Communication (PR) is an Integral part of business...

In today’s volatile market having a good public relations plan is more important than ever before. Today’s consumers are more intelligent and informed than ever – but they’re also more skeptical of new advertising campaigns, products, and approaches. It’s pretty safe to say that the average consumer has been burnt by an illegitimate company on some level at least once – even if only insignificantly. People don’t forget bad experiences.

 Public relations focus less on advertising and more on giving valuable information to the public – usually without including a sales pitch. It’s often much easier to educate an individual so that they recognise their own wants or needs rather than attempting to directly sell a product.

In order for your public relations campaign to be successful you have to maintain a high level of credibility. This means either reaching out to the public on your own or partnering with a trusted third-party. You may want to make friends with a local news reporter willing to write articles or simply have your own  PR department write press releases. Many companies host public  relations events – either fun days, or informational. All of these things help to bring their name into the spotlight without actually advertising a specific product or service.

Now, you can’t launch a public relations campaign and then sit back to see what works and what doesn’t. You have to carefully monitor every single aspect – from events to simple clippings – to find out which are drawing attention towards your organisation and which are not. Of the ones that are, you’ll want to determine if the attention is positive or negative and then take action to either enhance or correct the image you are portraying to the public. 

Public relations can be difficult, but it can also be fun. There’s nothing more rewarding than knowing that the people you reach are walking away with valuable information – whether they choose to take immediate action or not. You’ve left an imprint in their minds and they’ll eventually react!