The Public Relations Blog

When considering hiring an external public relations firm, many struggle just to locate the starting point, and even more are unclear about what assets a firm should be able to offer to ensure a proper fit. While every business has different needs, there are several basic elements that you should demand from every firm you consider.

Use PR to achieve unity and increase profitability

You’re sitting in a meeting listening to the chief information officer and chief marketing officer going at it … again. Perhaps this time it’s budget issues or a disagreement over the direction of a major campaign, but one thing is certain: Enough is enough. These are two of the most vital roles in any organization and when they’re squabbling constantly, your whole company suffers.

Before a crisis hits your company, use PR to get your plan ready

If a hurricane or tornado were coming toward your area, you would probably know exactly what to do. You would board up the windows, gather your family and maybe discuss your escape route. However, do you know what to do if a potential disaster hits your business?

A crisis can be as devastating for your company as severe weather is on a town. As with the damage from a major storm, some don’t make it; some eventually crawl out from under the rubble; and others make it through relatively unscathed. With help from PR and a comprehensive crisis plan, your company can prepare for and increase your chances for surviving a business disaster.

Learn why PR is a key component to your profitability

You’ve got a great company with loyal customers and you’re successful. That means you don’t need PR, right?

Wrong. If your business isn’t steadily growing, then it’s standing still or, worse, falling behind. This makes you an easy mark for your competition. You need to constantly find new ways to gain customers and increase your market share, and PR is vital to your success.

By Alexandria Easland

As a public relations student at San Diego State University, I am interested in the ethical issues that arise around the profession. To that end, I recently spoke with Jason Mudd, CEO and president of the Axia Public Relation firm. Not only did Mudd reveal how he got interested in and involved with the profession, but also the standards he holds himself, his employees and his clients to in terms of ethics. Below is my interview with Mr. Mudd.

The travel/tourism industry offers numerous opportunities for businesses to gain traction. Axia Public Relations offered up a few key tips on the subject in Part I, and we’ve got even more for your consideration here:

Do you own a hotel or resort destination, or are you perhaps a member of a local chamber of commerce seeking to attract more visitors? A consistent flow of tourists and travelers can make all the difference, and travel industry veterans understand how much time, money and effort it takes to build and maintain that consistency. In fact, many travel and tourism-focused outfits earmark large marketing budgets to further establish brand or locale identity. Looking ahead to the busiest domestic travel season of the year, summer, it’s clear that to be competitive, travel and tourism-oriented businesses can achieve more with expanded marketing programs that include public relations. But what are the best tactics to deploy in such a highly competitive industry?

When you have a great business, franchise it. When you want to make it greater, use PR.

Franchising your business can be the best of both worlds: You get to extend your winning business plan to different locations without having to run all of them. For many – both franchisors and franchisees – this represents the ideal business model.

Still, every kind of business needs to grow, manage its brand, raise visibility and handle potential crises. This is especially true for franchisors, and good franchise PR can help.

Find out how to maximize your media relations efforts

A new survey has found that the majority of reporters are displeased with the quality and content of materials they receive from PR professionals. For the survey, ISEBOX.com, a content distribution and tracking platform, interviewed numerous journalists and media professionals about their views on PR and corporate communicators.

Let PR show you how to make sure the public sees you as the superhero, not the villain

A crisis can occur in any company at any time. This is one area where size does not matter. While there’s no way to truly plan for every type of disaster, there are actions you can take today to help prevent a crisis tomorrow. One way is through reputation management.

When a crisis occurs, it can damage your brand. Part of your brand is your reputation. With help from PR for reputation management, you can protect your company and control your image.