Q&A with Lana Rogers, Founder and Director at Lana Rogers PR

PHOTO: BRITTA KOKEMOR

Lana and I crossed paths when we worked together at Anstice Communications in 2015. At the time I knew nothing about Public Relations but was intrigued by the process of gathering audience insights to create data-driven approaches for marketing and communication planning. Considering your audience needs and telling your brand story in a way that resonates was something that made a lot of sense to me and still does today. Lana has been running her own successful PR and Media Consulting firm for the past 4 years and we cross paths often. Recently we have teamed up on a project, so thought it would be a great opportunity to pick her brain and see how her business has evolved over the years and what plans she has for the future.

Tell me about your background, what made you choose Public Relations as your career path?
I grew up in a small border town that straddled Alberta and Saskatchewan, with the hopes of becoming a professional French Horn player. I moved to Calgary to attend university, and in order to help pay the way, I needed a job. My first job in Calgary was serving at a restaurant (lest we forget Wildwood Pub!) From there, I really became a hospitality brat - obsessed with the food, wine and culture of the industry. It wasn’t until my sister offered me a job at her PR company, that I really became aware of PR. My sister recognized my love for restaurants, and allowed me to work with hospitality clients and bring them onto the roster. A career match was made as I combined my love for restaurants with marketing and public relations!

Where did you go to school?  What did you study?
Back then, most of the Lloydminster grads either chose the University of Alberta or University of Saskatchewan for post-secondary, but I opted for the longer six hour drive to Calgary (such a rebel!) and attended the University of Calgary where I studied Communications. I also did my final year abroad in Sweden; living in Europe taught me how to appreciate pâté from a squeeze tube and old world wine. I wasn’t the greatest university student, and ultimately I chose to focus most hours studying the intricacies of wine versus studying Marshal McLuhen.

What made you want to work for yourself and start a business of your own? 
I naturally fell into the world of entrepreneurship; never in a million years had I thought I would end up owning my own business. I blame this on the universe! But I do credit my start to my instinctive knack for networking, experience working in agency, and seeing a gap in marketing and public relations service providers for small businesses. All of these combined eventually led me to create Lana Rogers PR. The extra push was my drive to help support community-minded businesses, four years later I’m very proud of all of the businesses and brands we have helped amplify and support.

What was the biggest surprise or challenge you faced in the first few years running your own business?
The actual “work” it takes to start a business was very murky. Do you incorporate or become sole proprietor? How do you get a GST number? How do you set up payroll? Do you pay yourself salary or dividends? And how much should I even be paying myself – AH! Luckily I had miraculously stumbled upon a great mentor (once again the universe was on my side) who assisted me with setting up my business. Four years later, I still meet with my mentor on the regular and I recommend ALL entrepreneurs find a mentor/fairy godmother when starting a business for the first time.

Who are your typical clients? Tell me about your process. How long does a typical project last?
We like to work with community-minded unorthodox brands. And our process is unique. We have redefined the traditional communications model with an unconventional methodical approach; we use research and data to create strategies for our clients. The first step is going directly to the source – engaging with key internal and external stakeholders, to understand pain points and opportunities, and from there will build out strategy. A project can last anywhere from four months to four years, depending on the client goals. Some clients really find value by looking at us as an internal “employee” of their company (hence the long term projects), others merely require a bit of “jumpstart” to feel empowered to take on the execution themselves (these are shorter projects).

What type of work do specialize in? Do you use external vendors and partners on projects? 
We LOVE external vendors and contractors as they are a key part of our process and why our clients are so successful. I think the traditional agency model of “one (massive) size fits all” is something of the past. The future is hybrid and we help to curate the best team of  independent contractors (digital, content, strategy, video/photography and the Shannon Hewlko’s of the world) to work on a project. The result is a special blend of talent; experts amplifying on the media channels that they know best. Every client we work with ends up having a completely different marketing team working on their project.

What kind of clients and industries do you work with?
We work with a wide range of consumer-driven brands from a variety of industries across Canada: hospitality, lifestyle, tech, health + wellness, design and real estate to name a few. Where our clients really align is the work they do within the community. We make sure that all of our clients whole-heartily give back to the community in some way, as this adheres with our own brand values as a company.

