Company News : PR Tools & Techniques

Title: Company News : PR Tools & Techniques Category: ROOT Clicks: 0 Listing added: Dec 15, 2010 PageRank: 0/10

As someone in charge of public relations for a company, it's your job to get the organization more publicity or attention so it can raise its stature in the community and/or expand its business. When devising a PR plan to market and promote the company, there are a few basic tools and techniques every individual in public relations should know. By using basic PR techniques, you'll be able to get your company's story out to the media and general public.

Events

One of the easiest ways to get others to know about your business is through events. Free events for the public allow members of the community to check out what you're doing and determine for themselves if they want to purchase your goods or services. If you're planning a special event, sending out press releases and placing advertisements in the local newspaper and calling local radio and television stations to get the word out will increase attendance.

Speaking Engagements

Volunteering for a speaking engagement throughout various locations in the community will give you a chance to reach an audience with varying demographics as well as network and meet other business owners who can help you gain traffic to your business. Ideal locations for speaking engagements include community organizations such as the Rotary Club, business association meetings or local business fairs. Speaking engagements provide you with the chance to discuss your business, goals and events of your own as well as establish yourself as an industry expert.

Press Kit

One of the most basic tools of anyone in public relations is a press kit that contains a variety of marketing tools to help individuals become familiar with your company. Depending on your marketing budget, your press kit should contain information about the history of your company, press or media coverage, achievements and product information. Once you combine all of these items together, place them in a folder or envelope and pass them out to the media or other business during meetings or social engagements.

Press Releases

Press releases are an important public relations component. They're written similar to a news article, but their general purpose is to enlighten the media or community about news coming out of an organization. According to Publicity Insider, a press release can be sent through email, fax or even traditional mail to the media or leaders in the community. When dealing with the media, it's important to maintain good relations, so only send press releases when they're relevant to the writer's beat. Before you send a press release, do your homework to find out if the recipient prefers emailed or faxed releases...and whether they'll be appreciative of--or bothered by--follow-up calls.