s career standout role). Then my long-suffering kids will yet again be subjected to watching some of my favourite childhood films, along with a few favourites of their own (if there’s enough time).

Of course, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without seeing A Charlie Brown Christmas at least once and listening to its incredibly evocative soundtrack by the Vince Garibaldi Trio (surely the best Christmas album ever) at least 10 times on its own. Once these have all been checked off, we will all get to enjoy Gremlins, Muppets Christmas Carol, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation and A Nightmare Before Christmas. On the listening side, James Brown’s Funky Christmas will get lots of play, along with Snoop Dogg Presents Christmas in tha Dogg House and A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.

Hugh:
It’s beginning to look a lot like… house arrest, so books are a welcome escape. I’ve decided to read previous Christmas gifts I never got round to, which includes “How not to be wrong. The hidden maths of everyday life.” This is a challenging subject matter for a functioning innumerate. So far I’ve enjoyed Zeno’s paradox and learning what “the math” told Americans about where to stick armour-plating on a fighter aircraft. I don’t, however, expect to be conversant with Python, R, random forests or indeed, any data science techniques by twelfth night. Yet although I rely on clients for specialist knowledge and insight, there’s no reason to struggle with Bayesian Inference or hyperbolic geometry (we’ll see if I get that far). I have no idea what I will watch to extract value from the TV licence. Too busy doing sums, I hope.

You only have to review the Google Trends stats to see that ‘Zoom quiz’ was one of the key search terms of the year, peaking in popularity in May, along with our apparent enthusiasm, with searches dwindling thereafter.

But whilst Zoom fatigue is a real thing, research from comms analytics specialist AppAnnie has shown how much video conferencing has become a leading mobile activity in 2020, with Zoom and Google Meet taking the fourth and seventh spots respectively in the list of top downloads this year. This is unsurprising given the massive shift to remote working. However, with promises of a widespread vaccination programme coming soon, how much of this technology can we expect to still be using next year?

Looking beyond the sleek aesthetics and myriad background choices offered by Zoom, Microsoft Teams, the all-encompassing messaging, conferencing and file-sharing software, has become a mainstay of many workplaces. Indeed, at Whiteoaks it was introduced in line with the first government mandate to work from home and has since been an invaluable tool in keeping connected with teammates, particularly for those quick questions and exchanges which would have previously been discussed across desks.

But will it, and its archrival Zoom, still have a place once we return to the office? For those adopting a hybrid approach to office/ remote working, video calls could remain a key part of the toolkit… or we could see a mass return to ye olde conference call.

Conference calling had previously done the job just fine when it came to groups of people in one location calling an external party, and without the dreaded “You’re on mute” or “Oh, I think your connection isn’t the best, could you repeat?”. A poor connection and the resulting rubbish video quality has proven to be this year’s biggest conversation killer, and so whilst the medium of the humble call has very much been dropped this year in favour of its shiny, more visual cousin, video conferencing, could a 2021 comeback be on the cards?

Before we get ahead of ourselves, it’s worth considering the value that video calls bring to the distributed workforce. Studies show that 93% of communication comes from nonverbal cues, with only 7% of what we mean actually expressed through words. We all know how easily even the most carefully worded email can be misconstrued, but video removes the grey area and potential for confusion.

Beyond this, in a year which has proven at times to feel isolating, video enables the closest thing to an in-person connection. At Whiteoaks, video calls have enabled us to celebrate the wins, share updates and take part in virtual events in a manner which is far more personal than an email or call. We’ve been able to ‘see’ and communicate with colleagues outside of our usual teams – and get a good nosey around everyone’s homes too! This has extended to our client relationships, allowing us to maintain those all important strong relations during a time when in-person strategy planning sessions and reviews are out of the question.

In short, video conferencing’s meteoric rise this year, whilst not without teething issues, is unlikely to be a flash in the pan. Don’t agree with me? I’d be happy to set up a Zoom to discuss…

If this year has shown us anything, it’s that the digital landscape is well equipped to handle adversity. In fact, studies have shown that the pandemic has actually boosted the digital economy.

From an individual perspective, we’ve used social media more this year than ever before, whether that was WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok or LinkedIn. And not just for the usual stuff like keeping in touch with friends or watching dog videos (guilty). But for consuming news.

