Public Relations: 2013

Public Relations and Brand Management

Public relations often times is overlooked by business, and it is easy to do so with all moving parts of a business is focused on at any given moment. When a consumer finds news of any product from third party or independent agencies customers trust more of that particular brand and it keeps on increasing when customer find news of that brand on regular basis.

The biggest benefit that you get with consistent public relations is that pr builds general awareness about the brand and your company and the consumer assumes that this particular brand or company is bigger and well established, weather it is fact or not.

There is no shortage of industries where the successful implementation of Public Relations can make a huge difference in a business' success in the market place. No matter what a company sells - goods, services or both - a smart public and media relations program can result in great returns. Effectively incorporating PR into your business efforts can do a number of things:

    Create "buzz" when your company introduces new products or services into the marketplace

    Generate interest in a company's goods and or services

    Enhance the credibility of a company and polish its brand image.

    Attract attention to a company and raise its visibility in a competitive market niche

Public Relations has become an effective way to build a brand. The aim of branding is to convey brand message vividly, create customer loyalty, persuade the buyer for the product, and establish an emotional connectivity with the customers. Branding forms customer perceptions about your product and or service. It is branding that makes customers committed to your business. Brand management is the art of creating and sustaining the brand. A strong brand differentiates your products and services from that of competitors.

Branding helps give a quality image to your business. The primary aim of branding is to create differentiation. It is that differentiation that helps in capturing market share and drive your business. Branding creates an identify for a business and in a sense, your brand serves as a foundation, so want to ensure that your brand is as strong as possible. It is key that your brand is fully developed before engaging in public relations, marketing, and advertising activities--you want to avoid implementing these strategies prematurely. PR along with marketing and advertising do not build the brand. These activities defend the brand's reputation bring exposure to it, and get the story of the brand out to the public. If the brand itself is not strong, or not fully developed then these efforts are done in vain.

Whether it is gaining exposure for your brand or creating buzz around the launch of your newest product, Public Relations is important! Getting the word out about your product or service should always be a priority.

About the Author

Kimberly J. Taylor is a versatile and experienced public relations professional. Kimberly J. Taylor offers Public Relations & Marketing Strategy consulting services and for small to medium size businesses. Visit http://www.KimberlyJTaylor.com for information.
Some of our offerings are:

    Press Releases
    Media Relations
    Publicity Campaign
    Content Writing
    Pitch Efforts
    Brand Management
    Editing & Proofreading
    Press Kit Development
    Digitial and Online Media Outreach
    Marketing Strategy

Public Relations and Brand Management

Public Relations - Business Elevation or Devastation?

So what is PR?

To me, the best definition comes from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA):

"Public relations is a distinctive management function that helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance, and cooperation between an organization and its public; involves the management of problems or issues; helps management keep informed on and responsive to public opinion; defines and emphasizes the responsibility of management to serve public interest; helps management keep abreast of and effectively employs change, serving as an early warning system to help anticipate trends; and uses research and sound and ethical communication techniques as its principal tools."

5 Basic PR Principles To Consider:

    Effective PR programs are based on facts and reality that put the public interests in the forefront.
    All communication between the organization and its public must be based on integrity, corporate social responsibility (CSR), honesty, and fairness.
    Considered by many as the original ombudsman, the PR professional that you hire for your organization must be effective at not only market research but also communicating information to all stakeholders and resolving public concerns efficiently.
    PR practitioners are obligated to explain organizational issues to the public before these concerns become disastrous.
    The best PR professionals will be ethical and employ a variety of social science techniques, such as psychology, semantics, sociology, communication, etc.

5 Examples Of PR Activities:

    Public Affairs - deals with interactions between the organization and government agencies.
    Advertising - assist with conveying intended advertising message(s) through mediums, such as the Internet and social media.
    Press Agentry - involves the planning of activities in an effort to entice target markets to a certain idea, product, or service.
    Promotions - work to gain support for the goods offered by a particular firm.
    Marketing - helps with the planning and execution of the organization's marketing mix.

5 Reasons Why Is PR Valuable?

    PR creates an open dialogue between an organization and the communities that they affect.
    Encourages mutual trust, respect, and stakeholders work towards a common goal of improving society as a whole.
    Reminds leaders and management of ethical and corporate responsibilities in an effort to meet the interests and needs of the public.
    PR professionals assist with tackling organizational issues pertaining to reputation and relationship management.
    PR programs help numerous communities globally through volunteer work, donations, food-drives, etc.

Above all else...

