Taking the Mystery out of Public Relations

By Erika Pryor and Michelle Messenger Garrett

Public relations is somewhat mysterious—is it marketing? Is it advertising? No and no. Many times, public relations, or PR, can be misunderstood. Let’s take the mystery out of PR.

PR raises awareness of a company and its products or services by helping its “publics”— depending on your industry, these "publics" could be  journalists, customers, employees or investors — understand why they should care.   One way to look at your PR person is to think of them as "your messenger," because they help you deliver your message about what makes your company, product or service, important and needed.

PR should be a key piece of any good marketing strategy and can tie directly into marketing, sales and advertising efforts. Another aspect of PR is that is is one of the most economical tools in the marketing mix, because it’s relatively easy and fast to implement. Also, public relations can be repurposed in a variety of ways. If you have a great message but aren’t sure how to get it out in the public eye, PR can help. And increasing awareness increases the bottom line.

PR is also directly related to sales because an influential message paves the way for your sales force. It validates why your product or service matters. Imagine this scenario: The sales person walks in to meet with a prospective customer who says, “Yes, I’ve read about your product in this magazine,” or “I heard about your company when I was watching the local news.” These are great examples of public relations at work because this type of publicity lends credibility to your business.

PR is a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal and can bring your business, product or service greater attention and exposure, leading to more prospects and in the end, ideally more sales

Still feeling unsure about whether you need the public relations messenger? Why not consult a PR expert at the Dublin Entrepreneurial Center for FREE see? Michelle Messenger Garrett of Garrett Public Relations to discuss your public relations concerns April 8, 2010 from 11:30am to 1:30pm. 

To RSVP for this event see: http://bit.ly/GarrettPR