This article was published in Colorado Business & Lifestyle magazine.

Avoiding Public Relations Pitfalls

By Phil Soreide, One Good Adguy

A lot of companies think pubic relations is just a gimmick invented to separate them from their money. They don't understand what PR is supposed to do, or how it works. They don't understand the costs. They don't know how to analyze the results.

So they don't do it at all.

Too bad. Because when a PR program is properly conceived and executed, it's often one of the most efficient tools for communicating with all the audiences you need to reach with your marketing message.

If your company is going to be successful with public relations, however, there are a few common pitfalls to avoid from the beginning.

Don't start talking before you know what to say.

Smart PR starts with a careful thought process inside your company.

Every action your company takes sends a message to someone. If you change your logo, redecorate your store, press the flesh with suppliers at a trade show, start an employee newsletter or take a banker to lunch, you're practicing public relations.

PR is most successful when it's used as an integrated part of a marketing communications strategy that reflects a well-defined corporate mission. Public relations, like advertising, trade shows, direct mail, newsletters and myriad other tools is just a device for communicating a specific message to a discrete group of individuals. If you and your company aren't clear on what that message is – or what it should be – PR isn't going to work well for you.

Don't confuse short-term selling with long-term marketing.

Out in the real world, public relations helps you raise awareness and build credibility over time. This is not to say that PR can't have some short term impact on sales in some cases, but if you're thinking of relying on press releases to rapidly build demand for something you're selling, unless it's the next I-Pod, you're like to be disappointed.

A well-thought-out marketing communications program will address both short- and long-term marketing goals using different tools in different ways. A sales event with spotlights, clowns and a remote broadcast by the local radio station should have an impact on short-term sales; a press story about donations of your product or service to charity should have an impact on long-term acceptance and credibility. Smart marketers will use both.

Don't confuse public relations with press relations.

The editors of trade and/or consumer publications are certainly an important audience for news about you, your product and your company. But preparing press releases and sending out press kits is only part of what PR is all about.

A few years ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to work closely with the late Ely Callaway, founder of both Callaway Wines and Callaway Golf.

When Ely was first introducing his then-new wines in the '80s, he concentrated on communicating his message to a discrete but important public: wait staff, sommeliers and maitre d's at top restaurants. He didn't rely on press releases, but instead hosted high-class, invitation-only wine tastings all across the country. By concentrating on this channel of distribution and these front-line opinion leaders, Callaway Wines became a favorite in fine restaurants before it was ever marketed in retail stores.

What PR is, at bottom, is reaching the right people with the right message at the right time. The audience may be editors, but it's just as likely to be influential customers, bankers or suppliers. The method may be a press release, but it could just as easily be a speech, a seminar, a newsletter, a luncheon or a wine tasting. Keep your mind open to the possibilities.

Ask not what the media can do for you...

No matter what kind of news you're putting out, make it as easy on the editor as you can.

Study the publication so you can write something that's appropriate in style and length. Many if not most offer guidelines for writers.
Obtain the publication's editorial calendar; if your story coincides with a special theme they have going, it's a big leg up.
Provide everything they need in the format they prefer. Often nowadays (but not always) that means a Word document attachment to an email. Pictures, if any, are usually expected to be JPEGs and have a resolution of at least 300 dpi.
Follow up and be responsive to an editor's requests for anything additional.

Use public relations properly, respect the role it plays in an overall marketing communications program, and you'll have an effective tool for getting your message across to a variety of different audiences. Use it poorly and you may not only waste your money but also damage your reputation.