The Secret Power of Public Relations

Companies that are not using public relations are missing an essential communications channel to reach prospects and customers – and to build their brand.

PR opens a new door, a new channel: media coverage, usually at a cost lower than equivalent traditional advertising. And, it’s often seen as more credible than advertising.

Many PR practitioners believe that unpaid media (generally defined as editorial coverage generated in any medium) offers three to five times the credibility of paid media (advertising). This multiplier effect is based on the long-held belief that consumers regard news coverage as more credible than advertising.

The success of public relations is based on how it is implemented, given that it is a very relationship based communications tool. A large part of the value is in creating a good media relationship.

Simply sending out one news release will likely have a very small, if any, impact on sales or brand. Instead, create PR tools such as case studies, white papers, customer testimonial statements, educational articles and regular news releases for your Web site or distribution.

However, a well developed, ongoing public relations program can have a significant impact, because it increases your company’s visibility to the media and in the media. Recurring media mentions also boost your brand and top of mind awareness, especially if you are providing content of value.

How can your company implement an effective public relations program? To keep it simple, you can:

• Develop lists of media contacts (and their contact information) for key trade publications, business journals, blogs, Web sites or local media
• Reach out to media contacts to let them know who you are and what kinds of editorial content/industry expertise you can provide
• Create and distribute one news release per month on a newsworthy topic and include a link back to your Web site (releases are great for generating inbound links to your Web site, which improves your Google site rankings)
• Develop offers such as white papers, case studies or industry trend pieces that you can offer for free download on your Web site
• Distribute important news to your media lists as well as through national distribution services such as PR Web for as little as $200
• Integrate all your media efforts with social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and others

The real secret for PR success is an ongoing program that creates editorial content of value and keeps your name in front of the media and starts establishing your company as a provider of industry expertise.

P.S. If you are interested, a recent Pew Research Center poll finds that television remains the dominant news source for the public, with 71 percent saying that they get most of their national and international news from television. Forty-two percent say that they get most of their news on these subjects from the Internet, compared with 33 percent who cite newspapers. Last December (2008), for the first time in a Pew Research Center survey, more people said they obtained most of their national and international news from the Internet than those who said that newspapers were their main source.

Jim Thebeau
CEO, Henry Russell Bruce
jthebeau@hrb-ideas.com
800-728-2656