When it comes to business, the same is true. Which means organisations are or should be optimising the way they use social channels to get the maximum benefit, and connect and engage with their target audiences. It doesn’t need to be complicated or require a complete change in strategy. Instead, it’s about making social media work harder for your business.

Here’s how:

#1 Stop thinking B2B
Gone are the days of separating B2B and B2C social media. B2B used to look to B2C for creativity and electrifying ideas. Now, B2B social media has firmly taken the creative reins and is delivering inspired, original and successful campaigns, without drawing on help from its consumer cousin. Which is how it should be because businesses understand that creativity is vital to creating thumb-stopping content that stands out from competitors.

#2 Think mobile first
Both long and short form post copy have a place on social media. It’s all about presenting it to your audience in the right way. Like capturing your audience’s attention right up front to entice them to read the full post and respond to the call to action.

TIP: Did you know when viewing post activity on LinkedIn only the first 140 characters are available? LinkedIn will cut off your post with “See More” after this character count. Square and portrait social tiles also ensure domination when viewing the news feed via mobile.

#3 Tap into new features
LinkedIn has dropped a number of new features this year. From LinkedIn Polls, Stories, Pages Posts, Events and Notify Employees. Mix up how you share your content on social media to get more visibility and drive results – all tailored to the audience you’re targeting.

#4 Data doesn’t lie
Social media provides tons of metrics. When planning your social strategy, learn from what works, and what doesn’t, and make the changes. Beyond the numbers, tap into the quality of your data to understand follower demographics.

Moving ahead
Of course, social success should form part of your wider strategy which includes having the right content, talking to your audiences at the right time, and, of course, giving them something of value. That said, these four points are a great way to start the process of making your social media platforms work harder for your business.

If you’d like to find out more about this or how we can help, get in touch with the Whiteoaks Social Media team.

By Harriet Bolt, Social Media Manager

It’s fair to say as years go this one been a bit of a shocker, but other than that eleven-letter word that will not make this blog, what’s happened in 2020?

This blog brings together the good bits, the bad and some quirky stories that made 2020 just about bearable.

THE BAD

Chemical explosions made the headlines in August, when more than 200 people sadly lost their lives with a further 5,000 suffering injuries following a large fire in the Port of Beirut.

Of all the sad events of 2020, one of the most devastating for animals was undoubtfully the wildfires in Australia that carried on into the start of the year. Recent research has estimated that the devasting impact would have been felt by up to 143 million mammals across an area similar to the size of England.

THE GOOD

Right, now moving on to some of the good stuff., Although it might not seem like it, there have been some small reasons for celebration and recognition throughout the year.

On top of that list, must be Captain Tom Moore, whose valiant effort to complete 100 laps of his garden brought the nation together to raise more than £32 million for the NHS, a truly emphatic effort in the lead up to celebrating his 100^th birthday.

Next up, England International and Manchester United star Marcus Rashford gets a well-deserved mention for strong-arming the Prime Minister into a U-turn on the school meals policy. A superb initiative from the 23-year-old to put a focus on such an important issue at a time when many high-profile footballers can appear detached from the real world.

And from footballers to office workers; the forced dawn of home working this year is hopefully one change that will impact many people for the better. While Zoom life does become tiring (please don’t mention another Zoom quiz) the idea that many businesses will now embrace a mixed office and home working approach is only a good thing in my eyes and probably in the eyes of many pets too!

THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL

Very occasionally does something appear from nothing. This has been the case across America, Romania and the UK recently with mysterious monoliths popping up in remote locations, bearing a striking resemblance to similar structures in the film Space Odyssey. While the first that was discovered in Utah in November sparked mystery, the replica that has appeared on the Isle of Wight and then quickly claimed by a local artist rather dampens any out-of-this-world theories.

In Namibia, Adolf Hitler announced this week that he thankfully also has no plans for world domination after winning a recent local election. The unfortunately named Uunona Adolf Hitler did, however, manage to scoop 85% of the votes in the region.

Rescues are always a story to warm the heart and no more so when it involves two 4-metre-long Beluga Whales called ‘Little White’ and ‘Little Grey’ moving from a small captive pool in Beijing to a wild sanctuary over 7,000km away in Iceland. An epic feat that was carried out by The Sealife Trust this year.

