The Changing Role of Public Relations
admin | Thursday, November 5th, 2009 | No Comments »
Public relations plays an important part in any company’s overall plan. With the increasing ability to perform one’s own PR, the advocation of actually doing so may be increasing as well. PR may mean different things for different companies in different areas, but it essentially serves a similar purpose: to inform the public (consumers, buyers, etc.) of company news that may affect them. Moreover, PR can be a tool to connect with buyers instead of just informing them of the latest board member change or hoping to steal them away from something else they may be doing.
Before, in order to get noticed, a company had to buy advertising space or convince a journalist to write a story. Now, a story can reach hundreds of thousands of people in an instant with the Internet’s wide array of tools. A company can blog, Tweet, or share on Facebook. Instead of waiting for a middleman to take a story and distribute it, you’re free to connect with your consumers, directly. What an amazing opportunity!
While PR is still serving as relations to the public, it has become public again. Companies don’t need secret contact lists or to ask favors of journalists; they can make the PR moves themselves, send out stories and press releases on their own, and let others pick up the story. Don’t get me wrong; contacts in the press and media are necessary for local news and news that perhaps has more of an impact on people. This may require the assistance of a PR firm or agency that has more contacts and more experience in getting stories picked up.
The great thing about the shifting power and the increased PR potential is that PR efforts don’t have to be just about creating hype or buzz about the company or product. Companies can use the tools online to create a more genuine, trust-worthy image through PR they do themselves. PR is already more trustworthy than advertising, and being an open book and readily available contact can only further strengthen your company’s image. Customers can connect directly with you, and vice versa. There is potential for greater exchanges and better relationships.
Consumers are inundated with advertising on a minute to minute basis; when they come to your website or blog, they are looking for information, so provide it! Instead of creating a landing page that will sell or promote your products or services, offer something of value to your consumers, such as a way to get in touch with you, a way to connect with others who love your company, and a way to feel a sense of belonging. The alienation and distance between companies and consumers is a thing of the past.
Some old PR tactics will still work in the “new age” of PR, but most won’t; there are new tactics to learn and new strategies to implement with the ever changing tool box that PR professionals (and novices) have at their disposal. Online, marketing and PR have become somewhat synonymous with one another; if you were to contact another blogger with a story and they featured it, it could be considered PR, but if you were to put out a press release yourself, that could be considered marketing. Where do you draw the distinction?
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