PR practitioners must always display a ethical social conscience capable of actively disclosing information about the organization, especially information that could be detrimental to the public it serves. Remember, every PR program should be based on reality and facts. No organization should incorporate PR programs that mislead the public only to achieve organizational goals and objectives. Doing so would ultimately harm the company's reputation, including credibility.

In the end, I believe renowned Soviet physicist, Yakov Zeldovich, summed it up best when he stated that "without publicity there is no prosperity." So make sure that your organization lives long and prosper by incorporating effective PR programs today!

The Value of Public Relations

A well-crafted public relations campaign is a key ingredient for every company's marketing mix.

There was a time when a good reputation - spread by word of mouth - and advertising alone were enough to create and maintain a successful business. Those times; however, are long gone. More than it ever has been, positive public awareness is vital to a company's success - and this positive public awareness is today best achieved through a public relations campaign, versus traditional advertising by itself.

An effective public relations campaign that generates favorable exposure through newspapers, magazines, TV stations, radio stations and social media has a wider reach than word-of-mouth alone. And the public lends more credibility to articles they read and stories they hear about your company than advertisements they read and see.

A carefully crafted public relations campaign will raise both media and consumer awareness of your business. Simply put, the "buzz" about your business begins and remains through the media. By cultivating positive relationships with the media and creating publicity via the media, business owners enhance their chances for continued prosperity.

So what exactly is public relations, and why is it the best route for you to create positive awareness? People often confuse PR with advertising, but the two are dramatically different.

Simply put, advertising places ads while PR places news. Both are designed to elevate consumers' interest in product or service. Both often use the same media - print, radio and television and the Internet. This is where the similarities end.

PR Builds Credibility
Public relations helps form a favorable public opinion through the "implied endorsement" of non-biased industry authorities (namely print and broadcast media members). Consider, which holds more weight - an advertisement about a new hotel or a positive article written in editorial style about the hottest new hotel in town?

The late entertainer Will Rogers once said, "All I know is just what I read in the papers." PR generates news coverage, and news coverage builds credibility. People believe what they read in newspapers and magazines, what they hear on the radio and what they see on television. It's more difficult to get someone to believe your claims through advertising alone.

PR Allows Personalization of Your Story
By generating multiple story angles designed to reach different media outlets - such as business journals, trade publications, daily and weekly newspapers, city and regional magazines, regional entertainment publications, and major national magazines - you enhance the number of published and broadcast stories about your business. And each of these stories educates the public of what your company is all about.

PR Is Cost-Effective
Compare the cost of a direct mail campaign or a display ad in a publication with the cost of writing and distributing a press release. There is no comparison. The cost of hiring a publicist to produce press releases and get them placed in media outlets is a fraction of what you pay for advertisements. In addition, the articles the press release generates may be viewed by a larger audience since consumers tend to pay more attention to stories than advertisements.

It would be difficult to find an executive who would prefer seeing his company's ads on TV instead of a news feature in Forbes or Fortune. The article builds credibility, positions the company as an industry leader and generates awareness without the costly inefficiencies of traditional advertising.

PR's Life Span Is Long
A well-placed story can reap benefits for an extended period. The fundamental PR strategy is to place a story in one publication and move it up the ladder to another magazine or newspaper, or transfer it to another medium such as radio or television.

Consumers often clip articles they read about a company they would like to visit or a destination they would like to see. Also, a copy of the publication containing your article can be passed around, mailed or generally distributed to customers and other contacts. This is another way to "touch" customers and prospects; they typically like to be informed about special accomplishments and kept up-to-date on both you and your company.

If the newspaper or magazine is noteworthy in your area, you can cite "as seen in" on all printed advertising, e-mail signatures and point-of-purchase marketing. "As seen in "Atlanta Magazine" or even "The Orlando Sentinel" can give you tremendous credibility and set you apart from your competition in a significant way.

Of course, one PR opportunity often leads to another. For example, assignment editors and reporters at TV and radio stations read the local and regional newspapers and magazines, and sometimes get story ideas from published articles they read. In addition, editors and reporters at newspapers and magazines sometimes get ideas from stories they hear on the radio or see on TV.

The ultimate goal of a public relations campaign is to get you noticed, and to attract business to your location. A flattering article in the local newspaper or regional magazine creates a celebrity status for the person or place profiled. This truly separates you from your competition.

Don't Serve As Your Own Public Relations Firm
Some people think they can write a press release, send it to the media and watch the publicity from published and broadcast stories pour in. If that was the case, then publicists wouldn't exist. Effective PR is an art that involves writing well-crafted press releases with story angles that interest the media, not self-serving marketing verbiage. There is nothing more irritating to reporters than receiving poorly written press releases with no newsworthy angles.

