What do you think of when you hear the term public relations?
A huge corporation’s spin masters? A celebrity’s damage control chief?
The heart of public relations is relationship-building.
Relationship-building sparks success.
Effective PR strategy is good business for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
The eighteenth post of our alphabetic journey through business communication examines PR as a tool for better business relationship-building.
PR Perfect Guest
You’re in for a treat. My friend and colleague, Jennifer Mattern, provided this guest post. Her breadth of knowledge and generosity in sharing what she knows never ceases to amaze me. I thanked my good fortune the day I discovered Jenn’s blog.
Public Relations: The More it Changes, the More it Stays the Same
by Jennifer Mattern
Public relations: the concept alone can be overwhelming to some business owners. The buzzwords, hype, and claims that everything’s changing all the time don’t help.
PR isn’t as complicated or ever-changing as some people make it sound. Other than the tools you have available, surprisingly little has even changed in this “PR 2.0” era.
Let’s take a look at some key public relations changes from recent years. Then we’ll look at the fundamentals of good PR — the things that haven’t changed much at all.
5 Ways PR Has Changed in Recent Years
Here are five relatively recent changes you should be aware of before planning a PR campaign for your business.
1. Digital / Social Tools
The fundamentals of good public relations might not have changed. But you have more, and different, tools to work with.
This includes everything from social networks to online press release distribution services.
2. Citizen Journalism
A couple of decades ago if you wanted exposure for your business you would target traditional media outlets like newspapers and broadcast media.
Today we have a surge in citizen journalism, where anyone with a blog can cover your company.
There are downsides to this. For example, a single unhappy customer can have a bigger voice than they once did.
At the same time, these citizen journalists and bloggers often reach well-targeted niche reader groups, which means they might be a perfect fit for your latest news or other outreach efforts.
3. More Direct Public Engagement
One of the biggest changes in public relations is a result of social media (such as forums, blog comments, and social networks).
You can’t talk to your audience anymore. You have to be prepared to talk with them.
A PR campaign isn’t about broadcasting your message so much as interacting with the public
on a more direct basis.
4. Immediacy
Blogs, social networks, email, and other web-based tools mean conversations — including public ones — can happen in real-time.
Your company has to be prepared to engage with customers quickly, especially unhappy ones whose stories are reaching thousands of other potential customers. A good example would be their negative experience going viral on YouTube.
In this day and age, you can’t afford to ignore feedback or wait around hoping it blows over (not that this was ever an appropriate response).
5. The Content Explosion
Maybe you’ve heard the term “content marketing” recently. Here’s the thing. Content marketing isn’t actually new. Most of it is good old fashioned PR, mixed with some traditional marketing tactics.
What is new is the emphasis on quantity. While you don’t want to focus so much on content quantity that it impacts quality, you should plan to invest in content creation.
That includes blog posts, videos, graphics, feature articles, tutorials, white papers, books, and any other type of content appropriate for your business and your customers. People want content — good content — and providing it is an important part of any PR strategy.
Why PR Hasn’t Changed as Much as You Might Think
While tools and the speed of conversations have changed in recent years, the fundamentals of good public relations have not. Here are some of those fundamentals you should understand before planning your own communication strategies and outreach efforts.
1. Relationship Building
When people think “PR” they often immediately think of media coverage. But the number one element of a successful public relations strategy is relationship building.
This includes not only relationships with journalists, but also building relationships with your customers, industry insiders, and those citizen journalists mentioned previously.
2. Media Relations
That said, media relations is still an important part of your public relations strategy. Just understand that the definition of “media” has changed a bit.
While you should still focus on industry-specific and local outlets like newspapers, magazines, and broadcast media, also add bloggers to your mix.
Treat them like you would treat anyone else on your pitch list. Make sure they’re well-targeted, get to know their preferences, and ideally build one-on-one relationships with influential bloggers in your industry.
3. Visibility & Raising Awareness
Another PR fundamental that hasn’t changed is its ability to help you build visibility and raise awareness — for your business, a specific product or service, an issue your company wants to get behind, or a charitable cause.
You’ll simply make use of newer tools, like social networks or a company blog, to earn that visibility.
4. Creative Communication
Being able to communicate a message and build relationships in a creative way is nothing new to public relations.
Again, you simply have more tools at your disposal. Create videos. Host an audio show, such as a podcast, if competitors in your industry aren’t yet. If you tend to have a lot of data-heavy content, turn the best of it into infographics so it resonates with a wider audience.
