The correct tools can either show how advanced your PR agency is, or how far behind it’s lagging — and you definitely want to show your clients that you're ahead of the times when it comes to your industry.

Also, showing them the tools you use will showcase what your agency is capable of, and what they’re signing up for. You’ll be able to put your money where your mouth is, to say the least.

With that in mind, here are four tools you should add to your PR arsenal:

1. A digital ebook to display your client’s media coverage

Having a digital ebook, like RedBook, at your ready will allow you to display the media coverage you’ve earned for your clients in a neat and comprehensible way.

The best part? The ebook is completely customisable and can be personalised to your client’s exact reporting and presentation needs.

This means that you don’t have to get a designer to come in to add your clients’ logos, you can just simply insert them yourself. You can also include your own cover image, and even change the colour of the ebook.

Picture this: You’re at a client meeting and they’re looking to see some summaries. Instead of struggling with overhead and presentation slides, you just whip out your ebook, which already has a custom page with your reports and executive summaries compiled in a neat and easy-to-read format!

You still show everyone your reports on the ‘big screen’, as this ebook is compatible with desktop and mobile devices. Once you’ve shown your clients the reports, you give them insights into their media coverage by hitting the ‘Statistical Reports’ button, which allows them to get a comparison of their coverage from one period to another.

Your clients are coloured ‘impressed’, and want a copy of this ebook. No problem! You easily share the Redbook with them via email and social media. Your clients and stakeholders then share their ideas and thoughts with the ‘Comments’ feature, which allows them to share their voice on specific media clips.

2. A media monitoring service to keep track of your clients’ reputation

This service allows your clients to see precisely where their brands are being mentioned in the media — whether it’s in a printed publication, on broadcast media, on a website, in a blog or a social media post.

Not only that, but you’ll also be able to track your clients’ competitors, which will allow them to stay one step ahead of the game. Tracking competitors will allow your clients to see what their next move is and will allow them to identify any opportunities for their own brands. For instance, one of your client’s competitors just lost an account, they’ll know exactly who to phone up and try to win over.

Additionally, a media monitoring service allows you to prove ROI to your clients, meaning that they’ll know exactly what they’re paying for. These services generally compile all the coverage for you in a presentable way, which means minimal effort on your side and just praise on theirs. And with budgets tighter than ever before — proving ROI is key.

3. A spell-checking tool to ensure your press content is error-free

Utilising a tool like Hemmingway or Grammarly will ensure that there are no more eye sores in your press releases.

There is nothing more embarrassing than a typo. However, be wary that one misspelling could also ‘spell’ bad news for your clients’ reputations. No one takes a brand seriously if their content is riddled in errors, or if it doesn’t make grammatical sense.

Also, if your content is well-written and error-free, journalists will be more likely to publish it as it makes the editing process a whole lot easier for them. Never underestimate the power of a good spell checker!

4. A photo editing tool to catch every consumer’s eye

Image creation doesn’t have to be a long process or back and forth with graphic designers. All you need is a nifty image editing tool like Canva or Piktochart.

Of course, if you want to create more intricate designs, you would need to hire a designer or invest in some professional software. But if you’re just putting together a quick press release and you need a nice image, these tools will definitely help.

As an added bonus, if you start off your next client meeting by showcasing all the designs you’ve created, your clients will definitely be impressed!

For more information, visit www.newsclip.co.za. You can also follow Newsclip on Facebook, Twitter or on LinkedIn.