This is why you should hire a publicist to design and implement your PR campaign. It allows you to focus on your core business. When choosing a publicist to coordinate your campaign, it is vital to hire someone who is experienced, does not require long-term contracts and has staff members who have worked as journalists since they will think like reporters and editors.

It's also extremely important to make sure the publicist you're considering has a genuine interest in your business, background and future potential. If they can't get excited about what you do, it will be harder for them to get the media excited enough to write about you.

Exposure In Local Publications Is Valuable, Too
A major misconception of restaurant public relations is that media exposure is only beneficial if it appears in the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. Landing a story in a national publication or a prominent television or radio show is certainly reason to cheer - and it will provide valuable publicity that an advertisement could never achieve - but an effective public relations campaign starts closer to home. There are a variety of accessible, well-targeted media opportunities eager for good story ideas.

Chains of small weekly and daily newspapers, major metropolitan newspapers, city magazines, state magazines, local and regional lifestyle magazines, local and regional family publications and local and regional men's, women's, senior living and entertainment newspapers are among the media outlets that are ideal targets for stories on your restaurant.

Remember, the goal of a public relations campaign is to create and maintain a buzz about your business, build your credibility, position you in the marketplace and save you money over traditional advertising alone. There are lots of media outlets within your reach if you have a well-crafted plan, and the right publicist to execute it.

Public Relations Takes Your Business to the Next Level

When you have a growing business, you have to make sure that others in the community know it as well. Public relations will help all of your hard work to be noticed by those in the community who make a difference - potential customers and inventors. It's important that you have a strong PR team behind you to make sure that your brand is properly displayed.

Many people assume that public relations are all about writing a press release. A press release can be written for an array of things. This can include a new product or service that you have released, any awards that you have won and even a new location that you have opened. These can improve your SEO rankings and help more people to learn about your brand. They do play an important role in growing your business, but that's not the only thing that your PR team is going to work with you on.

The only way to take your business to the next level is with the help of consumers. How many people in the community know about you? Brand awareness is critical and this is where public relations really comes in. you want to make sure that people know of you and you have the credibility to become a viable business choice in the marketplace. Someone who is looking out for your reputation all the time is a very important thing - especially in the world of social media and the internet.

You need a communications plan to make sure people know about you. Depending on your community and your business, there are more effective places to market and communicate than others. There may be a lot of community events, a community newsletter or even a forum where you can speak. All of these will be considered when you work with a PR team.

Public Relations is not something you can ignore. It goes beyond marketing because it's about interacting with the community. You may need press releases written about the things that are going on within your business but you may require much more than that as well. Public Relations firms can take your business to the next level by customizing a communications plan for you. This includes all forms of media to make sure your messages are being heard by everyone in the community.

Are you increasing your awareness? Marketing may help you to get your name out there, but what else are you doing? You may be able to interact with the community more effectively and increase your reputation when you work with professionals who can provide you with some insight as to what the community is looking for.

The only way your business is ever going to get to the next level is by caring about what those around you think of you. No one is going to buy from you if they don't trust you. Whether you're a new brand or you've been around for years, public relations needs to be a consideration.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words - Public Relations (PR)

One of the best ways to achieve this feat is through positive public relations. Karl Marx, a renowned philosopher, wisely stated that "society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand." In essence, we are all connected to one another, especially with technology advancing at such a rapid pace and with the use of the Internet. Because of this, organizations must incorporate effective public relations strategies that aid with painting a positive picture about the firm in an effort to achieve true success. So what is public relations? Probably the best definition that I've found for public relations (PR) came from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) who defined PR as the following:

"Public relations is a distinctive management function that helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance, and cooperation between an organization and its public; involves the management of problems or issues; helps management keep informed on and responsive to public opinion; defines and emphasizes the responsibility of management to serve public interest; helps management keep abreast of and effectively employs change, serving as an early warning system to help anticipate trends; and uses research and sound and ethical communication techniques as its principal tools.

The rise of the Internet and social media has offered companies unparalleled opportunities for communicating and interacting with large numbers of individuals globally. For instance, organizations could reach and interact with customers, including potential customers, through RSS feeds, blogs, vlogs, podcasts, Webcasts, YouTube, etc. Through these different technologies, and with the assistance of social media conglomerates, such as Facebook and Twitter, mass communications is enabled to global societies. Although many benefits are associated with mass communication, people must also be conscious of organizational and societal implications of using this medium that may lead to negative PR. Implications, such as appropriation, publication of private information, intrusion, and false light which are all considered invasion of privacy. To me, this is why so many successful organizations have PR professionals that help them paint a positive picture to global societies through PR campaigns involved with volunteer work, donations, food-drives, etc. This is not to say that these entities do not care about their communities. I'm just stating that doing these good deeds creates a win-win situation because it also helps companies with positive PR, thus increasing the companies bottom-line in parallel because it highlights the firm's goodwill and corporate social responsibility endeavors.

