PR captures a company’s core messages and communicates this value to its target market through various media channels. Public Relations is the art of effective communication between a brand and its markets that does not come in the form of advertising. Whether you manage your own PR or employ a specialist or agency to do it for you, if done right public relations can yield the most spectacular of returns and adds tremendous value to any business. Here are some of the benefits associated with good PR.

Introduces your identity to the world

Just as every business needs a business plan, they also need some fundamental literature or content that fully, accurately and positively describes their strengths, benefits, core values and philosophy, products and overall identity. Effective public relations handle this process by defining these concepts correctly and communicating it in a manner that bests suits your business goals.

 Increase brand awareness and gets you noticed

Public Relations in one of its core roles, generates publicity for its respective clients, whether it be press releases or radio interviews. PR aims to get your story coverage and increase your brand exposure when you have something interesting to say. Leveraging long lasting media relations for the means of getting their clients noticed is the bread and butter of any PR professional.

Enhance your role in the community

Effective PR looks and finds opportunities to get involved in community outreach as well as other societally beneficial programs. From speeches before local and national groups to contributing money and company recourses to charities, public relations experts look for ways to include their clients in giving back to the community. They are then able to effectively communicate this story with the relevant markets and press and greatly enhance an organizations standing in a community.

Takes charge in a crisis

In times of crisis, having an effective strategy for repairing damage and maintaining as positive a standing in the community is key for effective PR. A smart CEO within the communications marketplace we find ourselves in today should always have access to legal advice on the one hand and good PR advice on the other in times of crisis. In recent times public opinion whether justified or not can be far more damaging than the actual facts and as such having the ability to

Enhances credibility

Good PR is tremendously more valuable and a lot cheaper than advertising when it comes to increasing brand awareness and credibility. Although a necessity and an effective method of increasing profitability within an organisation, advertising has become less and less effective as people are more and more desensitized to advertising in general. Apart from having advertising shoved down their throats on a continual basis, people also expect advertising content to be of a positive nature and as such are less trusting of it. Publicity on the other hand has no such guarantees. The news media, as opposed to advertising media, are perceived as far more objective and therefore positive content in this format is received with far less scepticism and generally produces a much high return when compared to advertising.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Please let us know how good PR has benefitted you.