What Is Public Relations?

1
What Is Public Relations?

• Public relations the management function that
  evaluates public attitudes, identifies the
  policies and procedures of an organization and
  plans, and executes a program of action to earn
  public understanding and acceptance.
• Public relations refers to any activity designed
  to create goodwill toward a business
• Increases sales
• Reinforces the firms good reputation
• Works to improve a firms reputation

2
Public Relations

• A business, like you, has a personality.
• Your personality is the face you show the world
• A businesss personality is its image.
• People form an impression of a business based on
  how well its employees treat the public, how
  reliable its products are, and how well its
  locations are maintained.
• People also consider a businesss policies, its
  advertising, and publications how they are
  presented in the media and what it contributes to
  the civic and cultural life of the community.

3
Public Relations

• Conditions a customer to expect quality products
  from the firm.
• Reduces the impact of problems such as
  complaints, critical news stories, and employee
  disputes.
• Helps to obtain better treatment from government
  regarding zoning, licenses, and assistance.

4
Growth of Public Relations

• So pervasive has the influence of public
  relations become in our society that some even
  fear it as a pernicious force they worry about
  the power of public relations to exercise a kind
  of thought control over the American public.
• In the United States alone, public relations is a
  multi-billion dollar business practiced by nearly
  200,000 professionals.
• Approximately 200 colleges and universities in
  the United States and many more overseas offer a
  sequence or degree program in Public Relations.

5
Employee Relations

• Within companies, public relations departments
  work with management to design programs that
  foster positive attitudes among their employees.
• Job training/Evaluations
• Newsletters
• Open communication
• Promotion from within
• Employee suggestion programs and awards
• To customers, employees are the company.
• Successful businesses have loyal and well
  motivated employees who feel they are important
  to the company.

6
Public Relations

• A public relations specialist has numerous
  responsibilities which help to create a favorable
  image.
• A public relations department should also work
  closely with its employees and community.

7
Community Relations

• Refers to the activities that a business uses to
  acquire or maintain the respect of the community.
  
• Businesses foster good community relations by
  participating in and sponsoring activities that
  benefit the civic, social, and cultural life of a
  community.
• Businesses need to be active members of their
  communities.
• Although the primary aim of community relation
  work is to promote civic pride and help the local
  residents, these events also help create goodwill
  for their business participants.

8
Social Media Relations

• Here is where your generation really gets focused
  on! There are now careers developing for people
  who can successfully build social media.
• Facebook/MySpace
• Viral Videos
• Twitter
• Blogs
• Fan Pages