Reputation
Can you name a business owner who isn’t concerned with their reputation?
Thriving businesses with bad reputations simply do not exist. People associate
with people they like and trust. It’s one of the many reasons we’re in business.
Public relations serves as the conscience of an organization. The C-suite relies
on our strategic approach to maintain a company’s credibility in the marketplace.
Clients turn to us to guide them, help shape company culture, and identify
opportunities to display their commitment to employees and the community. It’s
our job to influence an organization’s trustworthiness, dedication to stakeholders
and corporate citizenship, and then share that story with the public.
Results
If you want to spark an instant friendship with a public relations professional,
offer their client a seat on “Good Morning America.” With nearly 5 million viewers,
it’s one of America’s most-watched morning news programs – a coveted
opportunity.
However, smart public relations practitioners know it’s not just about getting
a big opportunity. The true value of our profession is not our output. It’s our
outcomes. While it’s nice to set a goal of distributing five press releases a
year or securing 10 high-profile interviews for your CEO, the real question is:
What results will your efforts achieve?
Our business is a social science. Our clients want customers, voters, advocates
and friends, and we have to figure out how to get there. We can’t just secure
opportunities with shows like “Good Morning America” for the sake of a good
story. We must secure meaningful opportunities that will motivate audiences in
thought and action. We must achieve results.
Public relations should dovetail not only the company’s overall marketing plans,
but also its strategic business plan. Your objectives should reflect the company’s
objectives and have an impact on the bottom line. That’s how you get a
boardroom seat. That’s how you influence company strategy. And that’s how
you ultimately drive the best results.
So, what’s that =
You can’t do a job well unless you know what’s expected of you. The sum of
these parts is our take on what our clients expect of a good public relations
practitioner.
And equally important to success is that your client knows you can do the math.
C u r l e y & P y n n Pu b l i c R e l a t i o n s M a n a g e m e n t | 7