The Seven Deadly Sins of Public Relations

How to avoid the most common PR mistakes

By J.D. Solomon
JDS Strategic Communications

Most small and midsize companies don’t use PR effectively — if they use it at all. By committing one or more of these classic PR mistakes, companies risk falling behind their competitors in the all-important race to win, and keep, customers. How many of these sins have you committed?

1. We don’t do much PR because we don’t do much that is newsworthy.

The biggest misconception about PR is that it stands for Press Releases. Getting news about your company published in newspapers and trade journals is just one public relations tactic. It’s an important part, but not the only part, of your PR strategy, which dictates what and how you tell the public about your company. Besides press releases, your other PR tactics should include:

• Maintaining and updating your company Website
• Customer communications
• Public speaking engagements
• Bylined articles by the CEO and key customers
• Customer advocacy and referral programs

2. Our marketing manager deals with PR whenever we have something newsworthy to report.

Organizations that handle PR on a case-by-case basis are wasting their time and money. First, a good public relations campaign isn’t just about press releases. (See above.) Second, to be effective, PR needs reach and repetition, just like advertising. In other words, a good PR strategy requires a plan and someone who is accountable for its execution.

3. We haven’t done PR because our CEO is too busy to talk to reporters, make speeches or write articles.

The CEO must be the public face of the company; it’s really part of the job description. But it should be someone else’s job description to conduct the PR campaign that showcases the CEO. Whether it’s a full-time staffer or an independent consultant or an agency account executive, it must be someone who can get access to the CEO and, at times, control his or her schedule.

4. We don’t do PR because it won’t help ring the cash register this quarter.

No question about it — PR requires patience. It can take up to a year to start seeing the benefits of a modest PR campaign. So no, it won’t help ring the cash register this quarter, and maybe not even this year. The mistake is to think about PR as a short-term tactic. It’s not; it’s a long-term tactic just like brand building, awareness advertising, competitive research and corporate training.

5. We’re waiting until someone can show us how to measure the effects of a PR campaign.

You’ll be waiting a very long time. Sure, some PR gurus will talk about equating press mentions to paid advertising impressions. Others will throw around buzz words like tracking methodology, impact metrics and ROI. Don’t be fooled; the value of PR is qualitative, not quantitative. So how do you know if your PR program is working? Look for these trends:

• You’ll get feedback from industry peers and key customers.
• Your sales reps will find that new prospects recognize your company.
• Inbound calls to your customer service or inside sales groups will increase.
• Reporters will call you for comment on industry and business trends.
• You’ll be invited to speak at events and conferences.

6. We stopped publishing a customer newsletter because it was too costly and time-consuming.

Traditional newsletters are indeed costly and time-consuming. But who says you need a traditional newsletter? Many companies are using e-newsletters very successfully. I still prefer print, but I favor an “un-newsletter” — a simple letter with an enclosure. The bottom line is that a customer newsletters is an excellent PR tactic because it builds loyalty, fosters repeat sales and encourages word-of-mouth referrals. With planning and persistence, you can publish one without undue expense or hassle.

7. We’ve explored PR but it’s just too expensive.