The Public Relations Blog

Gain a better understanding of how PR can help drive profitability

Everyone seems to have their own definitions and perceptions of public relations and what it does. Some see it as a blessing in disguise; others, a necessary evil.

According to the Public Relations Society of America, PR is “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics,” but this can mean different things for different companies. Once you understand more about the field of PR, the importance of PR firms and how all this can advance your mission, you will see how it affects your profitability.

Use PR to achieve unity and increase profitability

You’re sitting in a meeting listening to the chief information officer and chief marketing officer going at it … again. Perhaps this time it’s budget issues or a disagreement over the direction of a major campaign, but one thing is certain: Enough is enough. These are two of the most vital roles in any organization and when they’re squabbling constantly, your whole company suffers.

Before a crisis hits your company, use PR to get your plan ready

If a hurricane or tornado were coming toward your area, you would probably know exactly what to do. You would board up the windows, gather your family and maybe discuss your escape route. However, do you know what to do if a potential disaster hits your business?

A crisis can be as devastating for your company as severe weather is on a town. As with the damage from a major storm, some don’t make it; some eventually crawl out from under the rubble; and others make it through relatively unscathed. With help from PR and a comprehensive crisis plan, your company can prepare for and increase your chances for surviving a business disaster.

Learn why PR is a key component to your profitability

You’ve got a great company with loyal customers and you’re successful. That means you don’t need PR, right?

Wrong. If your business isn’t steadily growing, then it’s standing still or, worse, falling behind. This makes you an easy mark for your competition. You need to constantly find new ways to gain customers and increase your market share, and PR is vital to your success.

When you have a great business, franchise it. When you want to make it greater, use PR.

Franchising your business can be the best of both worlds: You get to extend your winning business plan to different locations without having to run all of them. For many – both franchisors and franchisees – this represents the ideal business model.

Still, every kind of business needs to grow, manage its brand, raise visibility and handle potential crises. This is especially true for franchisors, and good franchise PR can help.

Find out how to maximize your media relations efforts

A new survey has found that the majority of reporters are displeased with the quality and content of materials they receive from PR professionals. For the survey, ISEBOX.com, a content distribution and tracking platform, interviewed numerous journalists and media professionals about their views on PR and corporate communicators.

Let PR show you how to make sure the public sees you as the superhero, not the villain

A crisis can occur in any company at any time. This is one area where size does not matter. While there’s no way to truly plan for every type of disaster, there are actions you can take today to help prevent a crisis tomorrow. One way is through reputation management.

When a crisis occurs, it can damage your brand. Part of your brand is your reputation. With help from PR for reputation management, you can protect your company and control your image.

Would you like a discussion about race with your latte this morning?

By Lisa Goldsberry

You’ve probably seen all the news reports and social media posts about Starbucks’ latest PR campaign. In case you’ve just emerged from a deep cave and missed it, here’s the gist: In order to spark discussions about race relations between employees and customers, the world’s most famous coffee chain has begun writing “Race Together” along with customers’ names on their coffee cups.

Use PR tools and tactics to fight back the right way

You Google your company name and one of the first things you find is a scathing review written by a disgruntled customer. Before you go into panic mode, stop and think.

For many people, the initial reaction is to strike back, maybe with a reply accusing the customer of not using the product properly. There are right ways and wrong (reputation-damaging) ways to respond to negative online reviews, and PR can serve as your guide.

Axia PR shares results from the TEKGROUP 2015 Online Newsroom Survey Report

Knowledge is power and at Axia Public Relations, we believe the more information you have about how the media works, the more successful you’ll be at attracting positive news coverage for your company. Therefore, we would like to share the TEKGROUP 2015 Online Newsroom Survey Report, which covers how reporters, editors and other news professionals work with online newsrooms and press releases.