There is undoubtedly an air of mystery around PR. People seem to know what it is and, more importantly, why it’s valuable in business. But very few are able to accurately describe their PR strategy. Perhaps that’s why there are so few PR examples in the news?
The general view is the PR is all about manipulating public opinions, but that’s totally misunderstanding the point and grossly underestimating the power of PR.
It’s no surprise. We’ve probably all heard the phrase ‘there’s no such thing as bad PR’, but is that really true? By definition it implies that PR revolves around seeking a competitive edge at all costs.
Actually, PR is all about establishing and maintaining positive relationships. They could be with the public, but equally, it might also be with journalists, organisations and communities.
The ultimate aim of PR is to engage people and, at the same time, reinforce the values and beliefs of your business to as wide an audience as possible.
Yes, clearly sales, revenue and profit are the end goals, but putting your faith in PR is an appreciation that no matter how big a business is or which industry it operates in, it requires its target audience to have trust in it.
People buy from people. Nothing will ever change that, even in B2B. These days, it’s imperative that companies put themselves in their customers’ shoes. They need to know what they want from a brand, including trust elements.
Public relations strategies must focus on building awareness of your brand’s honesty, integrity and authenticity. Without those three pillars in place, you’ll never be able to enjoy long-term success.
PR has a place in almost every business strategy. From outbound marketing to internal comms, risk assessment to forward planning, decision-makers must plan every detail.
Because let’s face it: not everything you do will work. Moreover, you’ll make some terrible business decisions at some point. But when you do, a solid PR background will come to the rescue and help prop up your business when you need it to.
Maybe the key issue with PR is accountability. It’s easy to have a PR plan when you’ve not identified what you need it to accomplish. Set some goals in place. Make them ambitious, but achievable. There’s nothing worse than pretending to be something you’re not. Your plan could be as simple as adding a few more Twitter followers… it doesn’t matter.
Just have a plan and a goal.
Hotcow is a non-traditional creative agency that specialises in experiential marketing that goes viral. Our campaigns generate buzz through crowd participation, PR and content sharing. Contact us on 0207 5030442 or email us on info@hotcow.co.uk.
