Why PR No Longer Means Public Relations and Other PR Misconceptions?
| Category: PR/Publicity and Media | Date: 2002-12-19 |
Marketing tools like advertising, sales literature, and direct mail are widely employed by all types of business across all industries. But Public Relations remains an underutilized and misunderstood part of the plan. Why? Theres no single answer to why companies are more comfortable with standard marketing tools . . . but, there are a number of basic misconceptions surrounding PR that contribute to its lack, or misuse. To start, there is often confusion surrounding the definition of what PR is.
Introduction
PR is commonly understood to mean Public Relations. The "Public" refers to the companys specific market. This includes customers, potential customers, investors, potential investors, industry analysts, the press, and any outside group that can influence the companys position in the marketplace.
Large companies like Pepsi or Nike have a very large public or market . . . basically anyone whos thirsty or that wears shoes. These companies can directly affect their publics perception through philanthropic events and sponsorship. This kind of Public Relations requires very deep pockets.
For companies with more targeted markets, PR impact is more commonly achieved via the various communications outlets, often lumped together as "the media." So, depending on how you reach your public, you might be using Media Relations, Public Relations, or a combination of both. As a result, "PR" can interchangeably refer to both Media and Public Relations.
Other misconceptions regarding Public Relations does a lot to keep PR agencies in business. You really dont need an agency to successfully use PR as part of your overall marketing program. For medium-sized and smaller companies, its better to solidly establish your PR program in-house before considering an agency. In fact, many large companies manage their PR strategy in-house and often use the agency staff to implement the PR program details.
Before you decide which strategy best fits your company, read on to see what other PR misconceptions might be keeping this cost-effective tool from playing a larger role in your marketing plan.
Common Misconceptions Surrounding PR
1. You can only get great PR coverage if you already have the right press contacts. This is why a lot of companies hire an agency. They think agencies come with all the best press contacts and if the press knows and likes your agency, theyll want to know you too.
If it were actually that simple, there would be a lot fewer PR agencies. Sure, good agencies have positive relationships with the press that can be leveraged into great coverage, but building these relationships is not an exclusive club. Truth be told, the press or industry analysts like hearing the news from the horses mouth. But it has to be news, and it must be presented objectively.
2. The press and industry influencers are gods . . . and your company is unworthy of their absolute all-knowingness. Or conversely, the press and industry influencers are dogs . . . and unable to grasp the magnificence of your company and its product or services. Either of these misconceptions spells death when dealing with the press. The truth is, the press and industry influencers are busy business people . . . just like you.
Their jobs are knowledge-intensive (like yours), and they really appreciate it when they learn about something of value that helps them in their business. Any business person can appreciate this point of view.
So, find out which publications are most appropriate for your company to approach. What is the targeted audience of the publication? Are their readers interests a match with your market? Get to know the various editors interests and what topics they cover. This means someone in your company must invest time actually researching and reading the publications youd like to see your company appear in. But its an investment that will pay off with welcome (even appreciative!) response by editors.
3. Everything new is news and should be brought to all the press attention. Just as no news about your company is bad news . . . too many "who cares?" type of announcements full of self-congratulatory quotes turn editors off.
Neither your agency or in-house PR person will be taken seriously if you expect them to issue a four-page release about your move to a new address. You dont bother the business editor unless your company is the largest employer in the region. Learn to distinguish what information is really news, and what is FYI reference material.
4. PR is a science - so only the professionals can do it right! Yes, PR is a science . . . and that means the fundamentals can be learned. The basic steps for dealing with the press and industry influencers can (and should) be taught to all your senior staff. Your marketing staff can (and should) be trained in the tactics and procedures of public relations.
Obviously, the best coaches are people who have worked in an agency or who have had first-hand experience and demonstrated results managing a companys marketing and press communications. If you have an agency, use them to educate your people. If you already have a PR person on staff, ditto. If you have neither, consider bringing in a specialist to beef up your PR program and eventually train your staff to take over.
5. PR is separate from other marketing tactics or programs. Well, this is partially true. While the overall message used within your PR strategy should match those of your general marketing strategy, the information needs to be written without hype and as objectively as possible.
