Public relations

The purposes of a Public Relations person are as follows:

To enhance the reputation of a company

Also known as “Reputation Protectors” and “Image Creators”

Turnaround the company into crisis to a normal situation

To cerate product awareness

To enhance brand awareness and brand recall

Creating impressive press releases about the product re-launch, events, exhibition, new product introduction etc.

Public Relations are a higher level of communication strategy where in we take our client's brand ahead by being activists and consultants. We understand the client’s product and industry where he wants or decides to grow and this is achieved through various tools. The most important of the tools, being media which includes the following: Print, broadcast, online and now digital.

The following are the qualities expected out of a PR person:

Willing to work long hours

Ability to find new networks/contacts

Good communication skills both written and oral

Adept in time management

Ability to do multi tasks

Masters in media or advertising qualification

Operational planning etc.

Advertising Promotion

It is a one way communication process

The message coverage is payable to mass media

Agency controls the timing

Purpose of advertising is to create an awareness about product/services in order to make a sale

Advertising content is creative in nature

Public Relations

It is a two way communication process

The message coverage in mass media is not payable

Media controls the timing

Purpose of public relation is to create and enhance the reputation of any company

It provides the real content

Advantages of an in-house PR department

The main advantage of setting up an internal PR department is that the team will focus only on the company products and its markets. They will act as an effective spokes persons for building the reputation of the company.

Disadvantages of an in-house PR department

The main disadvantage is that one person should do all the work due to non –availability of additional man power that involves the cost factor to it. Therefore, the lack of resources limits the visibility of the company and product awareness in the market place.

An interactive public relation is a process which uses the internet as a medium to communicate messages to the public. The various elements comprising of interactive PR are as follows:

Search engines

Social media marketing

Web 2.0 technologies

Developing blogs

Online press releases

Podcasting

Webinars

The main objective of interactive public relations is to use the power of web media to the maximum potential beyond the limit of traditional media. And it helps to have a direct dialogue with customers and potential target audience.

Advantages of appointing a PR consultancy

The main advantage of appointing a PR consultancy is to minimize the budget criteria and to maximize the knowledge potential of consulting team for welfare of the organization. Therefore, the media contacts will help the organization to enhance the company and brand awareness.

Disadvantages of appointing a PR consultancy

There is a great possibility that the outsourcing of PR results in distraction from the PR agency focusing on other clients and also not able to synch with the company’s internal culture.

The following are the reasons for exhibiting at trade shows:

Generating new sale leads

Creating product/service awareness to target audience

Actual sales can be made at the counter

A platform to introduce new products and services

A place to prospect potential customers

Live product/service demonstrations

Enhancing corporate image

Improving the brand visibility

The following are the factors considered for selecting a PR consultant:

Be a subject matter expert and specialist in the PR domain

Able to demonstrate the excellent writing skills

Knowledge of different writing styles

Having expertise in media management and measurement

Consultancy fees etc.