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Understanding Public Relations and What it Can do for Your Business

By NOELLE BATES
Director of Corporate Communications, Logoworks

Before I joined Logoworks, I worked as a Director of Public Relations for a large corporation. In the company cafeteria one day, I began telling a co-worker, Julie, about some of my job-related frustrations. As I vented, she looked at me with compassion, nodding periodically to let me know she was following along. When I was done she sat silent for a moment and then admitted sheepishly, "I'm not sure what it is you do."

I invited her into my office to give her a quick tutorial about public relations, and as I finished, she exclaimed, "I had no idea that's what public relations was! You know, my dad has a small business he's really trying to get off the ground. He could really use some PR."

Many small business owners find themselves in a similar position as Julie's father - owning or running a small business they're trying to get off the ground. And for these companies, public relations can be a powerful and cost-effective tool for doing just that.

But before we talk about public relations for small businesses, let's talk about what public relations is, and what it is not.

Public relations is the outward expression of a company to it's "public," i.e., its customers, its community, its employees - or any other group that it depends on for its success. How a company communicates with these groups is what is known as "public relations."

A huge facet of public relations, and one that is important for small businesses to understand is called "media relations." Media relations is the arm of public relations that is concentrated on dealing with the media - working with the media to place stories, developing relationships with reporters and journalists, and making sure that the press understands and writes favorably about their company.

Because a media relations strategy usually involves press coverage, many people make the mistake of thinking that PR and advertising are the same thing. They are not.

Think about the following scenario: You are reading your local paper and there's a story about a restaurant in your community. The story talks about the restaurant owner's background, how they serve great food, and what kind of impact the restaurant has had on the community. On the next page there is an advertisement for a different restaurant. The ad communicates the kind of food they serve, dubs themselves the "Best Italian in Town", and lists their hours of operation.

In your mind, what restaurant would you be more inclined to try? If you're like most people, you're going to be more interested in the restaurant in the story. Why? Because the story was written by a third-party and therefore it has credibility. Any restaurant can buy an ad and tell people they have great food. Ads are paid for. Stories are not.

This third-party credibility can do great things for your business. First, reporters are generally considered to be intelligent and accurate in their assessments, so if one writes favorably about your company it acts like a "seal of approval". Second, most companies report an increase in business as a result of favorable press coverage, and your loyal customers feel good about "being in-the-know" and having discovered you first. And last but not least, press coverage energizes your employees and makes them feel proud to be part of a company that the press considers important.

So how do you get the media interested in your company's story? How do you, as a business owner, put together a media relations strategy that will peak the interest of your local paper or TV station?

The first and most basic tool for any publicity effort is the press release. A press release is a statement prepared for distribution to the media. The purpose of a press release is to give journalists information that is useful, accurate and interesting. Keep in mind that it usually takes more than a press release to get coverage, but it's an important component of any media relations strategy.

The second tool for generating press coverage is by "pitching" a story to the media. This involves putting together a story idea that will peak their interest and getting it in front of them, and then working with them to cover and write the story.

These two tools are the most fundamental of any small company's media relations strategy, and while they are not rocket science, they take time and energy to understand and master. For that reason, stay tuned to next month's 'Marketing Tips & Secrets' for an in-depth article on how to write a press release, a pitch, and how to work with the media to get your news or story covered.

Noelle Bates is the Director of Corporate Communications at Logoworks. Prior to joining Logoworks, she cultivated a broad range of public relations experience working at two public relations agencies and as Director of Public Relations at two corporations. During her ten years of experience, Noelle has worked with all forms of media, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Week, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Inc Magazine, Entrepreneur, NPR, NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and many others. You can reach her at noelle@logoworks.com.

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