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Of all the marketing disciplines, public relations is one of the most misunderstood. 

Some companies swear by it and spend literally hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop, launch and monitor PR campaigns. Some are effective and some are not. But they all are expensive.  Are they shared with the entire organization?  Do the sales and customer service departments play a role in crafting and disseminating the message? Not usually!  But these are the folks who have to deal with the response to the PR.

Some companies don’t spend any money at all on PR – believing that is isn’t necessary or useful.  That is until there is a dissatisfied customer or partner or vendor who takes an unresolved or unaddressed issue to the street – and then the company HAS to spend more money than they ever dreamed of to address the problem after the fact.   There are lots of examples in the news every day that illustrate this scenario.

And then there are the companies who see public relations as low-cost or no-cost “marketing” – and don’t feel they need to do any other type of marketing or selling.  Word-of-mouth and some limited networking will bring in all the business we need.  At least, last year we got a lot of business that way….

Here’s the truth.  If you do business in the public domain – and you want people and companies to know how you’ve helped others like them – then an integrated marketing campaign which includes PR as a component is important in enabling your sales efforts and delivering new customers.  This year, we’ve heard many companies lament that their budgets are reduced, or that the “referrals” have dried up or slowed down.  For those who can’t market the way they used to – or have never done any formal marketing – public relations becomes an attractive potential option – but maybe not for the right reasons.

Here’s how to make it work:

1.  Be SMART about what marketing and sales goals you want to achieve with PR.   Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.  Anything short of that may be a shot in the dark.

2.  Plan in advance how you will measure if your goals are successful or not.  If it isn’t measurable in some manner, it isn’t a good goal. 

3.  Work with a firm that takes the time to understand your business and your customers. Cookie cutter press releases and some website tune-up isn’t all that it takes.

4.  Realize that PR isn’t just about a few well-timed press releases. You need a strategy and tactics that will get your name where your customers will see it.  Easier said than done - it takes thought and planning.

5.  Understand that free publicity is often not the kind of publicity you were really looking for.  It costs much more to undo this kind of press, than to do it right in the first place.  Your company name is valuable – and new customers are valuable – don’t be afraid to invest in that – even if times are tough.  

 6.  Set realistic time frames and budgets to give PR a chance to impact your organization.  Don't expect positive press right away, and don't expect it at all if your story or message isn't crafted specifically for the outlets you want.    Just because you think it’s interesting, doesn’t guarantee the media, your trade associations, and your customers and prospects will. 

Public Relations:  it’s about planning, strategy, targeting and repetition.  All of that takes time and investment.   Done well – it pays back over and over.

By Lisa  D. Dennis

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