The Path to Great PR

This week we had to read a handout about the path to great pr. On the first page the handout says "Regardless of the platform, it will always be your job to make sure that your public relations and marketing communication are done for the right reasons, at the right time to reach your stakeholders with information, in a manner that gets their attention." Right away we are hearing a lesson that has been drilled in to our heads many times. No one seems to be able to stress enough  how important it is for public relations practitioners to respond to their customers and get involved with the conversation. Just as important as getting involved with the conversation is responding in a timely fashion and using the right media to do it.

I think that if more practitioners thought about how they feel as a consumer this would be a no brainer. When I think of myself as a customer and what I want from a company that I'm involved with in some way it seems simple. I want them to be honest about their company. I'm impressed when I see a company responding quickly to a consumer's complaint. I'm also impressed when I hear someone I know and trust saying good things about the company. I want the company to be up front and transparent about what their doing with new products as well as how they are handling any issues that are presented to them. If the practitioners think in this frame of mind it could really help them know what to do in difficult situations.