How can a business owner think like a public relations (PR) professional? That was the question I agreed to address in a recent interview with a business reporter. To answer the question one must first understand what PR is. It is not about promotional gimmicks, special events, press releases or “spin,” but rather a management-level function, based upon market research, and designed to manage the reputation of a company. When an organization puts this on the “back burner,” I am concerned because I don’t understand how anything could be more valuable than the corporate reputation.
In fact, in today’s dynamic communications environment proactive public relations efforts should be a bigger top priority than ever before. In this age of social media anyone can claim to be a journalist. If this is not a major concern for the CEO, then surely the risk management officer sees the red flags. Here are five reasons why PR should be top priority now, just to start:
1. Everyone is subject to a communications crisis.
2. Anyone can be a communications channel.
3. A global media environment means opportunities can multiply worldwide.
4. Our websites and online footprint define us.
5. Your competition will use the channels to define you.
Even without a huge budget, executives can participate in forums, write articles, maintain a web site and comment on articles of interest to the company. To keep this cost effective, I recommend choosing a theme that supports your mission and focusing most communications around that theme as much as possible. This enables you to repeat stories in many formats. In essence you will be recycling information, but establishing yourself as a “thought leader” on a subject that helps define you or your organization. An editor can help to polish what is written, and even a small PR agency can ensure that your knowledge is widely delivered through online and traditional media channels.
Web sites today are designed with content management software so that anyone in your company can easily keep the content current, adding articles, press releases and notices. It is also just as easy for anyone to use free Google tools to see the number of visitors to your site and where they go and what search terms they use.
Even with the inexpensive or free online tools available today, you would be surprised at the number of companies who don’t keep their sites current and don’t know what their visitors want to read or how they search for them. That would be like opening a store and then going on a permanent vacation.
What to do:
• Establish a proactive PR plan.
• Create branding and communications protocol.
• Develop processes for managing communications flow in a crisis.
• Train spokespersons to respond to media inquiries.
• Pump up the news area of web sites and keep information online current.
• Be your own channel of information.
