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Top 5 PR principles every company should live by

By Lisa Goldsberry

bigstock-Back-view-image-of-businessman-45911515_(2)-114453-editedUse these reminders to increase your success

Rule No. 1: Remember PR in everything you say and do. Everyone, from the CEO to the secretary, is a representative of your company, and you can bet that people are watching and listening. This includes in-person contacts, telephone communication and online engagement.

Some companies have learned this the hard way with things like inappropriate tweets, misuse of hashtags and, our personal favorite, foot-in-mouth disorder. Concern about PR should not be just something you think about when you have newsworthy information to share or a crisis that needs managing. It should be a part of your companys overall culture.


Rule No. 2: It takes a lifetime to build a reputation but only a few minutes to ruin it. Thanks to advances like online publications and social media platforms, anyone can destroy your company’s reputation with the click of a mouse.

You can avoid this by promptly answering media inquiries and addressing any customer issues. Journalists can run a story with or without your input and unhappy consumers can thoroughly trash you with negative comments on social media. When these articles and attacks go unanswered, your company can appear inept or uncaring, ruining your reputation and distorting public perception. As a result, reputation management is crucial.

Rule No. 3: If you dont write your own story, everyone else will. Don’t let others dictate or decide what your company is or what you stand for. It’s important that all messages come from you and that you control your brand.

You can do this by finding ways to share your story. When customers understand where youve come from and how you conduct your business, you’re more likely to earn their loyalty and they’re more likely to become promoters for your company. Not doing this forces people to speculate and theorize, thereby determining your story for you.

One of the main functions of PR is to help you tell your own story. This serves to increase name recognition and help you connect with customers, which ultimately turns into more leads and better profitability.

Rule No. 4: You can be born great, become great or just hire PR professionals. With help from PR, you can indeed rise to the top of your industry.

Becoming a successful business involves giving your customers what they want, and todays consumers expect companies to add value to their lives. PR can show you how to accomplish this.

For example, you can position your company or CEO as a thought-leader in your industry. Blogs with remarkable content, corporate social responsibility initiatives and key speaking engagements are just a few PR tools for helping you achieve this status.

Rule No. 5: Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Bill Gates once said, If I were down to my last dollar, I would spend it on PR. The money you allocate to your PR budget you will earn back tenfold through improved customer engagement and retention and a better competitive advantage, not to mention getting through the occasional crisis.

At Axia, we use our expertise combined with emerging technologies to create comprehensive PR campaigns that will get your company noticed and help to move customers through your sales cycle. We will work as your strategic partner to move you to the top of your industry and earn maximum return on investment. Download our e-book Maximizing Your PR Budget or give us a call to learn more.


Lisa Goldsberry is a writer for Axia Public Relations with more than 15 years of public relations experience. She specializes in business, higher education and technology PR. Connect with Axia Public Relations on Twitter at @axiapr.

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Topics: public relations

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