Why You Need A Pr Program

One question that business owners repeatedly ask is, 'Why do I need a public relations program?' Although the answer may seem obvious to PR practitioners, it's not so obvious to business owners and executives. A basic understanding of why PR is necessary hinges upon an understanding of America today.

The reason that just about any organization needs some form of PR is based upon two factors prevalent: (1) constant change and (2) information overload.

Constant change has an impact on business communications because the message and the players will change with the passage of time. Players (decision-makers, clients, staff, etc.) are constantly moving on and off stage. Understandings and business relationships established last week, last month, or last year are no longer valid and have to be constantly rejuvenated.

Information overload (too many messages, too many media) has resulted in the intended audience erecting self-defensive filters. Your business message has to get through those filters. Traditional channels-advertising, direct mail, telemarketing-are losing their effectiveness.

A PR campaign should position an organization as legitimate. Editorial (print or electronic) coverage builds the potential to get across the totality of the message-current posture, goals, competitive uniqueness, plans for the future, and skills as an executive. When this is presented as a news story, there's a higher potential that it will be read (comprehended). Try to accomplish this with your advertising program.

Let's examine the two factors of constant change and information overload that make PR a necessity, and some of the benefits you might expect from a PR program:

Change is constant. I recently contacted the vice presidents of marketing of high-tech firms in Massachusetts. Working from a directory only five months old, I found a 35% turnover of the individuals with this title. That's only one industry in one geographic area. Consider also that a commonly accepted statistic in the direct mail business is that any list at best has 20% inaccuracies. In this environment, keeping an accurate image of the agency in front of the intended audience requires constant visibility (publicity).

Publicity affects the 'players' in these ways:

• CURRENT CLIENTS-Clients know you and will have an interest in a story about you. Think about it-when you see a story about someone you do business with, don't you mention this to your peers? Clients might also learn about an additional service or product that they didn't know about before.
• POTENTIAL CLIENTS-A potential client in the market for services/products will be attuned to stories about the suppliers of those services or products. If the coverage hits a responsive chord, they might call. Or your marketing efforts simply might get more recognition or response.
• BANKERS/INVESTORS/CARRIERS-Credibility is an important factor in creditworthiness and investments. Hi-tech start-ups know this, and it's not for nothing that PR advisors have established themselves as important 'must-haves' on a start-up shopping list.
• STAFF (CURRENT & POTENTIAL)-Any business owner will list 'people' as a major problem-finding and retaining good staff. Having a good image in the media goes a long way toward attracting new staff and convincing current staff that the grass isn't necessarily greener elsewhere.
• OTHER INFLUENTIAL PARTIES-At the top of this list might be local politicians and government officials. If you are perceived as a good corporate citizen and industry leader, many peripheral items can be influenced, from permits to legislative input. The laws affect you as a business owner, and your ability to provide input and influence can be based on image as perceived by the media. The larger PR firms call this 'public affairs' (a blend of PR and lobbying).

The typical individual is bombarded by an estimated 3,000 messages a week through various media. No one can digest that level of information, let alone comprehend it. So we put on 'filters' and become highly selective of the information that we choose to digest.

One typical filter is to restrict our input to 'scanning' the news and business media. Letting the editorial staffs filter out the unwanted and unnecessary, we scan what they offer. It's not a bad approach. If the editors thought a story was worthwhile to write about (or broadcast), why not give it a quick read or a few minutes attention? For this reason, it has been estimated that the typical reader/viewer gives editorial coverage about twice the validity of advertising. The news media is always looking for an interesting angle and this can help get the message across in several ways:

• SUCCESS-Everybody likes a winner, or a Horatio Alger story. That's why In Search of Excellence was such a hit. If you are successful (and success has many definitions), it's potentially newsworthy.
• NEW TRENDS-An up-and-coming trend, or business that is developing the trend, is a newsworthy story. I ran a highly successful PR program for a sausage maker that was based partially on their developing new products for the consumer. This was newsworthy because it was in an industry that 'hadn't seen a new idea in a hundred years.'
• UNIQUENESS-If a person does something different that sets him or her apart from the crowd, that's a good story angle. In Search of Excellence was a hit in part because mediocrity had become the rule.
• ORIGINALITY-Are you the first with a concept or idea? Pizzeria Uno sells pizzas. Nothing original there, but since 1949, Ike Sewells' deep-dish Chicago pie was original. The company just went public.
• HUMAN INTEREST-People like to read about other interesting people. That's why there's a magazine called People. Ted Turner has exploited this greatly. Remember his defense of the America's Cup, and years later his attempted takeover of CBS? You have to be well-known to think you can raise billions of dollars.

A well-run PR program can provide dividends far beyond the immediate and the obvious. However, it requires a dedication to the long-term outlook. Then again, success seldom comes overnight. A savvy business owner, instead of asking 'Why do I need PR?', might ask him- or herself, 'Why didn't I start a PR program sooner?'