What's the first thing that
comes to your mind when someone says "public relations"? Schmoozing
or spinning? Creating buzz or building awareness? Most people think public
relations means generating publicity, and, in turn, sending news releases.
Nothing wrong with this model, but it’s a narrow definition of public relations
and it limits the results or exposure you could be getting.
Good public relations is a carefully planned, sustained
effort to establish your company identity, maintain credibility and promote
communications between your company and its public. It means getting the word
about your company to the media so that they, in turn, will keep your name and
good deeds in front of their audience your potential customers.
While publicity is a big part of public relations and
news releases are a viable tactic, there’s so much more to public relations. As
such, we’d like to expand your definition of public relations to this, public
relations is more than publicity, and many tactics exist beyond the news release
for accomplishing your goals.
In fact, at the core, public relations is all about
strategy – about planning, messaging, and thinking about your audience and
goals. It's about strategy pertaining to managing your image and reputation.
For example: What you say about your company, products, or services? What your
customers/prospective customers say? How all of these people perceive or feel
about your company, product, or services?
Let’s take this one step further. Depending on the needs
or goals of your company, It can help generate publicity, shape opinion, build
awareness, educate audiences, drive sales, build relationships, and build your
brand. And now you have the full picture of public relations.
Public relations is a powerful tool in your marketing
arsenal. Are you using it to your advantage? Are you thinking beyond the news
release? If not, let us show you how. At the core, public relations is a
strategic function managing image and reputation. It also helps generate
publicity, shape opinion, raise awareness, educate audiences, drive sales,
build relationships, and build brands.
