Public
Relations Is More Than Getting Ink
By
David P. Kowal
Public
relations practitioners have done a much better job for
their clients than they have for
themselves.
Most
people, including those in the real estate industry, know
that public relations firms write press releases and try to
get their clients "ink" in the local paper. Some even know
that public relations firms hold lots of parties that they
like to call "special events." But there is a general lack
of understanding about what public relations is and how it
can help a firm, and promote a product or even an
industry.
According
to Public Relations News, "Public relations is the
management function which evaluates public attitudes,
identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or
an organization with the public interest, and plans and
executes a program of action to earn public understanding
and acceptance."
One
reason the definition is ambiguous is that the field itself
is broad. It includes public affairs, community relations,
investor relations, internal communications and crisis
communications, to name a few areas of
specialization.
If
a builders association wants to affect public opinion about
septic system regulations, it needs a firm with public
affairs experience. A large firm might hire a community
relations manager to coordinate its corporate giving
program. A publicly held company's investor relations
director communicates with analysts and shareholders.
Internal communications specialists coordinate programs to
keep employees informed and to ensure that they are working
to achieve corporate goals. Crisis communications, which
will be discussed in my next column, includes planning for a
crisis as well as executing the plan. As these areas of
specialization show, the "public" in public relations can be
the entire country or it can be a narrowly defined market
segment.
Regardless
of the area of specialization, public relations includes
four functions, which are outlined in the definition --
research, planning, implementation and evaluation. Research
provides a framework for developing a strategic plan with
carefully defined goals. Once the plan is developed, it is
implemented and then the results are evaluated. Public
relations practitioners like acronyms and call this process
RACE, for research, action, communication and evaluation. It
should really be research, planning, communication and
evaluation, but RPCE is a pretty boring
acronym.
Most
of a public relations practitioner's time is usually focused
on implementing public relations tactics, but if the plan is
not sound, the company's or client's goals are unlikely to
be achieved, no matter how well the plan is
executed.
Media
relations is the public relations function most people think
of when they hear the term "public relations." Among other
things, media relations practitioners develop media lists,
write press releases, submit them for publication and follow
up with editors. Press releases should be used only when a
firm has something newsworthy to report. Many firms think
their local newspaper will profile them because they're
celebrating their fifth anniversary in business (yawn!) or
because they're an advertiser. In most cases, telling the
editor you want coverage because you're an advertiser is the
quickest way to guarantee that you will not be
covered.
Media
relations also includes media training -- consulting with
clients and teaching them how to respond to media inquiries
and interviews. The most important advice a media trainer
can provide is to tell a client to be honest and to be
prepared. Write down a few talking points and try to focus
the interview on those points.
Public
relations firms also work with clients to develop by-lined
articles, like this one. By-lined articles can be especially
effective for professional service firms, such as
architects, engineering firms and property management
companies, because they provide tangible evidence of a
firm's expertise in a given area. Once published, by-lined
articles can be reprinted and used effectively as marketing
collateral.
These
are a few ways that a public relations firm can get "ink"
for your firm. But if you're using your public relations
firm only for publicity, you're not using the firm to your
best advantage.
David P. Kowal is President of Kowal Communications, Inc. of Northboro, Mass. He can be reached at kowal@kowal.com.
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