Public Relations is a complex subject that cannot be easily condensed, so in this article, we will stick to the 4 PR principles needed for success. Achieving effective PR requires building a positive and credible image for a brand or individual, which takes careful planning and strategy. To accomplish this, PR professionals often rely on the Four P’s of PR which are: Protecting the brand’s reputation, Promoting positive messaging, Performing consistently, and Proving effectiveness through measurable results.
Protecting the brand’s reputation; the most obvious of the PR Principles
It is not easy to build a good reputation. Thus, every brand must invest both money and time toward establishing trust and goodwill. After the brand starts to take up a certain positive spot in the mind of a consumer, it is critical that the spot is sustained. Hence, all efforts to safeguard the reputation earned must be taken. The above can be achieved through carefully articulated information and press releases that reach the public.
One of the major challenges that the PR team faces is crisis management. When an organization or a brand finds itself involved in a scandal, this could directly and significantly affect its sales and stock prices. The information being conveyed about such a situation could be true or untrue. Thus, the PR team is responsible for keeping their eyes and ears open for any adverse reports about customers and either kill the story proactively or promptly enter the damage control mode and try to solve the issue. Failure to do the above can have significant negative impacts on the brand’s future.
Promoting positive messaging
After drafting the press releases and setting up everything required to connect with the media, the PR department must not waste a single second. Connecting and promoting the news with something newsworthy enough to hook the audience is crucial. The hook could be a launch of a new product, innovation, or information that is completely fresh. To ensure the above is truly successful, it is essential to establish bridges with reporters and editors. Personal relationships with reporters and editors require persistence and patience but they are a crucial factor in the dissemination of the news a brand wants to be released.
Performing consistently is one of the most challenging PR principles
In the past, the PR department used to be a department separated from the rest marketing activities of a company. However, today, PR is treated differently and there is increased interaction between PR and the rest of the company. This increased alignment has led to many companies recording growth and an increase in their bottom line. Currently, clients’ expectations are utterly different. PR cannot attain its maximum success on its own; it must appropriately collaborate with other departments such as marketing, advertising, IT, social, and insights.
PR Principle 4: Proving effectiveness through measurable results.
Providing customers with effective proof of the PR campaign’s efficacy keeps the clients happy, and brings in repeat business, and word-of-mouth referrals. The effect must be assessed using metrics and the above will assist the brand to get customer insights and amend any wrong assumptions it might have made. PR must deliver tangible advantages that echo in improvement.
Conclusively, every PR practitioner needs to understand these 4 PR Principles in order to do basic PR for any brand. At Black Dot, we apply these 4 principles on steroids and make them work for you in any capacity. Work with us to create your perfect communications strategy that will propel you to the top! Give us a call today or book your free consultation here.