The concept of public relations was initially introduced in 1830 by Edward Louis Bernays, who is considered the founding father of modern public relations. At that time, PR was a management tool used to identify public attitudes to adjust the corporate policies and procedures to the needs of consumers in order to earn public appreciation and acceptance. Since then, PR have changed a lot. Today, public relations is a set of management, supervisory, and technical tools that cultivate the ability of a firm to strategically appreciate consumer preferences and respond to them in order to build mutually beneficial relationships and achieve its organizational goals. In this context, PR is a managerial function that focuses on two-way communication between an organization and its publics.

Typically, consumer preferences are subject to a firm’s reputation and purchase decision-making is based on the public image of a firm. Successful firms build and manage mutually beneficial relationships with consumers and strategic audiences and use PR as a marketing tool to boost their sales and profitability. In this context, PR is a part of a firm’s marketing strategy. By using free publicity in a wide variety of media, they stimulate public interest and acceptance for a firm’s products or services and they attract a broad number of consumers by giving them a clear and concise understanding of the firm’s operations. The most widely used tools of public relations include news releases, speaking activities, press conferences and community service programs.

Public relations require excellent organizational and planning skills. People, who work in PR, are required to perform under pressure and achieve the highest for the firm. They should be able to anticipate timely and consistently a barrage of questions from the media and the public and when the firm comes under critical attack, they are responsible for spinning the public opinion and effectively answering the criticism to protect the firm’s reputation.

In conclusion, contemporary business environment is extremely competitive. Organizations need a competitive edge that would make them stand out from the crowd, making them more appealing and interesting to both the public and the media. Public relations focus on establishing rapport with the various publics of an organization such as employees, customers, stockholders and competitors. In doing so, they assist the firm to achieve its full potential by bringing together all the firm’s stakeholders and requesting feedback from them. It’s all about a two-way communication. The public buys the product and the media are responsible for selling it; PR is the tool to make the public deeming favourably a firm and its offerings.

You’ve heard the phrase “know your audience” but do you know how to do that? Of course it means to know who is in your audience, what their general preferences are, to know different ways to relate to them, etc. Assuming you know who you’re talking to, how do you communicate in a way that allows them to easily understand your points?

A perfect example of how NOT to know your audience is to speak in acronyms and technical jargon that others don’t know or care about. Or to leave gaps in your presentation that should give enough information to follow your lead. We’re all guilty of it at some point and there are ways you can improve your communication without a lot of effort.

1. Use words and phrases your audience understands without thinking.
Instead of using an acronym or technical jargon, use a relevant word or phrase that provides the same meaning. For example, business people like to use SME’s (pronounced like “smees”) to describe a person who is a Subject Matter Expert. The time you save by saying “SMEES” is lost when it causes an unfamiliar listener to try and figure out what you mean. Just say “Subject Matter Expert” or “Expert” or “Business Owner” or something to describe the same thing. If you cause your audience to have to think about your last words then they will stop listening until they figure out what you meant.

2. Be concise and talk about what’s important to your audience.
If you have the opportunity to discuss a topic that you know a lot about, it is easy to talk at a level of detail that nobody can follow (or care about) except you. People typically only care that the overall process works, not how it works. In sales you talk about benefits with the assurance that the product works, not the features or how it works. Eventually the question will come up where you can bring up the details but that should be based on knowing that your audience wants those details.

3. Ask your audience what they want to hear from you.
The titles people give you in introducing themselves at the beginning of a meeting may be impressive, but not necessarily indicative of what they care about. Don’t rely on their role or title. Instead ask how much detail your audience wants from you. This will not only help you earn their respect it also helps you stay on time and on track.

Knowing your audience means to communicate the way they communicate, and not forcing them to learn your method of communication. If they describe a product as a service, then use the word “service” instead of product. Ask questions to clarify what they want to hear and then be as concise as possible in appealing to their need to understand what you’re discussing. And while there are lots of other ways to know your audience, which I’ll bring up in future articles, these basic tools are the foundation for accomplishing your goals in any presentation, meeting or communication.

Public relations are responsible for the creation of a favourable image for the firm. Studies show that consumer preferences are greatly influenced by a firm’s reputation and purchase decision making is based on the public image of a firm. Since 1830, that the concept of public relations was initially introduced, public relations have become a lot more than a tool of communication. As the business environment is constantly changing and evolving, public relations address further  far-reaching aspects.

1) Building awareness about a firm and its offerings

When a firm introduces a new product or re-launches an existing one, public relations are responsible for stimulating consumer attention and awareness through media placements and special events.

2) Creating interest

Public relations’ placements can attract a targeted audience to try a product. For example, when an organization has an IPO (Initial Public Offering) to get listed on the Stock Exchange, public relations department may promote a special financial initiative through the financial media. In doing so, it serves the organization to build confidence among the financial community.

3) Stimulating Demand

Favourable inserts or articles in newspapers, TV shows or the Internet are likely to result in a discernable increase in product sales.

4) Reinforcing the brand

Many organizations use public relations to reinforce their brand by creating and sustaining positive relationships with key audiences. By providing in-depth-information about a firm’s products and services through articles, collateral materials, newsletters and websites, pubic relations build a good image and assist the firm to remain competitive and viable.

5) Managing crisis

By closely monitoring media channels, public relations manage crises that may threaten a firm or its product image as a result of inappropriate public comments. In that way, they discourage misinformation, gossip, rumours and message distortion that may harm the reputation of a firm.

6) Establishing mutual understanding

By being a process that includes research and analysis, policy formation, programming, communication and feedback, public relations focus on establishing and maintaining mutual understanding between an organization and its publics.

7) Encouraging favourable relationships

Businesses use public relations in order to encourage favourable relations with different organizations and products. Through a variety of communication channels, organizations publicize stories in print and broadcast media about their products or services.

In conclusion, public relations build and sustain good relationships between a firm and its target audience through the use of news releases, speaking activities, press conferences and community service and philanthropic programs. In that way, they improve communication and they build a firm’s business in a deliberate, planned and sustained effort.

So, if you have a business and still don’t have a website as a part of your marketing plan, now is the time to get it in place to let the virtual world know that your company is here, that you sell or provide your products or services and how you do it better than the competition.

A few words of caution before you start researching web developers to handle your website project:

• Use a local web developer, one whom you can meet with face to face and can make an appearance in your office in case of questions or concerns If you have no quality developers local to you, then at the very least, get the name of a web developer from a colleague, client or partner who has both used and been happy with their services. Word of mouth is vital to finding ethical and skilled web developers.
• Don’t forget to read the fine print. There are some very poor business practices within the web development world and you need to be sure that you’re careful about what you sign. Employ an Intellectual Property attorney to read over the proposed contract before you sign. Its well worth the legal fees to ensure that the final web product both belongs to you company and fits your specific criteria.

Once you’ve found a reputable and ethical web developer, the fun part starts. Now is the time to put your business on the virtual business map and build a site that shows off just WHY you’re the choice among your competitors.