What do you think of when you hear ‘PR’? When you plug ‘public relations’ into Google Images, the first picture that shows up is a rather unimaginative shot of a corporate representative with several microphones held up to them. I’m certainly not denying that preparing representatives to speak with the media is a very important aspect of PR, but it’s not the only one. We’re in the business of relationships – between businesses, their stakeholders and the public.
Public Relations in the digital world is multi-faceted, creative, strategic and dynamic. I’d love to be dramatic and boldly say: everything your brand does is PR. I like to think I’m not too far off on this one, actually – if it’s visible, you need to be able to own it as part of your brand messaging.
Here are just a few of the things a PR agency can help you out with.
Crisis & Issues Management
Having an issues management strategy in place is a crucial element of PR work, particularly in the digital age. Forget the 24 hour news cycle, you’ll be lucky to get 24 minutes – this is where being prepared pays off. A PR agency will map out any foreseeable issues that could arise for your brand and how to handle them. They’re the ones who’ll jump into action in a crisis with key messaging for each of your stakeholders and a plan to get it out there.
Media Relationships & Representation
PR agencies have contacts in the media industry and are always building new relationships to better serve their clients. A key part of gaining media representation is knowing who to pitch to and what they’ll be interested in – this is where the expertise of a PR consultant comes in. Your PR agency also assists in making decisions on who will represent the company, key messaging and preparations for speaking events.
Social Media
Social Media is such a pervasive part of our daily lives that its management tends to fall into a few disciplines, and PR is one of them. Social media activities act as a form of PR – they are the voice of your brand and the platform opens up a two-way dialogue. A PR consultant can assist in developing and managing response protocols to ensure your socials are always on-brand and responsive to your online community.
Public Relations encompasses many different tactics and can be executed effectively for both small and large scale organisations.
If you’d like to explore how public relations could benefit your business, email us today on info@thinkcommunications.com.au. We’d love to shout you a coffee and discuss your needs.