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.

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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.