Public Relations As a Marketing Tool

The business world in today's times has become extremely competitive. For a small business to start operating at a low cost, it may be difficult to afford starting a marketing campaign. However, a marketing plan is something every business needs to be successful. Advertising is considered to be the most important marketing tool in the modern world for its ability to reach a wide section of people in a short span of time. But Public Relations or PR too is a very important marketing tool if it can be used properly.

Not only does PR make a business reach its target audience, it also brands the business as a company that is well above its competitors in status and establishes the business as a sort of expert in its field. Credibility and validation of the products and services of a business are also things that can be developed with the right PR campaign. These again help in the growth of the concerned business. That is why you will find big companies who spend huge chunks of money on advertising campaigns also spending on having a Public Relations team in order to pass on and disseminate information about them to the public.

There are many reasons why PR is important in the overall marketing plan of a business. An example will showcase this correctly. Let us suppose that you own a business that creates and manufactures power tools. You hire an advertising specialist team to create awareness of your products. Advertisements are published in newspapers and magazines which tell people how good the products of your company are and how well they can be used to make your life easier. Your public relations team, on the other hand, will publish a report in a leading newspaper where the benefits of the products will discussed in a neutral way. Now imagine the kind of impact both these campaigns will create in the minds of the people. By reading the advertisement, people will think that it is a hype being created for selling the product. But the PR campaign will make people sit up and read it because of the neutral views that have been given in the newspaper article. The believability of a PR report in a newspaper or magazine is a lot higher than any advertisement. This is for the simple reason that people know that an advertisement is given to 'sell' something while a product review in PR is given to disseminate 'information'.

The great thing about PR is that it has the ability to instill trust in a potential customer. This is what makes it extremely effective for branding and marketing.

If you are thinking of spending money on a PR campaign for your business, it can certainly be a very good thing to do. However, before you start the campaign, it is important that you let your PR team know exactly what it is you want and how you want to go about it.

Helping Online Entrepreneurs with free course on How to Make Money Online doing Freelancing, Email Marketing, Internet Marketing, Blogging & more at IMTips.

Starting Up Your Own PR Agency

When starting up your own PR agency it is vital that you carry out due diligence and make your plans accordingly. You will need to identify your niche market, as well as highlighting what it is that sets you apart from other agencies. On the practical side; you will need to devise and implement a company structure and a system of keeping track of your work.

What You Offer

What areas will your PR agency specialise in? Will you focus on B2B? Information and technology? Consumer affairs? Or the rich and famous? You will also have to decide whether you will be an international or domestic agency. If it's the former, which countries will you focus on? Will you concentrate on print, broadcasting media or digital?

You may opt to position yourself across various sectors and territories. This can often be a difficult position to succeed in as the PR industry prefers agencies to specialise in one specific niche. However, if done correctly, this method can be very rewarding.

What services would your agency offer? Your choice is likely to include any number of the following; media relations, event management, social media, website design and development, media training and strategy.

What can your PR agency deliver that other agencies cannot? What makes you unique? Identify your strengths and shout them from the rooftops to potential clients.

Legal & Accountancy

Will your PR agency be a limited company, partnership or act as a sole trader? Once you have decided; speak to your accountant. You will have to discuss payroll, self-assessment and your tax liabilities. Prepare yourself for the demanding administration duties that running a PR agency entails and be aware of the fines that are incurred by missed deadlines.

Contact a lawyer and draw up client engagement agreements and employee contracts. Make sure you have the correct insurance to cover all professional eventualities and open up a business bank account.

Join business institutions so that you can benefit from specialist help, advise and resources. This could save you a lot of money in lawyer fees for services that are usually free for professional business institute members.

Partners and Employees

List the skills that you have available in your PR agency and then list the skills you require to make the agency a valuable proposition. If you decide to bring in partners, make sure you have a strategy in place if it doesn't work out. Before you hire employees, define their role and responsibilities very clearly.

Reduce the confusion and complications of employee turnover by creating staff handbooks, these will also reduce the learning curve of new recruits and instil firm procedures and values that everyone can become familiar with.

Promotion

Self promotion is vital for any fledgling business. Build up a strong and distinctive brand that is instantly recognisable. Create a website to spread your message and employ online social networking sites to communicate and engage potential customers.

