PR

Public Relations are one of the most important aspects of any business management method. It helps the public better understand what is most important to a particular company and to gauge their opinions of the company as well as their behavior. There are many different aspects of Public Relations (PR) and they are all very important for the company. Here is more information to help you understand PR better and how it can benefit your company when used properly.

Basically, Public Relations are the management of the flow of information between the organization, normally your company, and the public that is related to it. Most people refer to Public Relations as PR which is much easier to say and write. The objective of PR is to get public exposure to the audience, or target market, they want to reach by using topics that are interesting to the general public or to the specific target group. PR often gives credibility to the company that it may not otherwise receive because of the third party that is used to transmit the information, like a news broadcast or paper, online website or other entity. There are many different activities that could be categorized as being PR and there are also many ways to approach choosing the best method for a specific topic or audience. Another very important use of PR is to build rapport with clients, employees, financial investors, voters or even just the general public. Almost every business, no matter how large or small, is concerned with what the public thinks, says and does about them. PR is one of the best ways to foster goodwill among the public and to be seen in a good light. A good overall definition of Public Relations is: "Building good relationships with the company's various publics by obtaining favorable publicity, building up a good "corporate image," and handling or heading off unfavorable rumors, stories, and events."

 In the marketing world, the general objective of PR is usually just to raise the awareness of the public and their consciousness about a particular product or service that is offered by a company.  It is really the management of the public image of the company and when the public understands the company better they will also understand and be curious about what is offered by the company.  Public relations is a very effective marketing tool if used properly and can bring tremendous returns to the business.  Some PR may be very general and even find its way on to the evening news where many people will see it.  But most PR is more targeted so that it will reach the audience that is the most concerned about the information offered.  PR is the most effective in a business setting when it is seen as a strategic function of management that supports all of the other goals and objectives of the business.  This often means that PR should be considered and figured into a marketing plan and that whatever method is used or whatever information is disseminated should be in alignment with the mission of the company as a whole and the specific department that is sending the message.  Most PR can even use the same tools and methods used by other aspect of the marketing process. 

One of the aspects of PR that most people are familiar with is publicity.  In fact, many people often mistake Public Relations and publicity for being the same thing even though they are not.  Publicity is simple a part of PR and contributes to the effectiveness of any PR efforts.  The objective of publicity is to create interest in an issue, person, product, idea or organization by putting favorable stories in the media like on TV, in newspapers and magazines, and on the radio.  There are many different ways this can be approached and with almost all business practices, the best choice will be based on the needs and expectations of the company that is doing the publicity and the issues that they feel are the most important to communicate.  One aspect of publicity that is very important to so many companies is that it is not tied to a monetary price but rather to the importance of the issue.  Anyone can buy advertising space on a billboard or can air a TV commercial, but only the most important and compelling issues will be made public through the desired sources and that kind of leverage cannot be bought.  The merit of the information and of the source has to carry its own weight and see if is stacks up well enough against the "competition" to get some air time.  This aspect of publicity is so important to companies of any size because it is free, which means that money that would have been spent on advertising can be used in other ways or to beef up the marketing efforts even more.  One of the most important things to keep in mind with this type of media exposure is that the story or information being offered has to be significant and the source offering the information needs to be considered expert or at least reputable enough to have a publicity rep take a look at the info.  If you or your company doesn't seem reputable or that your story has some significant value to the public, then your report or information may end up in the trash can before they get past the opening line of your info. 

 Perhaps the most useful tool of publicity is called the press release.  It is very important to write effective press releases to give the most pertinent information to the people that need it most.  One of the first and most important steps to leading a successful publicity and press release campaign is to establish links and relationships with media and press contacts.  It is also very important to maintain these contacts whether there seems to be anything particularly interesting happening at the moment.  You don't even want your publicity contacts to forget who you are or who you represent because then you have to start the process all over again of building a relationship with them.  This relationship is also very important because it can secure press time that cannot be purchased.  It is said that with a piece of letterhead, an envelope and a postage stamp you can get more public exposure than you could with thousands and thousands of advertising dollars.  It is also important that your press releases be well written and sent out on a regular basis to the people that are in decision making or influencing positions.  You need to quickly get their attention and get straight to the point and explain the who, what, where when, why and how of the situation.  You have very little time to capture their attention so they will read more and give you a chance of getting some real attention.  Another way to get great public attention is to write feature articles and to send them to publications that may eventually publish them and include your information in the article.  It's a good idea to write feature articles with a brief bio section about you and your business at the end to give you and your company credibility and to establish you as a field expert. 

It's also a good idea to try and establish your self as a reliable and reputable source of information in your industry so that other companies and media will come to you for your opinion when an issue comes up and they need more input.  Authors of publications may contact you to ask you to be a source of information for articles they are writing and other information they are planning on publishing. 

Many colleges and universities offer courses and classes on public relations, but the only way to get real experience in it is by going and getting your hands dirty.  You need to pay your dues and spend a lot of time and effort establishing a name for yourself so that people will come to you when they want information.  There will be many times when media representatives flat out refuse to give you the time of day, but persistence and diligence will pay off and eventually you will start to get the use of other people's time and resources.  No matter what PR efforts you decide are the best for you company, you need to make sure that they are in alignment with your company objectives and that they support the ideas and ideals that are the most important to you.  Many companies choose to hire someone specifically as a media representative or PR agent who specializes in this area and who can get things done quickly and effectively.  Staying inactive in the field of PR could cost your company money, client satisfaction, and market share and those are really the things most businesses are most concerned about maximizing.  Be sure to make the best decisions for you.