What skillsets have served you best as a Marketing & Public Relations specialist?
I’m very intuitive and organized, which is needed when you are juggling up to 25 different clients at a time. I also have the ability to adapt quickly and problem solve when a situation suddenly changes directions. I credit these “skills” to my time spent working in hospitality. A customer complaining about a corked bottle of wine is very similar to a consumer complaining on social media about poor service standards of a retail brand. Most of all – I’m an extrovert. I really LOVE connecting with people and hearing other people’s stories, which is truly why I really love working in this industry.

What is the number one benefit you provide to your clients?
Long term strategy and tools that result in self-reliance. We like to get in the trenches with our clients at the beginning, offer transparent planning and leverage their own innate potential. We really help connect the client with their target audience, and then help to amplify those channels with unique messaging and initiatives. Once the backend work is complete, we make sure the client is comfortable steering their own marketing ship, empowering them to become their very own marketing machine. This is proven to showcase better results for the client and is much more cost effective in the long run for them as well. 

How do people find and hire you? How do you know if they are a good fit?
We are super lucky and receive 99% of our business through referral. And in order to determine if we are a good fit for their needs, we ensure that they meet a specific criteria which is based on our own brand values. It’s really important that our company values align with anyone that we are working with.

How big do you plan on growing your business? How do you market yourself?
I’ve always looked at our work as our best marketing tool – I’m really proud of the results that we have achieved for various clients, so this is our number one business development tool. For the foreseeable future, I plan on staying internally “lean and mean”, but have the ability to grow with the incredible roster of contractors we work with. This keeps us agile, yet allows for growth when the right opportunity comes along.

Most memorable project you’ve worked on?
There’s too many! When I worked at my previous agency I had some pretty wild experiences: hosting a week long media trip on the most luxurious cruise ship in the world… being the designated talent wrangler for Chantal Kreviazuk at a Christmas event, hosting eTalk for the Stampede Centennial, the list goes on!

Most recently I will say creating and building the Champagne Friday brand has been one of the most memorable. It really started as a fun passion project, and now there is a whole community behind it. Plus it allows me to drink Champagne every Friday ; )

What qualities do you value most in your staff/clients/vendors/partners?
Vulnerability. Whether it is my colleagues, a client or a contractor, when someone steps out of their comfort zone and loosens control, this is where the magic happens. Vulnerability is a two way street, so when my team and I are emotionally exposed, it makes that other person feel like they can do the same. The result is a trusted wholehearted relationship and REAL results stem from this type of relationship.

Who do you admire and why?
I really admire my two colleagues – Chantal and Sydney. They are both extremely talented and have this contagious spark of energy. I’ve always loved my work, but when you combine that with a great team (that you actually look forward to seeing every day at 8am for 10 hours a day), it adds another level of devotion and drive. Those everyday mundane tasks now serve a higher purpose when you are inspired by your team.

Both of these remarkable women will eventually take over the world one day. Hopefully they’ll need a marketing expert so I can join in the fun!   

Sydney, Lana & Chantal. PHOTO: JAGER AND KOKEMOR

What do you do for fun? 
Well… besides drinking Champagne on Fridays, you can find me: working up a sweat at one of the local fitness studios, hosting people for dinner at my place, attending any live concert that requires dancing, partaking in a gallery exhibition, travelling (when it doesn’t require two weeks quarantine) or reading any kind of self-exploration book (currently Dr. Alexandra Solomon is on my nightstand).

What does the future hold for Lana and Lana Rogers PR?
You can definitely expect some exciting things from us – the future is bright! We’ve taken this time to get vulnerable with our own business and look internally at pain points and areas of growth. There will be some major changes coming down the pipe (sorry – I can’t divulge the details yet!), which really excites me for the next chapter of this business. And the future will always require more bubbles, so you can also expect MORE from the Champagne Friday brand – more community, more connection and more SWAG!

Visit Lana Rogers PR or LinkedIn to learn more.

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