The PR department is the basis for the functioning of any modern company. Without proper public relations activities, the company may not build a positive image. It is also more prone to crises. Check why you should pay so much attention to public relations in your company these days.
The PR department monitors the society's attitude towards the company, cares for its positive image and fights crisis situations, communicates the company's values to the target group and stakeholders. Its overall activities focus on positive publicity by maintaining the relationship between the organization and the public. What are the functions of the PR department - public relations agency explain.
What is public relations?
Public Relations is a practice of increasing the company's awareness, image building among the public and reputation management in a planned manner. The two terms cannot be confused: PR and marketing to dwie odrębne kwestie. Public relations to ogół relacji zarówno z pracownikami, otoczeniem lokalnym, inwestorami, agencjami rządowymi oraz mediami. Z kolei marketing to kształtowanie relacji z klientami, aby zaspokoić ich potrzeby. Stąd można wywnioskować, iż dział PR stanowi ogromne wsparcie dla marketingu pomagając w sprzedaży produktów oraz usług. Dzięki niemu firma staje się wiarygodna, a to pomaga pozyskać chociażby nowych inwestorów czy partnerów biznesowych. Dział ten zatem kształtuje wizerunek firmy komunikując się z otoczeniem za pomocą odpowiednio dobranych kanałów przekazu: advertising activities in social media, outdoor advertising, press, radio, television, competitions, gadgets or events.
Functions and tasks
As it turns out, the PR department has a lot of tasks without which the company may not succeed.
- relations with the press - the PR department disseminates information for the press (in English this activity is called publicity),
- sponsorship activities,
- PR activities in the network,
- analyzing and interpreting public opinion and society's attitudes towards the brand,
- communication - both internal and external in order to fully understand the company and its products and services,
- lobbying - that is, contacts with government agencies to promote or reject laws and regulations,
- developing a strategy for supporting the brand campaign,
- consulting - the highest level of management should constantly consult PR specialists related to e.g. public issues,
- publishing internal magazines, annual reports, brochures, articles, company newsletters,
- organizing special events in the field media relations,
- corporate social responsibility - that is, activities within CSR concept,
- contacts with governmental and legislative agencies.
Media relations
The PR department is especially responsible for media relations, which in turn have a huge impact on your target group. What activities do these relationships involve?
- preparation of documents explaining important situations for the company,
- providing information about the current activities of the company,
- responding to media inquiries,
- coordinating the conference,
- tracking media relations,
- answering journalists' questions.
The PR department builds your image
First of all, the PR department will develop a specialized communication plan using the media or other means of communication in order to create and maintain a positive brand image, as well as strong relationships with your recipients. Brand reputation management is one of the main tasks of public relations. A strong brand is nowadays the key to success. By entering the appropriate brand strategies you can stand out from the competition and stay in their minds for good. The PR department also promotes the company's values by declaring its mission and vision. One cannot forget about managing and maintaining relations with the local community, which also builds a positive image.
Why does my company need a PR department?
Nowadays, enterprises without PR specialists or without any help from the side PR agencies are unable to survive in the market. Unfortunately, many people think they don't need public relations because they have social media. The key, however, is to use the social medium to build the image. Appropriate communication with recipients and sharing relevant messages are one of the basic tasks of PR specialists.
Public image is of great importance in the case of company values. In order to maintain positive relations with the public opinion, it is necessary to carry out extensive PR activities. The PR department also develops a crisis communication plan, which in many cases has helped organizations survive on the market. Fake and misinformation spreads at an incredibly fast pace, which is why the PR department implements crisis management including a strict harm minimization plan. Dealing with a crisis on your own can be hard, especially if you don't have the experience.
Effective PR brings great benefits and supports your sales
Take advantage of the effective support of a PR agency!
PR department in the company structure
It is not enough just to create an organizational unit called the PR department for it to function properly. It is especially important to understand the essence and importance of PR. Hence the department
PR should be placed high in the hierarchy of the company, being subordinate only to the president of the company, maintaining full freedom in relation to the marketing department. Such relationships will allow you to effectively shape the company's image.