What is PR & Why Does Your Company Need It?
*Note - This blog follows British punctuation style.
“So what is it that you do, anyway?” As someone who received her college degree in public relations and marketing and has spent the last 16-plus years in the industry, I’ve been asked this question a lot…
I’ve found many people tend to associate the profession with images of the Samantha Jones character from “Sex in the City”, strolling down New York sidewalks, cell phone in hand, demanding her client get the cover of XYZ Magazine. While that can be a part of it, effective public relations is so much more.
So, in answer to the question, this is what we do and how your business can benefit from our PR services…
A quick definition: Public Relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. Strategic communications can take many forms and at Brossman Communications we customize our approach for each client and their unique needs. Examples of deliverables that we offer include:
Message Development - Whether it’s crafting key messages about your company, a new project, event, or releasing a time-sensitive statement to the media, we can help you craft clear, persuasive and strong messages that position your business for success.
Media Relations - Unlike advertising where you pay to place an ad, media relations involves PR professionals—ahem, us—pitching journalists to write stories about your company or include it in larger stories about your industry. We can also ghostwrite opinion pieces on your behalf for local, national or trade publications, which help position you and your company as thought leaders in your field. Positive “earned coverage” as it's called, has been shown to be almost 90% more effective than advertising in the consumer decision-making process according to a recent Nielsen study. In simplest terms, advertising is like saying, “I’m great”, while media relations is having someone else say you’re great.
Communication / Media Training - Preparing for that big speech or your next media interview is key to confidently and effectively communicating with your target audiences and inspiring them to take the desired action (hire your company, attend your event, support your project, etc.). We prep our clients for these big moments by providing crucial tips and tricks we’ve learned over decades and by conducting taped, mock interviews that allow you to see in real time areas that could be improved. Speeches and interviews—which are sometimes live—can be stressful, but with our help, you will be prepared to make them work to your advantage.
Crisis Communications - No one wants a crisis, but sometimes despite our best attempts to avoid them, they happen. As the name implies, crises often occur without notice and require quick, strategic plans and steps to mitigate harm. At Brossman Communications, we drop everything when a client experiences a crisis, working quickly and efficiently to develop strategic communications plans that minimize damage, protect stakeholders and restore normal operations as quickly as possible. We can also work with you to develop Crisis Communication Plans before emergencies occur to have a strategy already in place.
Award Submissions - You’ve worked hard. Now it’s time to let the world know. Winning awards is a great way to add credibility to your personal or company brand, projects and more. Having won countless awards on behalf of our clients—including for work they commissioned with us—we are experts at crafting winning submissions that get you recognized.
So now you have a better understanding of what public relations entails! Ready to see how it can benefit you? Contact us!
P.S. Stay tuned for our next installment: What is Marketing & Why Does Your Company Need It?
