Public Relations Strategies
By Gregory G. Marasco
Public Relations can be described as the management of an organization’s
relationships with its “targeted publics” while simultaneously being
devoted to the essential function of building and improving human relationships.
The term “targeted publics” is vital to any public relations practice.
An organization’s strategy may be aimed at one or more of the following
groups: clients, potential clients, employees, investors, legislators, competitors,
suppliers/distributors, and the general public. Public relations can be a very
cost-effective strategy by improving the bottom line when used as an educational
tool and an information device.
Effective, well-placed and timed communication is essential to any basic public
relations campaign, where the program goal is success, not just survival. According
to the Public Relations Society of America, “Public relations, at its best,
not only tells an organization’s story, but also helps shape the organization
and the way it performs. Through research, measurement and evaluation, public
relations professionals determine the concerns and expectations of the organization’s
publics and explain them to management. A responsible and effective public relations
program is based on the understanding and support of its publics.” *
Although the origins of public relations can be traced back to early Greece, when
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle developed rules of rhetoric that made arguments
more effective, public relations is known more as a twentieth century phenomenon.
Ivy Ledbetter Lee, a former newspaper reporter around the turn of the century,
is considered to be the first public relations counselor. He was mainly involved
with labor disputes involving coal mine operators. Lee also worked for the Pennsylvania
railroad. His four major contributions to the field of public relations include:
- business aligning itself to the public interest;
- personally involving top management with PR activities;
- opening the lines of communication between an organization and the media;
- humanizing business to clients, employees and community.
The manner and means that a successful public relations professional disseminates
his/her client’s message to its targeted public are many. The following
list represents a partial strategy: news release, news conference, fact sheet,
press kit, newsletter, advertorial, brochure, annual report, video, CD-ROM,
interviews, website, and event planning. These examples are tools of the public
relations trade whose ultimate goal is to influence behavior through strategic
communications practices. One critical point to remember is that above all else,
the public relations specialist must be ethical to achieve credibility, not
only for him/herself, but also especially for the client’s sake.
Public relations is not advertising. Advertising is when you buy “space”
in any medium. It allows you to say what you want, where you want and how you
want within legal boundaries. Public relations is providing news and information
about an individual or organization through a medium to its targeted public
for a mutually beneficial goal.
The key points to focus on for a successful public relations strategy are:
- Deliberate – activity is intentional;
- Performance – activity is organized;
- Public Interest – serves the public interest and not just the organization;
- Two-Way Communication – feedback from public is essential;
- Management Function – evaluates public attitudes, identifies policies
and procedures for its public interest, and executes a program of action to
earn public understanding and acceptance.
Effective public relations uses news and information to enhance and maintain
reputations while positively impacting an organizations’ bottom line.
* Reprinted with permission from the Public Relations Society of America (www.prsa.org)
Gregory G. Marasco is President of GMA Public Relations whose function is
advising clients in the public and private sectors on improving their communication
strategies.