Bringing Business to Business

You Use a PR Firm to Prevent Bad Publicity Right?

July 19, 2013 at 10:09 pm Leave a comment

Well, yes, but…

There’s a misconception that we spend our days as PR practitioners putting out fires. If something goes wrong with your company, it’s public and you need communications counsel on how to diffuse the situation, you call us.

Indeed, we receive, handle and thrive on these calls (or emails), but to think that’s all we do is incorrect. We are much more than the number you call when there’s a crisis. We are more than fire extinguishers.

There are actually a number of public relations disciplines, and we wear many hats for our clients. We are strategists, planners, coaches and campaign facilitators. Proactively engaging in “good PR” on an ongoing basis is important for a company’s brand and marketing.

As strategists, we meet with our clients to learn everything about their businesses – their values, culture, business development and marketing goals, etc. – and use this information to determine the best approach to a comprehensive and beneficial public relations campaign.

As planners, we determine timelines, the right tools and the communications vehicles for clients’ campaigns. We identify target audiences and provide tangible steps for reaching these audiences.

As coaches, we support our clients every step of the way, such as media interview preparation and training. We always counsel with an eye toward clients’ big-picture goals and marketing messages. We serve as an extension of our clients’ marketing teams, and we love to make them “look good” to the rest of the company.

As facilitators, we sit in the driver’s seat of a campaign and shoulder as much of “the work” as possible. We write strategic content, nurture reporter and editor relationships, pitch the media (in many more ways than one), place byline articles, research and secure speaking opportunities, conduct social media audits, and much more.

So, our days aren’t always infused with a rush of crisis adrenaline. Sorry to disappoint. For our clients’ sake, we’d rather be methodical and proactive, rather than laying low or worse – entirely reactive.

— Melinda Hepp

Entry filed under: Public Relations.