Public Relations is A Must, Why and How?

Public relations is a vital strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between the public and the company. The main goal of public relations (PR) is to introduce the company to the public and internal parties properly. 

To reach that goal, the PR team needs to build and implement a solid strategy to increase brand awareness, spread information about their events and products, as well as maintain a good brand image. A solid PR campaign will bring in more customers and investors, which will lead the company to its success.   

Public Relations Definition 

Below are the definitions of public relations according to PR experts. 

- “PR is the art of convincing others of a company, brand, or product’s relevance, rather than simply telling them.” - Charlie de Mierre, Creative Director at Porter Novelli London 

- “PR is the process of making a heartfelt connection between a person or organization and the people who can truly benefit from and care about their message.” - Shennandoah Diaz, Brass Knuckles Media  

- “Public relations is the creation, distribution, and dissemination of messaging and communications to promote and foster positive awareness, associations, imagery, perception of a person, place or thing among a particular target audience to effect a desired behavior.” - Dan Gersten 

- “PR is a set of activities aimed at increasing a vendor’s positive exposure with its markets.” - Lee Greenhouse, Greenhouse Associates 

- “Public relations is a management function that establishes and maintains two-way, mutual relationships and communications between an organization and its publics and stakeholders (i.e. those who have a stake, such as employees, shareholders, etc.) that often determine their success or failure.” - Beth Harte, The Harte of Marketing

Public Relations Type 

PR is divided into 2 types, which are: internal PR and external PR. Read the explanation below.  

1. Internal PR

The internal PR aims to maintain a healthy and good relationship between the company and its internal parties, such as the employees and shareholders. 

Effective internal PR activities can uplift the employees’ motivation and manage internal communication either with the employees or investors. This can enhance their satisfaction which will maintain their trust and loyalty to the company. 

Here are some examples of internal PR: 

- Implementing the listening sessions and employee surveys to understand their challenges and troubles. This way, the company can provide effective outcomes accordingly.    

- Setting up a company library to make it easier for the employees to find policies, documents, etc. 

- Producing internal podcasts as an engaging way to communicate the company and industry updates. This can be an entertainment channel to increase the employees’ mood. 

- Creating an internal platform where all the employees can share their experiences and the company can share information about upcoming internal events as well as other essential information, such as policy changes (along with a clear background).   

- Holding a wide meeting for a major announcement, especially during a crisis.        

- Holding an event where the company gives awards to the outstanding employees as well as provides them a live music performance along with delicious foods and beverages.  

- As for the investors, the company needs to provide regular reports from some departments, such as finance, HR, and marketing. These reports should be stored in an online folder that has limited access (only for the interested parties). 

2. External PR              

External PR aims to spread the company’s good news and image to the public. It can be done by doing these things:

- Publishing press releases for new product or service launches, an event, new partnerships, and many more newsworthy things. 

- Creating and implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns to maintain good relationships with the public and government as well as build an awesome brand image. 

- Working with the marketing team to use paid advertising channels to increase brand awareness and eventually increase sales as well.  

- Holding a PR event to increase brand awareness or promote a new product or service. 

- Dealing with the government when needed, which needs a great presentation from an experienced spokesperson. 

In conclusion, public relations is a set of activities that aim to spread good information of a company, whether it is for internal parties or external parties. A great PR campaign can increase brand awareness, create a good image, get new investors and partners, as well as increase sales.