Public Relations: All the Various Forms
The first thought that usually pops in one's head when thinking about PR is publicity. Generating those awesome news stories in your favorite publications. Ones that tell the whole world about all of your amazing products and services and why everyone should rush to do business with you. While media relations is definitely a core component of the public relations field, that's not all there is to it.
In 2012, the Public Relations Society of America led an international effort to modernize the definition of public relations and the end result was:
“Public relations is a strategic communication process that
builds mutually beneficial relationships between
organizations and their publics.”
Publics. Ding, ding, ding. What exactly are a business's "publics"? Generally, these refer to the different communities of people with which an organization interacts. Customers are a big one. Without customers, there are no sales. And without sales, there's no revenue. And without revenue, a company closes its door. But that's not all. Businesses need to maintain relationships with all of these other groups of people as well.
Let's break them down.
Suppliers - The people that provide the materials or services you need in order to create and offer your own goods and services.
Wholesalers and Retailers - The organizations that buy your goods, and then turn around and sell them directly to a consumer.
Investors - The finance people that provide capital and strategic direction for the growth of your company.
Analysts - Experts that provide insights into industry trends, developing forecasts for growth and new opportunities in your company's field.
Employees - The people that keep the doors open, doing the necessary work to run the day-to-day operations of the company.
Governments - The people that set the rules and regulations for how you do business.
And of course, the Media - The people that provide a mass communication platform to share news and information with a wide audience.
A comprehensive public relations strategy will involve establishing and maintaining effective communications between a business and each of these groups of people. In many cases, the messages will overlap and what is shared with each audience will be symbiotic. However, just like how you talk to your kid versus how you talk to their teacher, the end goal may be the same, but the tactics, phrasing and approach may be different.
Is your business effectively communicating with each of these audiences? Is there a group you're neglecting? Let us help. We can evaluate your current communications strategies and ensure the messaging you want is actually reaching all of your business's publics.
