What do your customers say about your company?
Would you let your major competitor control your sales strategy?
Public relations is an inevitable consequence of being in business. Whether you like it or not, your corporate image evolves with every interaction with clients, investors, competitors, and even between your own employees. Thus, managing perceptions of your company is just as important to the bottom line as what you sell and who buys it. Unfortunately, many companies see PR as a reaction to external forces and lose control over market direction as a result.
As with all other corporate activities PR should be treated as a strategic process. Adopting a strategic PR campaign enables a company to not only compete better in the marketplace, but also be successful across market boundaries. Being proactive rather than reactive means establishing long-term goals that are measurable and repeatable and that will ensure longevity and achievement for the company. The setting of objectives, milestones, and metrics guarantees that any and all PR activities are aligned with the company's objectives and will deliver real results.
By answering the following questions, a strategic process will emerge for PR that will support all of the company's process and goals.
Who are you?
What do others say about us?
What are the corporate objectives?
How can we control the PR process?
Your Internal Identity
The reality is that good PR begins at the office: possessing a strong sense of corporate identity on all levels is key to having a consistent and credible public image. It is the responsibility of management to articulate to all employees the company's mission statement and make it actionable. This is a message that will be repeated and demonstrated to external audiences daily through virtually every company interaction. Employees who believe in the mission statement will display the corporate image through their actions. Indecision, multiple, or conflicting messages at any level will have a negative impact and inadvertently kill any momentum that might be achieved.
By making PR a strategic process and not a reaction to external situations, a consistent message will be developed across all corporate segments. Applied correctly, it is a message that will eventually evolve into corporate attitude and culture. Actively defining the image of your company ultimately impacts the credibility obtained from all sectors: employees, investors, customers, competitors, and the general public. Actions speak louder than words and govern how all outsiders will interact with you. Establishing a mission that is accepted and adopted by every segment of your company will aid in verifying your value.
Your External Identity
Initiating a strategic PR campaign allows your company to control its place in the market by defining perceptions across all segments of the value network. It is more than just a clever marketing campaign to support your products ? it is an extension of the corporate identity. Think about what others say about you - your customers, competition, shareholders, and the general public. In today's economy the response needs to be in harmony.
A coordinated PR strategy is critical to delivering a consistent and compelling message across all of your company's interfaces. The focus is on establishing the company image, and will impact the reception you garner from each of these audiences. Confirming the corporate message needs to practiced with all departments working in unison because conflicting signals will undermine the significance of any future efforts. For example, your marketing team cannot be contradicting what the product team asserts for product capability.
A company's image is most important for non-customers. What do your competitors say about you? Do they take you seriously? Do your suppliers? How about industry analysts? Do potential employees want to work for your company? These impressions do count and can determine the company's maneuverability in a dynamic market by determining access to needed resources and strategic options. Strategic PR delivers a consistent, credible message that establishes a foundation for future efforts and results.
Corporate Strategy Alignment
Knowing your company's short-range and long-term aspirations is vital in setting the tone for any and all PR campaigns. Having a clear direction allows definition of long-term goals and short-term milestones to be set and success to be measured. As with other corporate processes, the PR campaign should be aligned with management's objectives and reinforce the other corporate efforts. Buy-in is needed from all rows and columns in the company's organizational table. Through strategic public relations initiatives, the necessary steps will be developed to implement the plan that will support and promote reaching desired results. Ultimately, by transmitting the company's mission through the attitude and actions of all stakeholders, a common vision will take hold that will ensure success
Increasing Your Perceived Value
Obviously, not all of the aspects of external perception mentioned above can be controlled (i.e. competitors). This is the reason, however, that strategic PR must be implemented as a proactive process. A consistently delivered message, encompassing both words and deeds, across all facets of the corporate identity will mitigate even the worst things that others might say about your company. To ensure success, PR needs to be managed with the same seriousness as sales, product development, and marketing activities. The entire corporate team must believe in the goals (which will be infectious to all who hear the message) and the process (which will generate buy-in at all levels). Most importantly, an executive must be assigned to shape and coordinate the message across the various outlets and channels. Inclusion of an outside PR professional can be a valuable addition, to avoid group-think and maintain objectivity (which underlies credibility).
Conclusions
A strategic PR campaign is an often-neglected component in establishing a company's market position and chances of success. It is not focused on just the marketing or sales team, but provides them with a strong foundation to leverage, built on the attitude and image of the total organization. Like all other important corporate activities, PR must be implemented as a well-defined process that is proactive instead of reactive, with short- and long-term goals as well as objective metrics. By developing this new mindset, your company can maximize its potential by controlling external perceptions.