PR is NOT unpaid advertising. Part of the reason PR is often kept separate from other marketing areas is that editors do not appreciate being viewed as part of any companys marketing program. Agencies often pitch themselves to potential clients as the more objective, unbiased way to approach the press, but think about that. Its pretty obvious whos paying the agency.
6. PR is an administrative task. After all, what does it take to write a press release and develop a press list? Think again! The spokesperson who represents your company holds a massive respon-sibility, whether they are responding to a press inquiry or composing a release explaining why the companys fourth quarter sales did not meet expectations.
The person managing your PR effort must have a keen insight to current and future company goals. Deciding what company news is truly newsworthy, or fielding tough questions from analysts, are not tasks for a junior-level person. Nor should these situations be handled by someone on an "as needed" basis only.
Developing clear, concise and consistent positioning for both your product and company requires participation, cooperation, and commitment across all senior management.
While (as we suggest in #4) the fundamentals of PR can, and should, be taught, how well those tactics are implemented depends on the person you entrust with the job. Anyone associated with your companys PR program should be quick-witted, detail-oriented, and readily available to take press calls.
7. If I hire an agency I dont have to worry about PR. Companies often buy into an agency based on the strategies put forth by the agency principals at the pitch meeting. They think, "Geez these guys are good! Wed be lucky to have them working for us." But once the program is underway, you hear from those principals less and less and find yourself dealing more and more with the tactics people.
At a good agency, the junior people are probably better than most, but you still need a senior-level strategist to assess all the messages going out (collateral, releases, advertising) as well as the feedback to those messages (articles, press, industry and public opinion.) This is essential to determine if the company and product messages are being received loud and clear.
It becomes critical to manage any agency you hire as you would manage your in-house PR staff. And dont shy away from assigning performance metrics to the agency as you would your in-house staff.
You need to remember that an agency builds upon the message you tell them to build upon. The key is to have that message set before you even approach any agency.
Final Thoughts
Public Relations is one of the most economical marketing tools your company can use. Invest in improving your companys PR, and over time youll be repaid with an upswing in name recognition and increased positive perception of your company and products.
About the author.
Mitchell Goozй is the president and founder of Customer Manufacturing Group. For a complimentary subscription to Customer Manufacturing Updates: call (800) 947-0140 or visit the company website at customermanufacturing.com.
info@customermfg.com
http://www.customermanufacturing.com.
Introduction
PR is commonly understood to mean Public Relations. The "Public" refers to the companys specific market. This includes customers, potential customers, investors, potential investors, industry analysts, the press, and any outside group that can influence the companys position in the marketplace.
Large companies like Pepsi or Nike have a very large public or market . . . basically anyone whos thirsty or that wears shoes. These companies can directly affect their publics perception through philanthropic events and sponsorship. This kind of Public Relations requires very deep pockets.
For companies with more targeted markets, PR impact is more commonly achieved via the various communications outlets, often lumped together as "the media." So, depending on how you reach your public, you might be using Media Relations, Public Relations, or a combination of both. As a result, "PR" can interchangeably refer to both Media and Public Relations.
Other misconceptions regarding Public Relations does a lot to keep PR agencies in business. You really dont need an agency to successfully use PR as part of your overall marketing program. For medium-sized and smaller companies, its better to solidly establish your PR program in-house before considering an agency. In fact, many large companies manage their PR strategy in-house and often use the agency staff to implement the PR program details.
Before you decide which strategy best fits your company, read on to see what other PR misconceptions might be keeping this cost-effective tool from playing a larger role in your marketing plan.
Common Misconceptions Surrounding PR
1. You can only get great PR coverage if you already have the right press contacts. This is why a lot of companies hire an agency. They think agencies come with all the best press contacts and if the press knows and likes your agency, theyll want to know you too.
If it were actually that simple, there would be a lot fewer PR agencies. Sure, good agencies have positive relationships with the press that can be leveraged into great coverage, but building these relationships is not an exclusive club. Truth be told, the press or industry analysts like hearing the news from the horses mouth. But it has to be news, and it must be presented objectively.
