VIEWS - PR VIEWPOINT - Friend or foe - you decide

Traditionally, the IT industry has been a great believer in public relations. This is partly because PR is about generating awareness, educating people about products and services, help- ing key audiences to act, and inspiring loyalty so that key audiences will buy again and recommend your company or product to others.

This process takes place regardless of whether you are targeting an IT director, a CEO, a housewife, a small business or a student. The messages and the mediums for these audiences would be different, but the process remains the same.

PR and technology work well together because PR is good at educating - particularly at explaining how things work. Historically, technology has needed a lot of explaining, which has proven difficult for advertising to achieve.

Having said that, there are companies that began with a PR focus, such as Netscape and Microsoft, and then there are those that used advertising first, like Gateway 2000.

Today you will find marketing directors who believe that PR is more valuable than advertising. Regardless of which is more important, it is wise to consider PR and advertising as avenues which work well together, as long as you ensure close integration of your key messages.

At its best, PR can be powerful and persuasive. At its worst, it can be damaging - look at what happened to the Conservative Party.

So, what kind of PR do you need? One thing you will need to consider when determining your public relations strategy is what kind of activity you need. Not all PR activity relates to the press - although this option can often be the best value for a limited budget. You may want to consider other activities like speaking engagements or sponsorship - working with a government body or a charity, offering technology workshops to small businesses or mature students. Perhaps you may be more interested in regional activities like holding an open day for a local school or customer hospitality events.

The beauty of many of these activities is you can often generate media coverage as well. Public and press relations - the best of both worlds.

Media madness

If you decide that media coverage is the best way forward, it is vital to have a good story, to actually read the publication you want to target and to know some specifics about it.

No matter how big or small your business is, good public relations will help you progress and grow. Because of this, PR should not work in isolation from your business goals, so it is important to ensure that these goals are clear before you begin defining a PR programme.

We recommend asking a series of questions, which we've outlined below.

These should be answered by anyone in your organisation who will have involvement with PR. In doing so, you may find areas within your own business where there is miscommunication.

We cannot emphasise enough the importance of getting the PR brief right.

It is the process that will enable any company to define its requirements and then, using these, develop its PR strategy. Identifying the PR brief should always be the first step in any PR activity.

Must do, must ask

Define your overall business objectives for the forthcoming financial year

Define your marketing objectives for the next financial year - how will your success be measured?

What measurement criteria and methods will you be using to judge your success?

How do these objectives fit into your five-year business plan?

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges your company is facing?

What are the key threats (apart from competition) to your success in your market?

What are the key opportunities?

Who is your target audience?

What is their opinion of your

company and its products?

Who influences this customer audience in your opinion?

Who are the key competitors now and why (global and UK where appropriate)?

Who do you want your company to be associated with in this market and why?

With which bodies/associations does your company currently have relationships?

Do you have any champion customers in your sector?

Do you have access to any market research/facts that you can use as information to provide the press/analysts?

What other events/activities are you planning that will generate news?

Who are the representatives and what are their respective roles?

Are these representatives comfortable with the press? Do they need any media training?

What are your expectations of how PR can help you achieve your business goals during the next financial year?

What criteria will be used to judge the overall success of PR?

If you only had time to focus on two key areas or events in PR this year, what would they be?

What is your anticipated PR budget for the forthcoming financial year?

Do you believe this budget will enable you to meet your stated objectives?

What is your ideal headline?

While we will recommend the key press to target, do you have any specific titles on which you wish us to focus?

Getting started

Once you've decided that PR will help your business, the next step is to determine the best way to implement it. When implemented properly, PR flows in a steady stream. It is not something you should turn on and off on a whim - you will generate better results with a consistent strategy.

There are several options in implementing a PR programme. The first step is to complete a full brief so you will have a good idea of what you are expecting.

The second step is to determine if you want to hire someone in-house to handle the function, hire an agency or use a freelancer. Depending on your business, all of these options can work quite well.

The advantage of using an in-house person is that he/she may be more committed to your business and will probably have a better understanding of everything your business does.

For great results (and many in-house people do a phenomenal PR job), be sure they are able to focus on delivering and don't get caught in the internal meeting cycle. This could easily increase your overhead budget, which you may not be able to justify later.

Agencies can be value for money if you get the right chemistry with the team. Don't be swayed by a high-flying pitch, complete with the agency managing director. But do be swayed by a group of people who understand your business and have a track record of getting the kind of results you are expecting.

Also, make certain you understand the agency's fee structure and know what you are getting for your money.

A freelance PR professional can often be the best of both worlds for a small business. You will get more time and the individual attention that an agency can deliver, without paying the price of a full-time employee.

Again, be sure you have the right chemistry and the right results focus.

Katie Kemp is UK Managing Director of Text 100 public relations for small businesses.