Agency Relevance in a Communications 2.0 World

I recently moderated a panel on global communications, which we hosted at the Zilker Botanical Garden in Austin, Texas.  Here’s a link to some of the details.

There were some good questions raised by an audience member:

What is the relevancy of agencies in today’s world of communications?  Has social media and the contraction of the traditional media landscape made agencies vulnerable? How necessary is an agency? Can all PR and communications be handled in-house?

Clearly everything about public relations, the media and communications is changing at warp speed. With these changes come the necessity to continually learn and reinvent ourselves as professional communicators. Some will adapt, while others may not.  For those that do, there always will be a role to play as a valued partner to companies in crafting and executing their communications. Here are just a few reasons why agencies will continue to matter.

• Balancing out the Kool-aid factor. Regardless of the environment or new tools, companies can always benefit from third-party perspective. It’s human nature to think your child is the smartest, cutest one out there. A seasoned agency team can help you see and understand not just the opportunities, but the challenges you will face in getting audiences to hear your message and care about your product or company.
• Benefiting from the success or mistakes of others. A huge advantage agencies have is that they work with so many companies. They’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. This knowledge is invaluable in helping you determine the right blend of social media strategy and tactics that will yield the best return.
• Scale and reach. In a world where determining who matters to you changes so quickly and is increasingly harder to find, having a partner who’s constantly out there searching for them and engaging with them on your behalf is critical. Further, agencies have the tools and services that help them keep abreast of the latest developments regarding media and influencer beats, assignments editorial focus, etc.  This leads me to the next point...
• The serendipity factor. I see this every day. Because agencies are working with so many clients and constantly communicating with influencers, they have the ability to uncover and share opportunities with each other and their clients so much faster than any single individual or small internal communications team can.
• Speed and focus. In my experience, an internal corporate communications person’s responsibilities are usually very different from those of an agency professional. Typically, the internal person has to manage relationships with many internal constituencies including product management, marketing, sales and customer service.  They are responsible for creating content and often own internal communications as well.  At the end of the day, what percentage of their time is truly focused on managing media and influencer relations, staying on top of breaking developments, pitching new stories and developing relationships?

There are many more I could list, but then again, that’s just one person’s perspective. Tell me what you think.