5. Putting Out Fires
When talking to others about public relations, I’ve noticed that one area is often overlooked — crisis management. PR isn’t all hype and stunts (personally, I’m not a fan of either). It isn’t all about media schmoozing or building buzz around your latest product either.
A big part of PR involves resolving problems and minimizing damage to your company’s reputation.
This is especially important in the digital age thanks to the increase in immediacy and citizen journalism we talked about earlier. Crisis management doesn’t only involve major product recalls, lawsuits, or negative press in major media outlets.
A seemingly minor online video or customer complaint now has the ability to go viral and reach thousands, and even millions, of people. Your business should be in a position to respond.
Have a presence on key social networks. Have a company blog. And make a habit of building relationships with “influencers” and customers alike. One reason customers resort to social outlets is because they feel ignored by company representatives.
Use those same tools to connect with customers before they have problems, and make a habit of helping them when they do. You’ll be able to prevent many of these fires instead of rushing to put them out after the fact.
Remember, good customer service is a key to good PR.
Don’t let the PR industry’s own hype machine overwhelm you. You don’t need to use every new and shiny tool to run successful campaigns. But you should have a grasp of the fundamentals — like relationship building, media relations, and crisis response.
As long as you understand what public relations is about, and what it can do for your business, you can adapt those fundamentals to fit any new tools that come along.
What’s Been Your Experience?
Have you run a successful PR campaign recently? If so, what tools did you use? Tell us about your success. If you’ve been hesitant to jump into PR for your business, why is that? What’s holding you back? Share your thoughts, concerns, and questions in the comments.
About Jennifer Mattern
Jennifer Mattern is a freelance business writer, professional blogger, and former PR and social media consultant specializing in helping creative and independent professionals. She frequently blogs about writing, small business, marketing, and PR.
Learn more at ProBusinessWriter.com or connect on Twitter @Jenn_Mattern.
Photo Credits
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Note: This is the eighteenth in a year-long alphabetic journey for better business communication. Â We’ll share topics from A to Z that keep business communication simple, clear & uniquely yours.
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Jennifer, PR is not part of my strategy and I know it needs to be. Do these same tips apply for blogging and online marketing businesses?
Absolutely Marcie.
The key to PR (much like the key to good marketing) is to have a solid grasp of the fundamentals. Once you know what it’s all about, you can tailor your campaigns and broader outreach to any kind of business or medium, including blogging and any kind of client service.
The biggest benefit you’ll have as an experienced blogger is your existing platform and audience. You’re probably already using common online PR tools such as social networks. While it might be a challenge to integrate your PR strategy with your online marketing strategy because you’re already established on the latter front, at least you’ll be familiar with many of the tools. PR doesn’t have to be completely foreign. 🙂
I think most small business owners consider PR to be what big companies do to “cover up”, politicians who create “spin”, and those of that ilk.
Thanks for making it clear that it’s all of our jobs to create the “buzz” we want.
One person’s spin is another’s buzz. The key point is to keep it FACTUAL.
I agree, Roy. I think many small businesses don’t consider PR to be a part of their business. Thanks for your input.
You bring up a good point Roy. The bad apples in the industry are often louder than the good ones, and the result is confusion and a bad reputation (oddly enough for the industry that’s all about reputation). Building buzz / publicity is another good example of where the confusion comes in.
Like media relations, many assume PR and publicity are the same thing. But they’re not. Publicity is just one small part of what public relations is all about. And I think that’s where many small business owners go wrong. They focus so much on building buzz in any way they can that they sometimes forget about the importance of honesty. “All publicity is good publicity” might make sense if you’re an up-and-coming starlet looking for relevancy. But it’s not at all true for small businesses, which can be ill-equipped to deal with truly negative publicity.
And I’d add to Roy’s comment… keep it simple.
Do some networking events and see if they work. Write a simple press release for locals several times a year – with something other than head shots.
Some of the best and longest lasting relationships start with a simple ‘hello.’
Now, you KNOW I love that advice, Anne. 😉
Thanks Anne. PR really can be simple. Focus on people. Make your company newsworthy instead of assuming everything you do is worthy of a news release (most probably isn’t). And always consider how actions and promotional strategies could impact your company’s reputation.
Great advice, Jenn. A genuine approach to interacting with people goes a long way.
You would know Sharon. You do it well. 🙂
Indeed she does, Jenn. 😉
You ladies are too kind. 🙂
Just calling ’em as we see ’em, Sharon. 😉