Organise yourself for pitches with business cards, credential sales documents, creative templates and a list of contacts that you should follow up regularly. Dedicate time and effort to networking in order to generate potential business. Establish working partnerships with marketing agencies in non-competitive areas that can lead to mutual sources for referral.

Register with business listings and PR directories and let your contacts know that you have launched your agency. Attend meetings and conferences to communicate your businesses unique qualities outlining how they can benefit from your services.

Collaboration Software

To help keep track of time sheets, documents, images and other assets within your PR agency it would be wise to purchase project collaboration software. This will aid the smooth running of projects that are being worked on by more than one person.

CRM programmes will similarly assist in the management of business leads and customers, as well as keeping track of the multitude of emails being fired backwards and forwards each day.

Media request services can also be easily managed with media databases and press cutting services, enabling you to build excellent relationships with journalists, helping to maximise media coverage for your clients.

With thorough research and considered planning, you should now have the basics to start your own PR agency. If you would like any more information, please do not hesitate to contact us here at HROC, we are a public relations agency with years of hands on experience. We would be glad to help you make a success of your business.

How to Grow Your Business With Public Relations

The field of public relations (PR) has been around for years, and during this time the professionals in the world of PR have mastered the art of helping businesses and individuals alike, gain favor in the public eye. While many know PR experts help celebrities and big businesses effectively handle scandals and other issues with ease and grace; these professionals can help your business in other ways as well. In fact many small businesses in the past few years have found that hiring someone to provide PR services is just what they need to get their small business off the ground so they can start seeing the professional growth they are looking for.

When it comes to really growing a small business, one of the most important things you can do is to raise awareness about your company. In fact, one of the biggest things that prevent companies from reaching the level of success they want and the type of revenue they need to be successful is because not enough people know their company even exists. Many times it is simply a lack of awareness, and not a feature or anything the company is doing wrong that leads to failure. This is where PR services come in.

Since most small businesses have smaller budgets than their larger counterparts, a good PR campaign is often a very smart choice, as these companies can get more for their money when they choose to use PR instead of advertising, while still getting similar or comparable results. Oftentimes one of the biggest ways PR experts help build awareness for a small business is through third party endorsements and coverage of a product or service; which is often the media endorsing or mentioning a specific product, company or service because a public relations expert set it up that way.

The reason this is so effective when compared to traditional advertising techniques, is because the customer doesn't necessarily realize they are being sold a product or service directly, and they view the information in a different way. When a customer reads an advertisement, they know the company is there making promises, using jargon and trying to push or sell a service or product. When the customer hears the product or information being endorsed by a third party, they are more likely to openly receive this information because they are hearing it more as a recommendation, and are not overrun with sales or advertising jargon or schemes. This is how many PR professionals have helped small businesses get on the map, and how these professionals can help your small business get the recognition it deserves.

Terry L. Green, President of BizEase Support Solutions, and her team of qualified online support specialists, provide seamless online marketing implementation, technology and administrative support solutions to speakers and business coaches worldwide. Visit http://www.bizeasesupport.com to find out how partnering with BizEase can help you grow your business, have more time, and make more money.blic Relations

Implementing A Successful Public Relations Campaign

It is a common misconception in this day and age that all a company needs to do as a PR campaign is write a press release for its product or services, sell it to the media and then sit back and watch the customers come flooding in, if only it were that easy. This may work for some as a short-term boost, but how long do you think that press release is going to stay in print and at the top of online searches for? The answer is probably a week, maybe two if you're lucky.

It takes time to create a successful Public Relations campaign, and each one involves many different elements that have to suit the particular product or service being promoted, below is a list of some of the most important areas to consider when setting up the press release part of your campaign.

    * Firstly it is important to make your product or service newsworthy so the media will want to promote it and the public will want to find out more about it. Think about ways you can make your services or products stand out, or what makes them unique to others in the market, having a unique selling point is essential to set your product apart from all the others out there.

    * Write a press release that is concise and articulate. Detail the benefits of your products or services and why people need it, but be careful not to make any false claims as this could have a very negative effect on all of your hard work when uncovered. Make it interesting and informative, don't just see it as a glorified ad as this will put the media and your audience off straight away. Supply photos and any reviews of your product or services you may have as this will back up your claims and provide more interest.

