An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Public Relations

Nikki StephanIdentity Marketing & Public Relations

Social Media Strategist

What’s the first thing that comes

to mind when you think about:

• Marketing

• Advertising

• Public Relations

PR is related to marketing & advertising, but all three are distinctly different.

Marketing is the activity, set of

institutions and processes for

creating, communicating, delivering

and exchanging offerings that have

value for customers, clients, partners

and society at large.

- American Marketing Association, approved October 2007

Advertising is a form of

communication intended to persuade

an audience (viewers, readers or

listeners) to purchase or take some

action upon products, ideas or

services. Messages are usually paid

for.

- Wikipedia definition

Public relations helps an organization

and its publics adapt mutually to each

other.

- PRSA 1982 National Assembly formally adopted definition, which remains widely accepted and used

today

A classic example…

If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying, “Circus coming to town this Saturday”, that’s advertising.

If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s promotion.

If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flowerbed, that’s publicity.

And if you get the mayor to laugh about it or the media to report it, that’s public relations.

Taking a closer look at PR…

• PR dates back to the early 20th century.

• Major PR players back in the day: Edward Bernays (regarded as “father of PR”) and Ivy Lee (considered 1st major player in the PR field).

• Historically, defined in several ways as the industry evolved with practitioners’ changing roles & technology.

• Before – strong emphasis on mass messaging and publicity.

• Now – more emphasis on relationships, targeted and two-way communication.

PR took a hard hit during the most recent recession.

Key findings from a 2009 USC School of Communication study of 200 PR agencies to find out impacts on business during a recession:

• Half of firms to suffer from 20% reduced budgets

• 20% to expect headcount reductions

• 21% will reduce salary

But things are looking up for the PR industry.

Employment of public relations specialists is expected to grow 24 percent from 2008 to 2018, much

faster than the average for all occupations.

- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Public Relations Specialists

Social media has had a major & positive impact on the PR industry.

Social media has also forever changed public relations.

• Two-way communication is a must.

• Mass blasting messages to media is no longer acceptable.

• Bloggers and consumers are now direct audiences.

• More opportunities for exposure (both good and bad).

• Communication and information now move at rapid speed.

• Customers now have direct access to companies and executives and vice versa.

There are many existing misconceptions about PR that give the industry a bad rep.

Public relations is NOT:

• Spinning the truth• Lying • Paying journalists to write about

your company/product• Only about garnering publicity• Unethical (when done right)• Immeasurable • Only for large corporations

Public relations is NOT cont:

• Guaranteed to generate coverage/awareness overnight

• Completely controllable

• Something anyone who is a “people person” can execute successfully

Public relations is:

• Building relationships with media/bloggers/consumers

• Telling a story

• Building credibility/expertise

• Raising awareness

• Changing perceptions

• Based on trust

• A marathon, not a race

• Used to drive/increase sales

“Do it yourself” PR – building your own strategy as an entrepreneur.

1. Know your audience and have a website! (they both tie for #1).

2. Set goals and make sure your efforts tie back to those goals. Don’t just wing it!

3. Start local – Pay attention to what media/bloggers are saying about your industry and competitors.

4. Connect with those reporters/bloggers. Share your story. Always personalize and individualize your emails!

5. Go where your potential customers spend time online – not where everyone says you “should be.”

6. Tell your own story through a blog and social networks.

7. Get out and meet people. Go to relevant events/meetings. But don’t aim to pitch/sell!

8. Partner with relevant and established organizations. Examples: Sponsor an event/conference, host a grand opening/just launched event and give proceeds to a local charity.

9. Give something away for free. Example: Product, consultation, e-book, etc. Show off your value and why people will want to pay for what you offer.

10. Care more about your customers than you do about making money. And show that through any and all PR/communications efforts.

PR resources:

Five signs it’s time to hire a professional…before you lose it!

1. You’ve tried the DIY tactics, but the needle hasn’t budged.

2. You’re spending so much time on PR efforts that you’re ignoring business operations.

3. You can’t figure out how to tie your PR efforts back to goals. Or worse, you have no goals.

4. None of your internal and/or external communications are in sync. You’re humming several tunes at once.

5. You’ve tried to pawn PR off on someone else - marketing, sales, admin (gasp!)…and it’s a disaster.

Final thought…

There will always be a need for

PR and professionals who

creatively, ethically and

strategically produce results that

drive business goals.

Connect with me: • Twitter - @nikkistephan, @identitypr

• LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkistephan

• Blogs – http://nikkistephan.com, http://identitypr.com/blog

• Email – nstephan@identitypr.com

Photo & Source Credits• http://www.flickr.com/photos/17274350@N00/4640517018/• http://www.marketingpower.com/AboutAMA/Pages/DefinitionofMarketing.aspx• http://www.prsa.org/AboutPRSA/PublicRelationsDefined/• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising• http://www.flickr.com/photos/44639455@N00/886468263/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/44237541@N00/2101765353/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/33623636@N08/4303556716/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/10019047@N05/4137425046/• http://www.theconversationprism.com/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/30201239@N00/2775011897/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/32625013@N00/17135231/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/53611153@N00/5240161473/• http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2009/02/27/data-what-happens-to-pr-firms-in-a-recession/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/33646230@N03/3622111161/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/34120957@N04/4199675334/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/75764467@N00/2532239944/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/82795201@N00/270800047/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/45082883@N00/223839049/ • http://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@N00/4575507047/