The Case For PR — That Is, When Done Right!

            There’s no doubt that PR is good for business, but individual opinions on how PR can help organizations are varied, mostly because it’s hard to measure how public opinion affects a company’s bottom line. According to Rieva Lesonsky, former senior vice president and editorial director of Entrepreneurmagazine, the past perception of PR was that it was solely for large companies with sizeable budgets. It wasn’t until the rise of the dotcoms in the late ’90s—when technology startups received lots of media attention—that small businesses started realizing the power of PR.

            “Small businesses sort of overlooked PR. They didn’t understand what the concept of public relations is, how it happens, why you need it and how to make it happen,” Lesonsky says. “When people noticed, they thought, ‘Oh, how come I’m reading about that? How can some of that happen to me?’ They realized that if you get noticed, it can help your business.”

            Indeed, public relations not only allows you to communicate with your public, but it also helps you to understand what the public thinks about you, your organization, and your products and services. Public relations, which also includes social media and new media, is the most powerful tool you can use to communicate with your clients and customers because it allows you to:

• Develop long-lasting relationships with your target directly using social media
• Develop long-lasting relationships with the media, who can help spread your message
• Become known as an expert in your industry
• Increase your client base by finding potential customers you may not have been able to reach before
• Tap into the media’s natural influence on the public to market your products or services
• Make a lasting impression
• Make your marketing budget last longer

            Public relations, in essence, allows you to establish direct communication with your audience and use the media as a third-party endorsement that promotes your company, product, or service. Think of it this way: If you wanted to buy the latest tech gadget, wouldn’t you first look at its reviews in the media? Furthermore, if you had some friends or colleagues who had already bought the gadget, wouldn’t you ask them about their experiences before you made a decision?

            However, there is a HUGE caveat in order —  it’s important that to be effect, public relations be done right. How many times do you see a company or individual with no understanding of how marketing works blast promotional messages via Twitter or Facebook constantly, often times scheduling the message to be displayed over and over again?  How many times to you block these individuals who have nothing valuable to offer you? There are certain characteristics that can make or break a PR campaign, so every detail is important.

PR isn’t a quick marketing fix and does not happen overnight. It’s an ongoing process, much like relationship building and nurturing. Sure, you could get an article in a newspaper or an interview fairly quickly. And it could boost sales for a while. But moving forward with a good campaign takes time and effort. The results are cumulative. It must be well planned, well executed, and evaluated often in light of expectations and results. If results are disappointing, then the campaign needs to be modified in order to get back on track. This is why I don’t recommend that business owners handle their own public relations unless they can commit to implementing the campaign correctly. Oftentimes, however, they do not have the expertise or time to do it right. This is where PR planning steps in.

My next blog entry will examine the 5 step to a proper PR plan.

Vanessa’s book The Missing Link , 

Vanessa Besack’s The Missing Link , which explores the obstacles small business face in each stage of the Business Development Cycle and how to avoid them, will be available for download next month. For pre-order information, please contact info@democomm.com.

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