Public relations can be defined as “the promotion of a company and/or its services to agreed markets.” In essence, it is about communicating your message in a clear, planned and positive way to a pre-defined audience. Effective PR will ensure a company builds credibility and trust among its customers.
Public relations is essentially a ‘below the line’ promotional activity, that is to say, the procurement of positive profiles through communications in various disciplines without ‘paying’ for it.
There are numerous ways in which a company might choose to communicate its message: Through the media (Television, Radio, Internet, Newspapers, Magazines etc.) or ‘Face To Face’, perhaps including conferences, exhibitions, corporate entertainment, etc.
Even the way ‘phone calls are made and taken and emails sent and received, can contribute to an effective Public Relations strategy.
Also read: Dealing with Adverse Publicity
As well as planned communication activities, PR, by the very nature of its definition, also encompasses the communication of messages resulting from unplanned occurrences or circumstances. For example, a ‘crisis management’ situation arises as a result of an accident, faulty product, or adverse publicity for whatever reason.
Although such incidents are never desirable, they must still be planned for and subsequent related messaging even more so.
In Crisis Management situations, there is only so long that a company can continue to say “no comment” and must do all it can to reassure its audience (whether media, customers or others) that it is behaving responsibly.
This will often include the issue of regular statements or updates relating to whatever has occurred, providing ongoing reassurance to interested parties. Many companies prepare for such events by having a ‘Crisis Management Manual’, attempting to pre-empt as many unforeseen and undesirable situations as possible.
Also read: Secrets of Selling: 7 Psychological Tricks for Maximum Profit
Unlike ‘above the line’ (paid for) promotional activities, Public Relations is a somewhat harder discipline to measure in terms of its effectiveness. However, efforts must be made at all times to measure the success or otherwise of all PR activities.
For example, whereas the effectiveness of a response-driven magazine advertisement can be measured precisely, by its take-up by customers; Public Relations professionals must use other means to measure success. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘Advertising Value Equivalent’ or A.V.E. It can be measured in various ways depending on the type of media used to communicate the message.
For example, a message communicated positively via a journalist in a national newspaper might take up half a page, it is easy to discover what the value of that page might have been had it been paid for by way of placing an advertisement. The same method can be applied to the evaluation of positive television and radio coverage, often with staggering results, etc.
It could further be argued that as the message has been communicated ‘impartially’ rather than as a paid-for advertisement, its audience might be inclined to receive it more positively and with greater trust. An example if ever one was needed of the true value of well-planned communications.
Public Relations is not a discipline reserved for the ‘corporates’, and neither should it be! Every organisation must recognise and acknowledge its critical importance to ongoing success.
PR and the effective communication of messages is not just an action from the company to the world outside, but equally important within the organisation itself. A well-planned internal communications strategy is vital to ensure not only buoyant team morale but also that any external messaging is backed up by a coherent corporate image when viewed by outsiders.
Particular areas of Public Relations covered elsewhere include…
- Writing a Press Release
- Writing an article
- Talking to the media
- Getting good media coverage
- Dealing with adverse publicity
- Communication with your clients
