PR in selected sectors and organizations L 10 Ing. Jiří Šnajdar 2016

Public relations functions are categorized by the publics with which relationships are established and to whom appeals are made to understand and/or accept certain policies, procedures, individuals, causes, products or services. Practitioners who perform specialized functions may play a management role, operate as a communications technician, or function in a dual role.

Community Relations A public relations function consisting of an organization’s planned, active and continuing participation with and within a community to maintain and enhance its environment to the benefit of both the organization and the community. This can involve partnerships, volunteer activities, philanthropic contributions and public participation. Employee Relations Employee Relations Dealing and communicating with the employees of an organization. This can include team building and employee empowerment.

Government Relations Dealing and communicating with legislatures and government agencies on behalf of an organization. Financial Relations Dealing and communicating with firms and interest groups within the organization’s industry.

Media Relations Dealing and communicating with the news media when seeking publicity or responding to reporters’ questions. It also involves setting up and maintaining a professional and mutually beneficial working relationship with news gatherers and gatekeepers, in part by becoming known as a credible source and as a provider of factual, expert information whether or not that information results in media coverage.

Public Affairs Dealing and communicating with government and groups with regard to societal (public) policies, action and legislation. Unlike government relations, where the practitioner works strictly on behalf of an organization, public affairs also is concerned with the effect of public policies, actions and legislation on its publics.

PR Tools and Techniques Creation and maintenance of a good public reputation is a complex and ongoing process. Without an effective PR, it is very difficult to reach the attention of the target audience and much less to influence their opinion and decisions. But when the relationship with the target group is finally established, it needs to be maintained in order to keep it on a high level. The process works similar to the interpersonal relationships.

Common PR Tools and Techniques In order to build a relationship with the target audience and maintain it on a high level, PR specialists use a variety of tools and techniques. Some of the most common ones include: Attendance at public events. In order to attract public attention and keep it engaged with a particular organisation or an individual, PR specialists take an advantage of every public event and the opportunity to speak publicly. This enables them to directly reach the public attending the event and indirectly, a much larger audience.

Common PR Tools and Techniques Press releases. Information that is communicated as a part of the regular TV or/and radio programme, newspapers, magazines and other types of mainstream media achieves a much bigger impact than advertisements. This is due to the fact that most people consider such information more trustworthy and meaningful than paid adds. Press release is therefore one of the oldest and most effective PR tools.

Common PR Tools and Techniques Newsletters. Sending newsletters – relevant information about the organisation or/and its products/services - directly to the target audience is also a common method to create and maintain a strong relationship with the public. Newsletters are also a common marketing strategy but PR specialists use it to share news and general information that may be of interest to the target audience rather than merely promoting products/services.

Common PR Tools and Techniques Blogging. To reach the online audience, PR specialists use the digital forms of press releases and newsletters but they also use a variety of other tools such as blogging and recently, microblogging. It allows them to create and maintain a relationship with the target audience as well as establish a two-way communication.

Common PR Tools and Techniques Social media marketing. Like its name suggests, it is used primarily by the marketing industry. Social media networks, however, are also utilised by a growing number of PR specialists to establish a direct communication with the public, consumers, investors and other target groups.

Common PR Tools and Techniques Public Relations and the Internet The Internet has caused a revolution in communication by giving a voice to those that previously could not have been heard. This has opened a whole new world of opportunities for both businesses and individuals that were unimagined in the era of the traditional media. These still play an important role in shaping the public opinion but with the entire globe moving to the online world to search for information and buy products/services, a PR that does not effectively communicate with the online community can no longer effectively shape and maintain the desired public image.

Common PR Tools and Techniques Challenges of the Internet for PR Although the Internet is one of the greatest inventions in human history, it has dramatically changed the world and above all, the communication. The world wide web has opened a number of opportunities but it has also opened a number of challenges, especially for the PR sector that has mastered communication with and through the traditional media. While PR specialists virtually had no competition in the era of the traditional media, the democracy of the Internet has forced them to compete with the entire world.

