01 Jul What is Public Relations?
The Public Relations Society of America has defined Public Relations as, “A strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Their operative word in this definition is relationships. Whether a business is large or small they have no power and no influence unless they are affecting someone in some way shape or form. No matter how stakeholders are being affected, it is important to be attentive to a business’s influence and manage its’ relationships with other people and businesses. This is where the PR department comes in. An effective PR team can operate efficiently without expending any major costs. The reason for this one we already know, just like you can’t buy your friends you shouldn’t have to buy important relationships.
Of course business is business and matters can often be sensitive so it is important that a company builds an image and relationships that people can respect and have interest in being a part of. A common misconception is that public relations is synonymous with marketing, but it is not. Marketing focuses on the lifeline of a product or service whereas PR is concerned with the relationships that exist either separately or in tandem with a product or service.
Press releases, public speaking, blogs, emails, and other forms of social media are all means of ensuring that there is an open line of communication between a business and the public. Depending on the medium these conversations can either be a one way or two way conversation between the two parties depending on how a business anticipates public opinion, or plans to analyze their attitudes and feedback. Very simply public relations is exactly what it sounds like, it is the practice of maintaining relationships between an organization and the general public. In addition to all of this a PR department or team can go much deeper and work at counseling management on all levels in order to maintain focus on public policy and social responsibilities all of which might influence employee, community, government, and other relationships. Relationships are important in building or maintaining any type of business, and public relations exists as a means to help maintain and manage any large or small scale relationships.
Need help delivering your message, driving referrals, driving demand, creating media opportunities and much more? We can help. For more information on how Prescription PR can help build recognition for your medical practice, please call (631) 392-4255.