    * research the companies you wish to send your press release too and make sure they are suitable for your product or service, there is no point sending a press release about your car part supplier company to a mother and baby magazine. Targeting the correct market is vital to ensure success. When compiling the list of media outlets you wish to submit your release to try to add as much detail as possible, such as the name of the person you will be sending it to and the department that the release will go to, also look into how they like to receive them, some are happy with an email whilst others may prefer to receive a hard copy in the post

Starting Up Your Own PR Agency

Have you ever considered starting up your own PR agency; but have been daunted by the enormous challenge you face? If so, I have listed some key factors that you should consider before embarking on such a massive project.

When starting up your own PR agency it is vital that you carry out due diligence and make your plans accordingly. You will need to identify your niche market, as well as highlighting what it is that sets you apart from other agencies. On the practical side; you will need to devise and implement a company structure and a system of keeping track of your work.

What You Offer
What areas will your PR agency specialise in? Will you focus on B2B? Information and technology? Consumer affairs? Or the rich and famous? You will also have to decide whether you will be an international or domestic agency. If it's the former, which countries will you focus on? Will you concentrate on print, broadcasting media or digital?

You may opt to position yourself across various sectors and territories. This can often be a difficult position to succeed in as the PR industry prefers agencies to specialise in one specific niche. However, if done correctly, this method can be very rewarding.

What services would your agency offer? Your choice is likely to include any number of the following; media relations, event management, social media, website design and development, media training and strategy.

What can your PR agency deliver that other agencies cannot? What makes you unique? Identify your strengths and shout them from the rooftops to potential clients.

Legal & Accountancy
Will your PR agency be a limited company, partnership or act as a sole trader? Once you have decided; speak to your accountant. You will have to discuss payroll, self-assessment and your tax liabilities. Prepare yourself for the demanding administration duties that running a PR agency entails and be aware of the fines that are incurred by missed deadlines.

Contact a lawyer and draw up client engagement agreements and employee contracts. Make sure you have the correct insurance to cover all professional eventualities and open up a business bank account.

Join business institutions so that you can benefit from specialist help, advise and resources. This could save you a lot of money in lawyer fees for services that are usually free for professional business institute members.

Partners and Employees
List the skills that you have available in your PR agency and then list the skills you require to make the agency a valuable proposition. If you decide to bring in partners, make sure you have a strategy in place if it doesn't work out. Before you hire employees, define their role and responsibilities very clearly.

Reduce the confusion and complications of employee turnover by creating staff handbooks, these will also reduce the learning curve of new recruits and instil firm procedures and values that everyone can become familiar with.

Promotion
Self promotion is vital for any fledgling business. Build up a strong and distinctive brand that is instantly recognisable. Create a website to spread your message and employ online social networking sites to communicate and engage potential customers.

Organise yourself for pitches with business cards, credential sales documents, creative templates and a list of contacts that you should follow up regularly. Dedicate time and effort to networking in order to generate potential business. Establish working partnerships with marketing agencies in non-competitive areas that can lead to mutual sources for referral.

Register with business listings and PR directories and let your contacts know that you have launched your agency. Attend meetings and conferences to communicate your businesses unique qualities outlining how they can benefit from your services.

Collaboration Software
To help keep track of time sheets, documents, images and other assets within your PR agency it would be wise to purchase project collaboration software. This will aid the smooth running of projects that are being worked on by more than one person.

CRM programmes will similarly assist in the management of business leads and customers, as well as keeping track of the multitude of emails being fired backwards and forwards each day.

Media request services can also be easily managed with media databases and press cutting services, enabling you to build excellent relationships with journalists, helping to maximise media coverage for your clients.

With thorough research and considered planning, you should now have the basics to start your own PR agency. If you would like any more information, please do not hesitate to contact us here at HROC, we are a public relations agency with years of hands on experience. We would be glad to help you make a success of your business.

The Importance of Public Relations

Many people in this world believe that relations are the most important assets anyone could ever have. These people maybe, world leaders in their wise old ages as well as a high school kid who has an election to face. Relations are indeed that which make man a social animal. This same principle is closely held onto in most credible organizations, firms and companies across the world and they have a name for it; Public Relations.

Public relation, for any organization or group, is the major lifeline. Without the positive appraisal of the public who are the consumers of all the products, whether it be in the entertainment, food, clothing, software or hardware industries, it is impossible to survive. Trust is what organizations feed on to expand and this trust is gained or earned only when the public recognizes the organization as that which is for their good.

The positive image of an organization or an individual is what draws people to it or him/her. This image can be a result of years of delivering appealing service or goods in times ripe. This can also be achieved by strategically taking directions to find a place in the hearts of the public. Entertainment artists, at least a few believe that any sort of publicity is good, whether it means being involved in violence, drugs or scandals does not matter, which may prove disastrous.

