Simply, Public Relations

At the end of my last post, I ask the question: What is Public Relations? Rather than begin with discussing lengthy and technical definitions (we will cover some in another post), a good place to start is by simply looking at the term “public relations” to derive some basic understand of the concept. Stripping away the preconceptions and the professional jargon, the term is fairly self-explanatory.

Obviously, by the very nature of the name, “public relations” involves the public. But before you shrug it off as too expansive, it’s important to note for our discussion that the word is more specific than just the general population. The word basically refers to people. It might just as accurate to call what I do “people relations.” (But I figure after all these years, it’s too late to try and change the name.)

It's that simple: public relations is about…people. PR is concerned with any/all of the people (i.e., “publics”) who are involved with you and your products/services. It is related to those people on whom you depend for success. Who would that be for your business?

Obviously, it would include your customers; they are a “public” that you want to keep satisfied because your success is dependant upon their goodwill. In addition to this obvious group, your “publics” will start inside and extend outward, in what I describe in my PR workshops as concentric circles of influence. Other key publics would include potential customers, your community, your industry as a whole, the media, the government, etc. (NOTE: We will spend more time on this subject in future posts and examine some of the specific "publics" in your sphere of influence.)

The second part of our description of “public relations” involves relating to your identified publics. If these people are important to your success (And they are, aren't they?) and if you have something that they want/need (You do, don't you?), it’s imperative that you relate to them in a mutually beneficial way. That's more than just selling products to a customer; it’s finding ways to build a lasting relationship with a person. It’s more than just hiring someone to answer the phone at the office; it’s treating that person with dignity and respect, making them a valued member of your team.

The optimum concept is that the relationship is mutually beneficial. Naturally, if a customer buys a truck load of your products, you have benefited. But what about the customer? Anyone can sell a product; there are many books, workshops and seminars that teach those skills. The focus of public relations is not sales, but building and maintaining healthy relationships.

Consider this scenario: A customer wants to buy several cases of a products that you know are inferior. You can sell the product and you have benefited. That’s sales. But when the products fail to meet the client’s expectation, and the customer is disappointed, where is the long-term relationship? That’s the difference is a sales mentality and a PR-focus. And you will need plenty of PR resources tactics to salvage the customer.

Simply put, public relations is relating to people. On that foundation, a successful PR campaign and ongoing program can emerge...and flourish.



In future posts, I plan to cover topics such as:

* Becoming a good citizen of your community

* Techniques of Good Writing

* Working with your local Media

* Employee Engagement

* Elements of Effective Communication

* When You Should Hire a PR/Communications professional

PR Gets a Bad Rap

Too often, when people talk about PR, they think it stands for Press Release. “We need some PR. Can someone write a press release about our new phone system?”

But reducing PR to just writing press releases would be comparable to equating the work of a distributor with selling a coffee mug. Accurate, but extremely incomplete. While press releases are certainly part of the public relations profession, they are by no means the defining responsibility. In fact, without a workable understanding of the purpose and scope of public relations, press releases would serve little purpose beyond an exercise in creative writing.

In our media conscious culture, where the next scandal is what gets the most coverage, many people see PR only as “spin,” the art of turning negative reality into positive fiction. A celebrity is caught on tape shoplifting, but the “spin” is that they accidentally mixed sinus medication with anti-depressants, causing a small lapse in judgment. Unfortunately, that’s the concept most people have of PR—ignoring the truth, spinning the facts to make a client look good. Essentially, PR is equated with lying.

Public Relations is not some optional aspect of business. The issue is not whether you will have public relations; every business does. It’s a matter of making it work for you. Make good PR a priority. The long-term benefits are worth the investment of time, energy and resources:

• Getting you/your organization noticed. It can get folks talking about you, your company and your product/services. If they’re already talking about you (positively or negatively), it gives you the tools to change, enhance or improve what’s being said.
  
• Build loyal employees, and make your company a place where people want to work. With the cost of replacing a team member, this can be very cost effective.
  
• Promote goodwill with your clients/customers and set you apart from your competitors. You can win coveted awards and garner recognition.
  
• Elevate your company/organization to a respected, valued member of the community. It’s good citizenship, and that should be reward enough. But a side effect is those who make up the community will also see you as the go-to place for products/services.
  
• Publicity that you could never afford to buy, and for less money than marketing and/or advertising. You become the expert the reporters call when they need a quote. And those same reporters can become priceless advocates for you and your business.
  
• Crisis Management. If there’s a crisis in your organization, you will be able to handle it. With proper planning, you can help prevent a crisis.

Because public relations is broad in its application, it can be difficult and limiting to capture the real meaning in a single definition. Therefore, some have attempted to highlight the duties (i.e., what public relations does) rather than focus on the role of the practice. But that is unfair, not to mention inaccurate.

PR is not just press releases and it’s definitely not “spin.” So, that begs the question: What is Public Relations?