The Importance of Public Relations
- Community Connections
- Reputation Building
- Recruitment and Retention
- Build Investor Interest
- Tell a Story
Public relations involves creating and managing an organization’s image, and it is important to the success of any organization. Public relations professionals often have a communications degree, and this ability to communicate effectively in both speech and writing is a critical element of effective public relations. Below are five ways the work of public relations professionals is crucial for an organization.
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1. Community Connections
Building a connection with the community can be important for many organizations, and one element of a strong public relations strategy involves a symbiotic relationship with the community. This strategy might include attending community functions, donating time to charity or sponsoring charity events, and joining groups. This has the effect of raising a business’s profile in the community in a positive way. In return, the business is able to make connections and create ties with other local businesses.
2. Reputation Building
Every organization, no matter how well-intentioned, can make a misstep from time to time. This could be in the form of unhappy customers on social media or an advertising campaign that goes wrong, or it could be more serious. While there are firms that specialize in reputation management that can be useful in a crisis, an organization should think of reputation building as something that is ongoing and not simply a reactive response to a one-time mistake. Public relations is important to an organization at all times. If business contacts and customers already have a positive association with the organization and the organization has built strong professional ties, any potential PR problems will be far less catastrophic.
3. Recruitment and Retention
People often think of PR as having to do with how an organization presents itself to those outside the organization, but PR can also have a significant positive effect on employees and potential employees. Retaining employees that an organization has spent time and money training and bringing in the brightest people in the field can be a challenge for some organizations. A strong public image bolstered by good PR can significantly increase employee morale and also make the company attractive to talented job seekers.
4. Build Investor Interest
Investors are another group of people that may not immediately spring to mind as a PR target but that can be critical to an organization’s success. According to Forbes, investors often look for firms to invest in by reviewing media coverage. PR strategies can include placing articles in the publications that these investors will read, and an overall strong strategy shows investors that the organization is serious about long-term success.
5. Tell a Story
Ultimately, PR is all about storytelling, and this is one reason a communications degree can be such valuable training for a PR professional. A strong PR strategy allows a company to control every aspect of its story from origin through growth to the present day. It can frame the company’s goals and mission statement in a way that engages customers, employees, and investors and firmly establish its brand in public consciousness.
Public relations should not be an afterthought but an integral part of the strategy for any organization. From building community ties to reaching out to potential employees and investors and more, public relations is important to an organization’s ability to achieve success in both the short and long term.