One of the ways by which Public Relations can be positively achieved and maintained is by being part of noteworthy social events, not just the high flying parties but also those which are in level with the general sentiments of the public, like fundraising for a reasonable or charitable cause and sponsoring such events. Maintaining good relations with the media is a must to evade flak.

When faced with criticism, the responsible company must win back what goodwill it has lost. This may include an acclaimed celebrity to be the new face of your organization, to clear the doubts of the public by using the powerful and trustworthy reputation of that person. Advertisements and other related marketing strategies too, make a great deal of difference in figuring in the good books of the public.

Nobody would prefer to go to an eatery or a bookstore where they previously had an unfriendly confrontation with, the same, applies to the bigger firms too. All firms must genuinely have a people oriented approach and morale codes stitched into the fabric of the ideals upon which they work.

Proactive ideas to the changing needs of the present generations are a must to keep up in this terrifyingly competitive world where start ups happen every other minute in all the coveted and promising industries. Forgetting to maintain good Public relations is as ignorant and tragic as digging one's own grave. So keep a smile and do what you have to do to keep, those people whose trust you feed on, smiling.

Propeller Group is one of the leading PR Companies in London providing both traditional and online pr for many top companies in the United Kingdom. Visit us at http://www.propellergroup.com for more information on how you use our services.

How to Land a Job in Public Relations

Getting a job in public relations has always been competitive. However, in today's strained economic climate, it seems to be harder than ever to bag your dream job in PR.

Whether you're just out of school or university, or you're looking for a career change, here's a quick guide on how to get a job in public relations.

The right qualities and experience

If you're even remotely considering a career in PR, start by looking at some job vacancies. These will usually list the essential and desirable qualities expected of a candidate, so you'll have some idea of what you need to work towards. For instance, some companies may specify a relevant degree so if you're still at school, consider applying for a university course in journalism, marketing or communications, which will help you hone the skills you need to work in PR. If you've already completed a degree or have done several years in another industry, concentrate on how your existing experience has given you the right skills for the public relations industry.

The most important thing about working in public relations is communication. This means you'll have to be comfortable talking to new people all the time - on the phone, in person and online - if you want to stand a chance of success. Communicating well with journalists is the key to doing a good job in PR, but journalists are unlikely to have much time to hear what you have to say. So focus on being succinct but informative, so you can tell potential employers that you know how to get a message across quickly and effectively.

To build up experience of working in PR, you might have to do work experience or an internship. Often, these are unpaid but longer placements may offer some remuneration for travel costs and basic expenses. If you can't afford to work unpaid for long periods, look for opportunities at your school or university to do basic PR. For instance, offer your services to the director of an amateur play and drum up interest in the production in the local press and student newspaper. When packaged in the right way, this all counts as legitimate PR experience.

Looking for a job

When you're ready to apply for a job, it's time to narrow down your search. For instance, do you want to work in-house or at an agency? Perhaps you'd like to work in public relations in Scotland instead of London, or you'd like to focus on technology PR rather than entertainment. If it's your first job in PR, you're unlikely to find exactly what you're looking for but by keeping your main goals in mind, you'll soon be able to move into the sector of your choice.

Finally, remember to build your online profile so employers can learn more about you. Tools like Twitter and LinkedIn are a great way to virtually network with people in PR and show them you know what you're talking about.

Public Relations For Restaurants: Business Success With Public Relations

Are you looking for different ways not only to increase your small business marketing, but as well to come out of economic conditions? If so then you need to go for promotion and publicity with public relations because it's truly a very effective tool that can be used for the success of your restaurant business.

If you hold a restaurant business, just make sure to promote it in the local community and by using radio promotions. You can give offers to your customers like free lunches in the off hours and some contest etc which would not merely cater the attention of the customers and make them come to your restaurant but as well to flourish your this business.

If you want to promote special offers in your restaurant then it's vital that the public is well aware of it and for this you need a good PR. Nobody is going to know about it unless you make some sorts of promotion. Taking help of a public relation department can keep you to stay in touch with the public and also will improve your restaurant business image very high. So, if you are a new owner of a restaurant owner then don't forget considering consulting a PR specialists to find possible ways to gain publicity. The PR specialist usually seeks work in dealing with newspapers, radio, television, magazines and more. They might also deal with the press, making public speeches and hence they must have good communication skills to deal with any PR issues.

Public relations for restaurants in the contemporary times use ample of techniques such as opinion polling and focus groups to evaluate public opinion, combined with a variety of high-tech techniques for distributing information on behalf of their clients including the internet, satellite feeds, broadcast faxes, and database-driven phone banks and more. Hiring very well experienced public relation firm may help you to give broad business recognition in the public by paying concern over company news and spreading it to the masses.