Agnes Brousseau has more than 14 years of public relations, sales and marketing experience with emphasis on corporate communications. She joined BlabberMouth PR a Vice President of Client Services from JPMorganChase Bank, a leader in investment banking, financial services, asset and wealth management and private equity. As an Austin, Texas-based Branch Manager, she was responsible for over $7 million in sales and increasing the overall ranking for the branch to a top position. As a direct result of her expert communications strategies and sales planning, the branch assumed the number one position in Texas for portfolio growth.
The native Australian began her career in 1988 as a paramedic with Halifax County EMS /Hollister Volunteer Rescue Squad. She transitioned to public relations, where she headed the public relations initiatives for the organization. She was also an EMS, CPR and First Aid Instructor for the State of North Carolina and was the designated community spokesperson for EMS. In 1996 she received a Dedicated Service Award.
For more information, visit http://www.blabbermouthPR.com.
THE NATURE OF MEDIAThirty years ago, Marshall McCluhan, the father... Read More
For business, non-profit or association managers like yourself, survival pretty... Read More
Every reporter, from the cub at the small town paper... Read More
Journalists are trained and often experienced at getting information out... Read More
Imagine that you are a radio producer. You have to... Read More
Just happens to be public relations activity that alters individual... Read More
There'll never be a better time for a manager working... Read More
Attention: Who Else Wants To Get Publicity Whenever You Want... Read More
It's not unusual for clients of service providers to insist... Read More
With all due respect to all those stereotypical males out... Read More
There is a process for successfully getting publicity about your... Read More
Sure, as tactics usually presented to business, non-profit and association... Read More
Recently someone asked me why so many restaurants go out... Read More
As a business, non-profit and association manager, how satisfied are... Read More
The payoff for business, non-profit or association managers can be... Read More
If you want to succeed, build a great team. A... Read More
Writing an effective press release is a way to draw... Read More
Early in my career as a public relations consultant, I... Read More
If you own a franchise and have company vehicles, be... Read More
©2004 Jeffrey DobkinSixty dollars doesn't go a long way in... Read More
Some financial planners think that they shouldn't share their top... Read More
OK, as a manager, your goal is to show a... Read More
Your important outside audiences behave in ways that stop you... Read More
In last year's animated film Shrek II, a giant gingerbread... Read More
In fact, here are three really foolish goofs made by... Read More
Always ask, "Is now a good time?"Deadlines in journalism are... Read More
When most people think about marketing, they think advertising. While... Read More
Although repetition is extremely important, there are times when advertising... Read More
It's safe to say that we live in interesting times.... Read More
Although it seems less common these days, there are still... Read More
What else, for goodness sake, could you as a business,... Read More
The media live by the calendar. Your story pitch might... Read More
The fast changing dynamics of the world economy is forcing... Read More
Almost assuredly you do, especially when your most important external... Read More
Your important outside audiences behave in ways that stop you... Read More
If you are in Australia at the moment, it is... Read More
Whether you are a business, non-profit or association manager, your... Read More
In this great country of ours, there are basically three... Read More
Relationships are based on trust-not just romantic relationships, or doctor/patient... Read More
Well, autumn is upon us and with the onset of... Read More
Tracking your correspondence with reporters, via phone or email, is... Read More
I've worked in media and public relations for 20 years,... Read More
You are a spokesperson for your company, representing it for... Read More
Press reviews are a common and basic feature for surveying... Read More
What do you do with junk mail? Are you like... Read More
You know that getting publicity is vital to the health... Read More
In fact, here are three really foolish goofs made by... Read More
As a business, non-profit and association manager, how satisfied are... Read More
PRESIDENT BUSH TELLS A STORYOn March 18, 2005, President Bush... Read More
If you're an online business using public relations (PR) to... Read More
Southern grandmothers have often said, "there are only three... Read More
Sure. What else do you call a human discipline whose... Read More
"Cindy, where's that story? I need it yesterday!""Coming right up,... Read More
Most business, non-profit and association managers live to tell about... Read More
The media (newspaper, radio, television) can be of enormous help... Read More
The public relations goal and strategy make sense; the message... Read More
"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly... Read More
Say, from tactics like special events, brochures and press releases... Read More
You worked hard to get a story on your business... Read More
If you're like most of my clients, you're probably interested... Read More
When ABC News anchor Peter Jennings announced he had lung... Read More
The words are pop culture heroes.Movies such as "The Insider,"... Read More
Above all, you need to know that the right PR... Read More
Done right, it helps modify the behaviors of your most... Read More
You have a story to tell. Your company has developed... Read More
You can if, as a business, non-profit or association manager,... Read More
Public Relations |