A public relations plan is the interaction of a business with its customer base and prospective customers. This interaction can take various forms, including events such as trade shows, marketing promotions, customer𝓡 relations initiatives, and other such efforts in which the business and the public interact.

Public companies also have an 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:investor relations department for interactions with t꧒heir stoc📖kholders.

Is Public Relations the New Marketing?

Public relations i▨s a catch-all term for the dissemination o🔯f newsworthy information to the media—niche magazines and trade journals, newspapers, radio, television, and the internet.

To maximize the sales potential of any business, large or small, a public relations program should be part of the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:master marketing plan. Marketing is a vital compon🧔ent of a sustainable business. Generally, public relations is less expensive than advertisingꩲ and is best used as a complement to marketing efforts.

Advertising Expenses vs. Public Relations

Advertising expenses usually include a creative fee for copywriting, art, and model fees, along with additional costs which can accumulate even before the costs of distributing the message through print, broadcast, internet,🌳 or billboard.

A public relations program can be less costly while still creating a major impact among both established and potential customers for a company's goods and services.

Effective public relations can ꦬincrease sales, create a competitive edg🍌e over business rivals, and, eventually, improve profitability.

Another aspect of public relations can be just as important. When things go bad for a company, such as a product recall, a major product liability lawsuit, bankruptcy, or othඣer potentially damaging situations, an effective public relations initiative can minimize or eliminate the negative fallout. I🌸n these cases, public relations is often called "crisis management."

The recent trend of major 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:advertising agencies buying global public relations firms or establishing full-service public relations divisions within their agencies reflects the importance oꦗf public relation💃s as a marketing tool on a par with traditional advertising

What Effective Public Relations Can Accomplish

The 🎀following are some of the positive ꧅outcomes of a successful public relations department:

• Attract attention to a company and raise its visibility in a competitive market niche
• Generate interest in and enthusiasm for a company's goods and or services
• Create buzz for new products or services through social media or in social circles
• Enhance the credibility of a company and polish its image
• Defuse a crisis, minimizing the potential damage

Public Relations and Publicity

Newsworthy public relations events can get publicity for a business. But the media must be informed of the event or occurrence. This is usually done by sending a news release or press release (the terms are interchangeable) to the media in which the ♔information is intended to appear.

Newsworthy events may include:

• The introduction of a new product or service
• An executive's promotion or retirement
• The opening or closing of a manufacturing plant or retail outlet
• An 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:acquisition or sale of a subsidiary
• Company sponsorship of a charity event or fundraiser
• Funding college or university scholarships
• Demonstrations of new, complex products
• Free services for seniors, children, veterans, or any other special group to build traffic and introduce potential customers to a business
• Contests related to a specific business
• Special events tied to a specific business

Whatever the business, there are ways to 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:attract media attention to the company thrℱough anꦍ innovative public relations effort.

What Won't Get Publicity

Sales events are not꧋ public relations initiatives and are not likely to get media exposure.

No matter how the sales events are promoted—clearance sales, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:fire sales, bankruptcy sales, lost-our-lease sales, and the like are best publ🌺icized through advertising because editors will not, 🗹in most cases, regard these as news stories.

There are excepti🍬ons to the rule, like the coverage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales by many websites and publications.

Writing the Press Release ❀and Contacting the Media🌳

The news release describing the planned public relations event may be written in-house ♔by a regular employee. Or, a publi🐟c relations consultant or agency may be hired to provide that service.

If the news release is written by an outside public relations consultant or agency, competitive price bids may be solicited from several sources. There are several advan🧜tages to hiring an outside consultant or agency to ൩handle the news release.

Where a Press Release Goes

If you're new to press relations, you may well wonder how to get your message out. Before the press release is even written, make a list of media you want to target. Telephone the media outlets and get the name, e-mail address, and phone number of the editors to whom the story will be sent.

A busi🉐ness-related story like an executive promotion or a new 𝕴store opening should be sent to the business editor.

A story that may appeal to the public at large💞 should be sent to the city editor or feature editor.

There are editors with similar functions at all media outlets, iꦉncludin✤g internet sites. Releases should be sent via the U.S. Postal Service with e-mail as a backup.

Crisis Management

Sometimes things go wrong for a firm. Serious problems such as a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:product recall, a product 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:liability lawsuit, a ꦛstrike, or a bankruptcy damage the image of the company affected.

Public relations experts who handle problems such as these are called crisis managers. When there is a problem, a crisis management team may t꧃ake the following actions:

• Address the media and public as soon as possible without stonewalling facts or delaying disclosures
• Deal with the media and public with complete candor
• Retain competent legal counsel if necessary

The Bottom Line

Companies that understand public relations principles and employ them ꧑regularly may enjoy a competitive advan🧸tage over rivals that are not public relations savvy.

Among the beneficial results of 🔥strategic public relations are increased sales, increased customer traffic, a continual buzz or talk about a company that is frequently menti♛oned positively in the media, and a shining image in the eyes of customers and potential customers.