It is the fact that good public relation agencies have a good working relationship with key reporters and hence they easily deal with large and well established clients. Hiring a well-reputed PR agency can play a substantial role in a company's reputation management.

So, if your aim is to provide meaningful information to the public about your restaurant business then don't miss any opportunity to hire a professional public relation firm.

Georg is an author of affluencepr.com providing information about opening a restaurant. To know more about public relations businesses please visit http://www.affluencepr.com

Public Relations and Avoiding Bad PR

Someone recently said to me that any PR (public relations) is good PR (or, "any publicity is good publicity"). I couldn't disagree more. Bad public relations confuses customers and destroys brand loyalty. But what defines bad PR?

Running my own streetwear label I have experienced first hand the ramifications of bad, off-brand marketing and misplaced advertising.

Public relations is not just about what people say about your brand, it encompasses everything customer facing. Advertising, product placement, partnerships, sponsorships, customer support etc.

Where you advertise and feature your brand, or products, is dictated by your brand identity and getting this right is paramount to successful branding.

Successful brands have a strong brand identity that resonates throughout their target market, connecting them to the brand on an emotional level. Simon Sinek puts it, "people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." That one sentence makes so much sense. The brands you love, and brands you like to buy from, should hold the same values you do. They represent your lifestyle and it's this 'like mindedness' that connects you with the brand.

Too often I see and talk to companies that have fantastic products, but who fail to connect with their market because they have no defined branding. You can't be all things to all people. If you are, then you're mediocre and people will neither love you nor hate you.

Defining and understanding your target market and creating marketing material that emphasizes their lifestyle is key to market connection. There are plenty of successful companies that sell their products for exuberant prices because customers buy into the lifestyle that a brand represents.

So once you have your brand identity and know who your target market is it's easy to see what publications, blogs and other media channels you should be featured in. It's very tempting to just take any media placement you're offered, but placing your brand alongside others that are thought lesser by your target market is bad for your brand. Those brands are only pulling your brand image down. This is bad PR.

What you want is to get your brand featured alongside brands you and your target market aspire to. You want them to 'increase your brands image'.

Tina Moore, Fashion Editor of Remix Magazine says, "As a fashion magazine we too have a defined target market and we are constantly turning down advertising and placement requests from brands that do not fit with our readership base."

I learnt a lot about PR and marketing though my now defunct clothing label. We grew fast and we did do a lot of placements into magazines and newspapers that, looking back, we shouldn't have. We bastardized the brand, to a degree, and we lost a lot of core followers.

Think about it like a friend who's suddenly spending time with a crowd of people you don't get on with. You feel disconnected with that friend and you're more than likely going to go your separate ways.

Good PR is not easy but I believe it all comes down to your brand's identity and values. Know your brand values, what does your brand stand for? Stay true to your values and base your marketing decisions from them.

Creating A Successful Public Relations Campaign

Creating a successful PR campaign is an essential part of any business when trying to launch a new product or service nowadays, and with so many different media platforms available, knowing which one's to use can be a tricky business. This is why it is essential to plan your PR campaign carefully, and research all the areas you need to before starting out.

Below are a list of ideas to try and help you make your campaign a success.

    Define your objectives & Goals

This may seem pretty obvious, but you would be amazed how many people forget to carry out this step. Defining exactly what you want your PR campaign to achieve for you will make all of the other steps easier to complete, as you know where you are going.

Your goals need to be achievable, using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) method when setting your objectives and goals can help a great deal.

    Establish who your audience is

This can be one of the most important areas to get right when creating your PR campaign. You could have the best campaign in the world, but if it's aimed at the wrong people it will fail. Think about who your product or services are aimed at then target these people.

    Hold a brainstorming session

Try and get some of your staff (if you have any) involved in this session, as they will often have different ideas to you. In a brainstorming session you need to come up with around six different story ideas to help your PR campaign along.

    Decide on the media outlets

Once you have an idea of your objectives and goals, and who you would like to target your campaign towards, you can then think about which communications vehicles you will use to get your message out there. With the digital age upon us there are now many options when it comes to a PR campaign, including press releases, articles, Social media campaigns (including viral campaigns) and much more. Do your research into the various media sources and decide which ones you feel would be the most suited to you.

    Monitor your campaign

This is extremely important, you need to keep track of your campaign to know if it is successful. Most people find they need to change things as their campaign progresses, as some areas may not be working as you expected them too, but as long as you keep track of how things are running this will not be a problem.