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What the Heck is Public Relations Anyway?

Written by: Patti D. Hill

Article Overview: Public Relations is more than publicity and promotion. It's a way of thinking about relationships between segments of society and public issues, and the act of educating those publics about your value in the market place.

Free Download - Public relations still has clout. Lots of it! By Patti D. Hill

What the Heck is Public Relations Anyway?

We’re PR professionals – that firm you hired to generate a buzz. We suit up, but never shut up. We define our practice as "the management function that evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an organization with the public interest, and plans and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance."

We know that Public Relations is more than publicity and promotion, and it's very different from advertising. We’ve mandated ourselves to educate publics that receive far too much information about your company, products and services, and what they mean to them. Public Relations assumes many responsibilities, but it is more than the use of techniques. It's a way of thinking about relationships between segments of society and public issues.

Role of Public Relations
Your organization can function without public relations, but you’ll function most effectively with public and media support. Organizations in all industry sectors use the tools of public relations in an attempt to inform and gain public support and third-party credibility. Public relations is so much more than a press release or media relations. It’s a strategic framework executed in-line with your organization’s revenue-generating directive.

However, Public Relations is not a fix-all. It can never compensate for badly planned or executed policy. It can't deliver vaporware. It can't hide unfavorable actions, nor can it create value. But it can change attitudes by communicating with target audiences to raise awareness of responsible policies, solid deeds, and worthy products and services.

What Public relations can do is effectively build your brand. Good PR has the power to positively enhance brand awareness, brand loyalty, and perceived quality that differentiate your brand from other market choices. As PR professionals, we identify issues that impact marketing, handle crisis situations, and counsel top management –actions that exert enormous influence on marketing successes and failures.

Credibility is Key
Of all of the components of an integrated marketing communications program, public relations alone possesses the attribute that is essential to every program -- its ability to lend credibility. Ask any industry leader about the most important factors they take into account when making judgments on companies. They will probably talk about the importance of financial performance, and if they’re market savvy, they’ll mention factors relating to reputation
With a fundamental responsibility for both corporate branding and reputation, public relations functions are a key agent of change. This includes a critical role in achieving real competitive advantage by reducing barriers to competition, opening new markets, attracting the best recruits and business partners, enhancing access to funding and investors, creating a premium value for products and services and protecting business in times of crisis.

Choosing a Firm
When a PR firm handles public relations as a whole, the firm’s job is to help craft your company's image. Once the specific communication needs of your organization have been determined, choosing the right public relations firm involves a certain amount of investigation. Don't assume that a large company is necessarily better equipped to handle your needs. While advertising often requires a large staff of people to create and develop a campaign, public relations can usually be handled by a smaller team that is responsible for writing press releases and pitching them to an appropriate contact list.
Before deciding on a firm, think about the following questions:
• Does the PR firm have expertise in your industry?
• Do you want greater awareness of your product nationally or in a targeted market?
• Do you want to pay your PR firm a flat fee, a retainer fee, a minimum monthly fee, or a project fee?
• What are your company's objectives?
• How important is it to have regular access to the agency head and who is the backup?
• How long will it take to learn the specifics about your company?
• What reporting and measurement methods are used?
• Do you want a company with a particular philosophy or one that is willing to work with the philosophy of its clients?
• Who do you want to lead the PR efforts – you or the PR firm?
If after meeting with key people, you are still undecided, ask each PR firm to send a written proposal outlining how it would provide the public relations services your organization needs. When you have decided upon a firm, get references from other clients, and work out a reasonable budget so there are no surprises down the line.

Maximizing Effectiveness
In order for your public relations efforts to succeed, you must supply more than monetary support. You must approach the relationship with your PR firm as a partnership. Be prepared to help your public relations firm help you. They cannot work in a vacuum. Your firm will require access and information and they should be updated as routinely and consistently as you would any of your own top-level employees. Be as frank with your PR executive as you would be with your attorney. Add them to mailing lists for any materials that pertain to or impact on their assignment.

There should be a lot of give and take between you and your public relations firm. The best relationships are long-term, ongoing relationships where your PR firm becomes an integral part of your business planning process, and a trusted advisor for PR and marketing-oriented efforts and initiatives. That's when you see the really impressive return on investment.

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Article Tags: brand awareness, brand loyalty, crisis situations, enormous influence, impact marketing, industry sectors, management actions, management function, market choices, media relations, policies and procedures, pr professionals, public attitudes, public interest, public understanding, responsible policies, support organizations, target audiences, tools of public relations, top management

About the Author: Patti D. Hill
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Patti D. Hill is the founder and CEO of Penman PR, Inc., one of the most innovative independent PR firms in the nation and the only international public relations firm to offer 100% senior-level representation. In addition to overseeing client services, talent management and business development for Penman, Patti is the lead instructor for the firm's training division, Penman PR Training Institute.

Prior to Penman, Patti was the founding partner of BlabberMouth PR and its subsidiary, CameronWeeks Public Relations, where she managed the development and implementation of regional, national and international media / relations and communications campaigns for companies in a multitude of industries.

Patti's early professional career includes more than 15 years of corporate management in sales and marketing in technology certification training, IP and data networking training and consulting, and videoconferencing with Prosoft Training, Spohn & Associates and VTEL.

Patti is an active in several professional organizations, including International Economic Development Council, NanoExpress (Editor), Nanotechnology Now (Columnist), Nanomaterials Applications Center at Texas State (Founding Member), Nanotechnology Research Foundation (Founding Strategic Advisor), Texas-Israel Chamber and The McKinsey Quarterly (Executive Panel).

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