Online Communications and PR Cut Costs, Not Results

One of my employees, Sarah Fuller, sent me a great article from the May 4  edition of  Nations’ Building News Online. The article talks about how public relations, more so than advertising, helps companies to fully tell their story, therefore building their brand. It also talked about the relationship between public relations and online communities, which I’ve discovered are a powerful combination.

Since I’ve been in the business of public relations here in Maine for 25 years, I’ve known how PR allows us to tell stories through the media. Because a news story inherently allows for more space or more airtime than an ad, we have the opportunity as marketers to think through how an anecdote or a brand message can be woven into an interview with the media. Ads, in comparison, are somewhat limiting (although I’ve always thought that PR and advertising should be integrated to reinforce the message.)

I’ve also always been an incurable networker so the way this aticle talked about how marketers are moving away from advertising and toward the use of PR and social networks really struck me.  Just this morning, one of my friends in the tourism business called me “SchmoozePants.”  I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not, but I think he meant it kindly.

When I was first introduced to the world of social media at a travel writers convention where I attended a presentation by social media guru Shel Holtz, I realized that this was a new way for me to increase my network and socialize with old and new friends. It was a dream come true for this ‘SchmoozePants’!  Now I can not only attend events and conferences where I can meet people, but I can also use FaceBook, this blog, Twitter, and other online networks to reconnect with old friends, communicate with current friends, and make new friends. When I say friends, I mean personal and professional friends, because in my world, there is little division between my personal and professional lives.  Many of my business associates, employees and clients are among my closest circle of friends.

So I encourage you to read this article by Carol Ruiz about “OnlineCommunications and PR Cut Costs, Not Results.” The themes are:

• PR Helps Make Connections That Generate New Business
• PR Helps Tell a Complete Story
• Strengthening Connecitons Through Social Media

Thanks Carol, for helping reinforce why public relations builds company reputations through third-party endorsements and building the foundation of trust, “far more than a self-serving promotion.” 

And thank you, Sarah.

Amen.