Underlying the strangeness of 2020 is this final story, where a female racing pigeon sold for a whopping £1.4million in November, believed to be purchased by the same Chinese bidder who currently owns a male pigeon that has been dubbed ‘the Lewis Hamilton of the sport’ called Armando.

So what a year it’s been, a few highlights and quirky stories to pick out from a mountain of restrictions, tiers and face coverings, and just when you think this whole blog hasn’t mentioned the word C-word, look closely and you might just find it.

This year has been filled with a lot of change for everyone, from working from home becoming the new normal, to staycations becoming the new holiday. This year really has been filled with the unexpected.

Social channels have been no different — from the way people have used them, to new updates that have taken audiences by storm. Looking at LinkedIn, for example; it is less business as usual, and more personal with people sharing their experiences from work and their lives. The prim and proper façade that was once everywhere on LinkedIn, has become more chilled as people give a glimpse of life at home and are talking about the struggles everyone is currently facing with job losses and furlough.

LinkedIn isn’t alone – so how have the other channels changed to reflect these user changes?

Instagram introduced reels, which has kept many entertained and become a new way to help share creative content. They also added the new shopping tab at the bottom of their app, making it easier to buy and see products. With shops shut in lockdown, it seems people have been turning to social media to help fill the void. It has been good to see social media looking to help in times of crisis with the donation tabs for charities, showing how the platforms are growing.

But does this show that social is becoming the new Highstreet for 2021 as the pandemic changes our shopping habits?

Instagram has also launched the ability to upload guides, showing that they want to be more than just pictures, but a place to share knowledge, especially as the audience has shown a shift towards wanting more substance.

There was also the closer connection made between Instagram and Facebook as they merged the chats, showing how they could see these platforms being used as a way for people to remain connected and made this seamless for everyone to remain connected no matter the platform.

Facebook also saw a gap in the market as physical events become impossible, so they set up the new paid online events for creators and businesses, helping to share knowledge on the platform. Facebook’s new educational hub was another update they added which shows that these channels are becoming more of a place to share knowledge and news that is meaningful to people, rather than filling feeds with pictures from holidays, kids and pets.

LinkedIn has also seen a large number of updates with the introduction of stories, live, reactions, polls, events and the ability to see new followers, this shows where the social channel is growing to allow people to be more interactive with each other, while remaining a professional platform. It is becoming a place for people to share their feelings, insights, opinions and life. These new updates reflect exactly what people have done on the platform in lockdown, as they have become more reactive to one another and have shared more personally on the platform than before and these updates have only made it easier for people to do that. LinkedIn has become more than a place to just share your career updates and company progress, it has become a knowledge-sharing platform professionally and personally as the pandemic has merged the two.

Another platform that has also introduced similar updates is Twitter. The company implemented stories and placed a strong focus on the legitimacy of posts on the platform. They have been seen to put new features in places linking to neutral content to help provide insight and background on some posts and prove the legitimacy of content that is being shared and help users have a greater understanding of what they are reading or sharing. This has been driven by the Black Lives Matter movement and also the US presidential election to help prove the legitimacy of claims on the platform but also make sure that what is shared isn’t offensive to audiences.

All these platform updates show a strong shift to content that is trustworthy. Since March this year, they have evolved into a community to share advice and coping mechanisms for the world we now live in. They have also moved with the times and become more personable, helping people to more easily share updates through stories, voice recording and videos, the channels show growth with the new consumer growth.

Listed below are the key updates on platforms for 2020 to truly reflect the growth these channels have seen since the beginning of the year which is incredible and something we now as audiences see as normal and given when using them:

LinkedIn updates

Reactions

Seeing who new followers are

Inviting people to join the page

LinkedIn Live

LinkedIn Pages Posts

LinkedIn Polls

LinkedIn Stories

LinkedIn Events

Twitter updates

Transparency centre

Stories

Audio tweets

Tougher on regulating posts

New ad type – Promoted Trend Spotlight

Conversation settings

Reply limitation

Read it before you tweet

Mention permissions from users

Facebook updates

Ad limits per page

Business suite