4 minute read
Public Relations-It’s All About Relationships
BY EMILY YOST, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, CACM
- Richard Branson
Public Relations. Hype. Spin. Publicity. Image Management. Promotions. Marketing.
These are all words that we’ve heard used, but how do you USE them in your day-today efforts to ensure your target market knows you exist or better yet, are the PERFECT SOLUTION for their association or company?
What is PR?
PRSA (Public Relations Societyof America, Inc.) defines public relations as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. "Publicity tells your story in depth,increases your trustworthiness and visibility. The most exciting part about publicity is that it can be done at a very low cost if done correctly. Furthermore, you can build brand ambassadors that begin spreading your message long after reading an article,discovering a social post, seeing you at an event or hearing of your product or service over the airwaves.
‘Relations’ Says It All
Isn’t it interesting that public ‘relations’, like the community management industry, focuses on the relationship between the company and the client? How are relationships built? Through building trust, of course!
Building trust is an essential part of a strong public relations strategy. Trust is essential to any quality relationship—it is especially important in your professional world. Trust ensures that the public thinks of you before a competitor and engages with you.
Morning Consult’s Most Trusted Brands™ latest report sets the benchmark for gauging brand trust. Their most recent report shares that 80% of those surveyed “stopped buying from a brand that lost their trust often switching to a competitor.”
The Relationship Stages
A good publicist will share that understanding how to build and maintain trust within all stages of a relationship are critical. Relationships have three stages: the courting or wooing stage, the honeymoon stage and the authentic, real relationship stage.
Courting/Wooing Your Audience
If you want to build relationships with a specific audience, you must commit to wooing them. The practice of courting can be found in human relationships and even the animal kingdom. The marketing “rule of seven”shares that a potential customer must have at least seven interactions, or touch points,with your brand before they will consider engaging in a conversation. The question you should be asking yourself is not WILL YOU commit to at least seven touch points, but rather WHAT methods you’ll use to obtain those seven interactions. Perhaps it is reaching out to a local television station about a special family your company is supporting through philanthropy or rather a social media blog article about the owner or an employee who has an inspirational, personal story to share. People love to get to know the people behind the business—especially in a service industry such as ours.
-Anonymous
The Honeymoon Stage
Unlike marriage relationships, professional relationships in the honeymoon stage can remain there for quite some time. You are both on your best behavior and everything you say and do seems to be met with wonder and amazement. This is a magical time for a company and one that a good public relations strategy should capitalize on.
1. Gather testimonials of these happy clients.
2. Ask for positive reviews across onlineplatforms.
3. Showcase their association or their boardmembers’ accomplishments in your clientcommunications, social media channels,etc.
4. Find ways to celebrate and/or support themthrough community publicized projects,etc.
5. Encourage social sharing. Your clientsare your brand ambassadors. Createengagement by inviting them to getinvolved in online conversations and socialsharing opportunities of communityprojects, etc.
The Authentic/Real Relationship
This is the stage that many of us dread or avoid at all costs. It is the stage that trust can be lost in an instant and lead to a client ‘jumping ship’ to a competitor or the moment that leads to happier clients who share your honesty and integrity with everyone they encounter. Most commonly, a problem has arisen between you and the client. A good ‘crisis PR’ publicist will share with you that it is all in the recovery.
1. Know when to speak and when to be silent. There are moments where you need to address instantly a problem or concern while there are others that may have been caused by mitigating factors that could lead to a secondary issue that must be addressed. Before you speak, consider the rebuttal and ensure it shuts a negative conversation down, rather than fanning the flames of an already hot fire.
2. Offer an apology when one is called for. It’s good for the soul and the pocketbook! A simply ‘I’m sorry’ is an excellent (and free!) way to ensure a client is heard and that they continue to feel the highest level of trust.
3. Solutions are essential for trusted relationships. Be ready to offer a solution to an issue when communicating with the client, regardless of platform. Assume that they will share your response. Be ready to build trust with other potential clients with your solution as current customers tout your commitment to ethical and reputable business practices.
Emily Yost, Director of Marketing & Communications at CACM
