PR insight and tidbits

I hope this section will provide you with interesting and useful information that will help you in your business or career. Each time I will include PR insight and tidbits, interesting articles about companies, links to information on networking opportunities which might help you develop new business relationships, and information about our company and what we're up to. We will start from the ABC of PR to finish with Social Media and how technology has rapidly changed PR.

What is Public Relations?

We define public relations as Strategic Reputation Management. In a nutshell, public relations is the process through which organizations develop and implement strategies which influence how they are perceived by important individuals and groups.

The first step in the public relations process is determining which individuals and groups are most important to your organization. The list of individuals and groups whose opinions can impact your organization's fortunes may include customers, potential customers, investors, employees, spouses of employees, leaders of important trade organizations, elected officials, and so on.

The second step is determining how you want to define your organization -- that is, how you wish to be perceived by those key people and groups. Do you want them to view you as an expert on a specific topic? Do you want them to view your organization as one that provides reliable products or services at a lower cost than your competitors? Do you want to be known for top-notch personal service? Do you want them to be aware of your organization's commitment to the community? It is important to ponder questions such as these.

While it is important to determine how you want your organization to be perceived by those key groups, it's equally important that your public relations efforts be grounded in truth. Don't try to establish yourself as an expert on a certain topic unless you really are an expert on that topic. Don't stake your organization's reputation on customer service unless you really do provide excellent customer service. Don't sell your organization as a great place to work if all of your employees are unhappy. If you attempt to build an image that is based in fiction rather than fact, you do so at your own peril.

Once you have determined which groups and individuals are important to your organization, you can develop and implement a plan of action which builds a solid reputation for your organization - a reputation grounded in truth.

Next time I will explain how consistency breeds to credibility and how important it is for your marketing and public relations efforts.

If you have any questions we, at MPiRe, will be delighted to help you.