2. The press and industry influencers are gods . . . and your company is unworthy of their absolute all-knowingness. Or conversely, the press and industry influencers are dogs . . . and unable to grasp the magnificence of your company and its product or services. Either of these misconceptions spells death when dealing with the press. The truth is, the press and industry influencers are busy business people . . . just like you.
Their jobs are knowledge-intensive (like yours), and they really appreciate it when they learn about something of value that helps them in their business. Any business person can appreciate this point of view.
So, find out which publications are most appropriate for your company to approach. What is the targeted audience of the publication? Are their readers interests a match with your market? Get to know the various editors interests and what topics they cover. This means someone in your company must invest time actually researching and reading the publications youd like to see your company appear in. But its an investment that will pay off with welcome (even appreciative!) response by editors.
3. Everything new is news and should be brought to all the press attention. Just as no news about your company is bad news . . . too many "who cares?" type of announcements full of self-congratulatory quotes turn editors off.
Neither your agency or in-house PR person will be taken seriously if you expect them to issue a four-page release about your move to a new address. You dont bother the business editor unless your company is the largest employer in the region. Learn to distinguish what information is really news, and what is FYI reference material.
4. PR is a science - so only the professionals can do it right! Yes, PR is a science . . . and that means the fundamentals can be learned. The basic steps for dealing with the press and industry influencers can (and should) be taught to all your senior staff. Your marketing staff can (and should) be trained in the tactics and procedures of public relations.
Obviously, the best coaches are people who have worked in an agency or who have had first-hand experience and demonstrated results managing a companys marketing and press communications. If you have an agency, use them to educate your people. If you already have a PR person on staff, ditto. If you have neither, consider bringing in a specialist to beef up your PR program and eventually train your staff to take over.
5. PR is separate from other marketing tactics or programs. Well, this is partially true. While the overall message used within your PR strategy should match those of your general marketing strategy, the information needs to be written without hype and as objectively as possible.
PR is NOT unpaid advertising. Part of the reason PR is often kept separate from other marketing areas is that editors do not appreciate being viewed as part of any companys marketing program. Agencies often pitch themselves to potential clients as the more objective, unbiased way to approach the press, but think about that. Its pretty obvious whos paying the agency.
6. PR is an administrative task. After all, what does it take to write a press release and develop a press list? Think again! The spokesperson who represents your company holds a massive respon-sibility, whether they are responding to a press inquiry or composing a release explaining why the companys fourth quarter sales did not meet expectations.
The person managing your PR effort must have a keen insight to current and future company goals. Deciding what company news is truly newsworthy, or fielding tough questions from analysts, are not tasks for a junior-level person. Nor should these situations be handled by someone on an "as needed" basis only.
Developing clear, concise and consistent positioning for both your product and company requires participation, cooperation, and commitment across all senior management.
While (as we suggest in #4) the fundamentals of PR can, and should, be taught, how well those tactics are implemented depends on the person you entrust with the job. Anyone associated with your companys PR program should be quick-witted, detail-oriented, and readily available to take press calls.
7. If I hire an agency I dont have to worry about PR. Companies often buy into an agency based on the strategies put forth by the agency principals at the pitch meeting. They think, "Geez these guys are good! Wed be lucky to have them working for us." But once the program is underway, you hear from those principals less and less and find yourself dealing more and more with the tactics people.
At a good agency, the junior people are probably better than most, but you still need a senior-level strategist to assess all the messages going out (collateral, releases, advertising) as well as the feedback to those messages (articles, press, industry and public opinion.) This is essential to determine if the company and product messages are being received loud and clear.
It becomes critical to manage any agency you hire as you would manage your in-house PR staff. And dont shy away from assigning performance metrics to the agency as you would your in-house staff.
You need to remember that an agency builds upon the message you tell them to build upon. The key is to have that message set before you even approach any agency.
Final Thoughts
Public Relations is one of the most economical marketing tools your company can use. Invest in improving your companys PR, and over time youll be repaid with an upswing in name recognition and increased positive perception of your company and products.
About the author.
Mitchell Goozй is the president and founder of Customer Manufacturing Group. For a complimentary subscription to Customer Manufacturing Updates: call (800) 947-0140 or visit the company website at customermanufacturing.com.
info@customermfg.com
http://www.customermanufacturing.com.
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