 |  |  |
| SEO/SEM | Social Media | Web Site Design |
Public Relations
Public Relations is the practice of managing the communication between a business, organization or product and its target customer markets. Public relations involves the cultivation of favorable relations for businesses, organizations and products with their target customer markets through the use of a variety of communications channels and tools. Public relations gain exposure to your audiences using topics of public interest and news items that provide a third-party endorsement and do not require a direct payment. It is something that is not tangible and this is what sets it apart from Advertising.
Public Relations
Traditionally, this meant public relations professionals would work with members of the news media to build a favorable image by publicizing the business, organization or product through stories in print and broadcast media. Other PR activities include speaking at conferences, teaching classes & workshops, and employee communication.
Yet today the role of public relations is much broader and includes:
• building awareness and a favorable image for a company within stories and articles found in relevant media outlets
• closely monitoring numerous media channels for public comment about a company and its products
• managing and “spinning” crises that threaten your company or product image
• building goodwill among your organization’s target market through community, philanthropic and special programs and events
Advantages of Public Relations
Public relations offers several advantages not found with other promotional options. First, PR is often considered a highly credible form of promotion. One of PR’s key points of power rests with helping to establish credibility for you, your business or your product in the minds of targeted customer groups by capitalizing on the influence of a third-party -- the media.
Audiences view many media outlets as independent-party sources that are unbiased in their coverage, meaning that the decision to include the name of the company and the views expressed about the company is not based on payment (like an advertisement) rather on the media outlet’s judgment of what is important.
For example, a positive story about a new product in the business section of a local newspaper may have greater impact on readers than a full-page advertisement for the exact same product since readers perceive the news media as presenting an impartial perspective of the product.
Second, a well-structured PR campaign can result in the target customer market being exposed to more detailed information than they receive with other forms of promotion. That is, media sources often provide more space and time for explanation of a product.
Third, depending on the media outlet, a story mentioning a company may be picked up by a large number of additional media, thus, spreading a single story to many locations.
Finally, in many cases public relations objectives can be achieved at very low cost when compared to other promotional efforts. This is not to say public relations isn’t costly, it may be, especially when a marketer hires PR professionals to handle the work. Yet when compared to the direct cost of other promotions, in particular advertising, the return on promotional expense is usually quite high.
Objectives of Public Relations
Like other aspects of marketing promotion, public relations is used to address several broad objectives including:
• Building Business or Product Awareness – When introducing a new business or product or relaunching an existing business or product, marketers can use a PR element that generates consumer attention and awareness through media placements and special events.
• Creating Interest – Whether a PR placement is a short business or product article or is included with others in a “round up” article, stories in the media can help entice a targeted audience to try the business or product. For example, around the holiday season, a special holiday food may be promoted with PR through promotional releases sent to the food media or through special events that sample the product.
• Providing Information – PR can be used to provide customers with more in depth information about products and services. Through articles, collateral materials, newsletters and websites, PR delivers information to customers that can help them gain understanding of the business or product.
• Stimulating Demand – A positive article in a newspaper, on a TV news show or mentioned on the Internet, often results in a discernable increase in sales.
• Reinforcing the Brand – In many companies, the public relations function is also involved with brand reinforcement by maintaining positive relationships with key audiences, and aiding in building a strong image. Today it's more important for companies and brands to build a good image. A strong image helps the company build its business and it can help the company in times of crises as well.
Key Public Relations Tools
You as a business owner have at your disposal several tools for carrying out public relations marketing. The key tools available for PR include:
• Media Relations
• Newsletters
• Blogs
• Discussion Forums
• RSS Feeds
• Podcasting
• Search Engine Optimization
• Speaking Engagements
• Sponsorships
• Special Events
• Employee Relations
• Community Relations and Philanthropy
When leveraged properly into an effective marketing campaign, Public Relations marketing is an effective tool for helping you grow your business and your income to the next level. Wharton Business Foundation helps you to design an effective “Results Getting” PR campaign to maximize your return on investment.
