Wessex explains the importance of PR

Gill Mears, partner at Wessex Public Relations, explains how public relations is essential for businesses in achieving goals for sales and growth, and building and maintaining solid reputations.

PR is about image, reputation, credibility and marketing your business.

A splash in the local newspaper, a great television interview, a successful product launch, a well-written application story or an informative article in a key trade publication - these are the rewards of good PR.

PR is an essential part of any modern organisation, of whatever size, and contributes to its goals and overall well being.

Without PR, or for that matter, marketing in general, a company is like a man winking at a pretty girl in the dark.

He knows what he is doing, but no one else does.

What the media says about a company and its products is, of course, of paramount importance.

It can have a substantial impact on company image brand image, product sales and pricing.

By utilising the services of a PR agency, a company can be assured that it is not only receiving media coverage, but the type of media coverage that provides positive feedback.

Public relations companies offer much more than writing and sending out press releases.

They keep a watching brief looking for relevant media and advise on opportunities or tactics.

They provide press clippings, create and maintain media contacts lists, produce a flow of ideas, can act as a spokesperson for a company and, when familiar with a client's business, can run a press office function for them.

In addition, the agency can arrange press visits, organise press conferences, write application stories and articles, organise corporate hospitality, arrange sponsorship contracts, undertake product launches and produce literature.

We are often asked how a company can evaluate the success of PR.

Larger organisations employ market researchers to ascertain the impact of a PR campaign.

However, for less affluent companies the simple answer is to evaluate quality and quantity of the PR and whether it appears in the right publications.

It is important to ascertain whether the editorial was favourable; the nature of the headline; whether a picture was printed; the number of times a company's name was mentioned; whether the main facts were covered and if the editorial was three or four sentences or half a page.

Other key factors might be sales enquiries from trade publications, a company's coverage compared to its competitors and the amount of coverage a company receives in relevant journals.

To quote the Institute of Public Relations: 'PR is about reputation - the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you.

PR practice is the discipline that looks after reputation with the aim of earning understanding and support, and influencing opinion and behaviour.

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