The Internet has given just about everyone the ability to share their opinion just about everything with the entire world in a matter of seconds. The ability to reach thousands or millions of people in virtually no time gave PR specialists a powerful tool but it also made their jobs more difficult, especially in case of an attack on integrity of their clients. Just imagine restoring the client’s reputation if the first page of search engine results contains mainly compromising or damaging content.

Public Relations Disciplines In order to represent the client in the best manner possible, public relations has to cover a wide range of areas. All communication with the target audience and media can be carried out by a single PR specialist but the profession is getting increasingly specialised. According to the areas covered, we know the following PR disciplines:

Financial PR. Like its name suggests, it is focused on financial matters including investments, disclosure agreements, takeovers, adherence to government regulations, etc.. Due to the complexity of the financial matters, financial PR often includes a staff of lawyers who present the client’s financial matters in a way that creates and maintains a positive perception of the client in the public. Rather than with the general public, the financial PR is usually specialised in communication with the media, stockholders, businesses and the investor community.

Consumer PR. This PR discipline is specialised in presentation of products or service with an aim to attract publicity and make them attractive to the target consumer audience. Although consumer PR in a way helps promote particular products/services and subsequently increase the sales, it has little in common with marketing.

Crisis communication. PR services are especially sought after in crisis situations in which PR specialists are often the best “lawyers”. The goal of crisis PR specialists is to get the situation under control in a way that causes minimal damage to the client in terms of public image and reputation. In order to prevent the client from losing good reputation, crisis PR requires excellent communication skills in order to tell the other side of the story and change the public opinion.

Government PR. It refers to a discipline of PR which is specialised in engaging with the government bodies with an aim to influence policy making. The methods and tools used also include lobbying but the latter is not enough to win the support of the politicians for a particular position. Government relations should not be confused with government communication which refers to communication between the government and the public.

Internal PR. This PR discipline is focused on communication within the company or organisation. Most organisations that utilise internal PR usually have their own PR departments with staff who undertake training which make sure that relevant information is communicated to the employees on time.

PR for profit organization A business or other organization whose primary goal is making money (a profit), as opposed to a non profit organization which focuses a goal such as helping the community and is concerned with money only as much as necessary to keep the organization operating. Most companies considered to be businesses are for profit organizations; this includes anything from retail stores to restaurants to insurance companies to real estate companies.

Public relations is more than just media relations efforts. There are other tactics and strategies that can be implemented to reach your target audience. Ask a roomful of professionals to define Public Relations and you'll receive a number of different answers, and most of them would be a narrow representation of the entire PR picture. Public Relations is not just publicity, working with journalists, or community events. It is about building relationships with the bottom line to a hotel's balance sheet - its customers. Today, getting the consumer's attention to tell them about your property is not easy.

Research abounds on the decline of paid advertising effectiveness. Today's consumers respond to dialogue, relationships, interactions, and honest communications. Businesses in any industry, including hospitality, need to implement and execute integrated marketing campaigns. More and more, these campaigns find public relations taking the lead because PR has always been about relationships with multiple audiences.

There are many tactics in the public relations tool box. Media relations, or publicity, is usually the first that comes to mind, followed by special events. However, the list doesn't end there. New technologies and mediums include blogs, vlogs, podcasts and vodcasts. On a broader level, PR is evolving into content development that helps a business create experiential marketing concepts for consumers.

While most people are familiar with media relations and special events, it's still appropriate to quickly cover what is involved. Media relations, of course, involves building relationships with journalists. The end goal is to get your hotel included in travel articles, business articles, etc. However, when dealing with the media you need a newsworthy story. Special events include grand openings, ground breaking ceremonies, charity events, etc.

Consumer promotions are an excellent way to extend an advertising budget while gaining publicity and exposure. Promotions involve no exchange of cash; instead a business simply provides its product on an in-kind basis for media exposure. An example would be a hotel providing a two-night stay to a radio station in a key origin market. The station then gives the certificate away to a listener as part of an on-air contest. These opportunities exist with broadcast outlets, retailers, charity events and more.

A printed or e-newsletter is an excellent opportunity to communicate your message. Start a dialogue and find out what information your audience wants, then give it to them. Do they want to know about special packages? Do they want to know about new amenities? Perhaps, your hotel is located in an area with great fishing and it's important to your audience to know which fish are running and when.

The Internet and new technologies also mean new tactics. Blogs are increasingly becoming mainstream. These online personal diaries provide commentaries on a variety of topics including current events, daily life activities, even a stay at your hotel. Increasingly many businesses are developing their own blogs to share information on product developments, new services or corporate news.

Public relations and marketing is moving beyond talking at the consumer. Now, tactics are being implemented that interact with the consumer. A Web site is a great informational tool, but if a consumer only visits once, never to return, its impact is minimal. Imagine a site with updated content from a blog, a site with new podcasts, a site that creates a virtual experience for consumers to return multiple times, learning more about what you have to offer and building a loyalty to your hotel.

However it is defined, public relations is still about building relationships and connecting with your audiences. Large or small, any property can benefit from effective PR efforts. After all, you can't spell profit without PR.

Promoting Your Not-for-Profit through Public Relations Public relations is vital to the success of not-for- profit organizations. No matter how important your cause is, you should not expect that everybody will know about it or even about your organization. Proactive communications is essential to success. From building awareness and credibility to supporting fundraising efforts, a well-executed, strategic public relations program can make the difference between achieving one's goals or falling desperately short of them.

Tips and Tactics The ultimate goal of most public relations programs is to generate positive media coverage in the publications and outlets that are read by an organization's target audiences. It's no different for not-for-profits. Whether the media coverage you seek marks the beginning of a campaign to influence the public on a particular issue, initiates a fundraising campaign, or is simply the basis for increasing awareness of your organization, there's a good deal of advance preparation that needs to take place before you land that story.

Tips and Tactics There are five important tactics that your organization can use to generate the desired media coverage, whether you have a dedicated PR person or not: Framing the story and writing a news release Targeting and connecting with the appropriate media Distributing your news Developing experts and promoting them as a reliable source Monitoring and measuring the effectiveness of your efforts

Tips and Tactics News releases are a great way for a not-for-profit to build awareness about a cause or to begin a fundraising campaign. A news release should be written in a journalistic, rather than a marketing, style. It should be objectively written as though a reporter were writing the story for you. Most important, your release needs to "inform" people, NOT just "sell" them something.

Tips and Tactics It should include a headline that grabs the reader's attention and speaks directly to the "news"; a lead paragraph that contains the information most relevant to your message, such as the five W's (who, what, when, where, why) and a short boilerplate description of your organization. The release should always list a contact who can be reached at any time in case a reporter has follow up questions.

Tips and Tactics Targeting, Influencing, and Reaching Appropriate Media Knowing where members of your target audience get the information that drives their decisions is one of the most important aspects of a PR program. Once you have this information, determine which reporters cover news related to your organization or causes. There are many ways to do this, some more time- and cost-effective than others.

Developing Experts and Promoting Them to the Media Developing experts within an organization and creating platforms from which they can provide their opinions is vital to securing lasting media coverage. A nonprofit should always have a few experts on hand to discuss the organization's objectives, explain the cause or point of view on a particular subject in detail, and provide support to sponsors and donors.

Profiling key spokespeople on the organization's Web site or in widely available expert databases gives reporters easy accessibility to these experts. If your expert can respond to something that is currently in the news, consider sending out a media advisory alerting reporters to the availability of the spokesperson and his/her position on the topic.

Monitoring and Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Program You should always know what articles or postings have been written about your organization or what news of interest to your nonprofit has been published on the Internet and in print. There are many of Web sites and other on-line information sources that could potentially post something of interest or importance to you, and there are several methods you can use to find this information.

The most basic approach to "monitoring" is manually searching the Internet by inputting keywords into search engines, which can be time consuming and redundant. A more sophisticated approach is signing up for RSS feeds or subscribing to a service that monitors news sources and provides reports that link to articles based on specific keywords. These services allow you to stay on top of what's being said about your organization and about entities with differing viewpoints, enabling you to make more informed decisions, tweak messaging, and get an overall gauge of the organization.

With a program or campaign that includes all of these fundamental elements—news releases, targeting and distributing to appropriate media, developing experts, and monitoring and measurement—you have a full-circle approach to your public relations efforts. Thank you for your attention.