Now, on to some content. Public Relations is largely about reputation - maintaining it, improving it or establishing it. Reputation will definitely be a big theme in my studies this term, so I thought I would look at a few quick ideas about reputation and Public Relations.

1. Reputation will have substantial influence on business results.

This is probably obvious, but it’s a point worth making just to illustrate the many ways reputation can aid a bottom line. Financial analysts take reputation into account when valuing investment opportunities, especially the reputation of those in charge. A poor reputation will have a direct impact on share price or the valuation of an organization.

It can hurt sales at the consumer level as well. Reputation for quality (or lack thereof) can make or break a company. The auto industry is a perfect example; Toyota and Honda continually sell more vehicles than their American competitors here in Canada, despite higher price tags. A Toyota or Honda will keep its value for years, based primarily on a reputation for longevity and quality. Meanwhile, American car companies like GM and Chrysler are struggling to survive, and their poor reputation isn’t helping any.

Reputation also plays a large role in recruiting. Attracting talented employees, and retaining them, is a key focus of successful organizations. Reputation goes a long way when recruiting. A recent study by Hill & Knowlton found that “three out of four MBA students say that corporate reputation plays an extremely or very important role when considering where to work.” (reference)

So it’s important, we get it, but how do we define it? I still favour Marcel Lebrun’s explanation, though I’m substituting Brand for Reputation here:

2. Reputation is the sum of conversations about your organization.

Reputation will include all elements of your company, not just what is churned out by the Marketing or PR departments. Nike, for example, is constantly creating stunning advertisements and sponsors some of the greatest athletes around the world. It also frequently invests in charitable organizations and supports many youth programs. However, part of their reputation still includes South East Asian children working in sweatshops. Why? There is a public perception that Nike makes products that way. Is it true? I don’t know, but the truth of it is irrelevant. What people believe shapes reputation, and reputation shapes business results.

So how can we manage reputation? I’ll be learning a lot more about this in the coming months, which I’ll be sure to post, but in the meantime here are some initial ideas:

• Listen

Knowing your own reputation is a crucial step. Identifying the gap between your self perception and your reputation will immediately identify where the work needs to be done.

• Engage your stakeholders

This can be done in any number of ways. Reputation is essentially the flow of stories about your organization, so communication and dialogue are vital allies.

• Invest in and inform your employees

Every single employee of an organization is a flag bearer for the organization’s reputation. Investing in employees not only improves performance, but also reputation. Communicating to and through employees keeps positive stories circulating. Keep employees out of the loop and you’re at the mercy of the rumour mill. 

• Listen again

Reputation is always changing, so keep that ear to the ground!

So there’s a quick rundown of reputation and its importance. It’s a good primer for the detailed analysis I’ll have to be doing in the next few months. If you have any comments or would like to further the discussion, please leave a comment below! Thanks for reading!

The debate between Public Relations and Marketing rages on, and seems to intensify as the line between the two gets blurrier. PR is increasingly used for commercial products and improving sales, while Marketing branches out into new tactics as traditional advertising grows stale. Both PR and Marketing are quickly branching out to social media, and finding new ways to fit it into their strategies. So the question keeps arising, who is better fit for social media, PR or Marketing? Here are my two cents.

I’m not going to go into too much detail about social media; we’ve already heard it all before. It’s about two-way communication, dialogue and relationships. Whichever group understands the nature of social media best will certainly prosper, whether they are from PR or Marketing. But at their cores, which discipline is more suitable for this medium?

Public Relations is based on relationships and reputation. Though it has proven useful to the bottom line, the essence of PR is not based on commercialism. It’s as much about listening to important stakeholders as it is about telling your organization’s story to those stakeholders. PR is meant to be the bridge of an organization to the people that the organization affects.

Marketing is based on transactions. It’s about creating and selling products to consumers. There are many inventive ways to do this, but at its core, this is Marketing’s strength and limit.

In my opinion, Public Relations definitely has the advantage here. Social media is about communication and conversation, first and foremost. Engaging in conversation and creating relationships is what social media and Public Relations are founded on. Many important elements of Public Relations aren’t about increasing sales or revenue, and it is these elements specifically that can thrive through social media. Relationship and reputation building, issues management, monitoring and engaging with public opinion and maintaining legitimacy and relevance are just a few ways that PR can use social media without using a transactional model. Social media isn’t based on transactions, and purely commercial interests in this space are often met with public backlash. Especially when advertising tries to mask itself as transparent conversation.

I know this comes as a surprise. The “PR for the People” Blog says PR is suited to social media! Shocking! But here’s the issue I really wanted to get to. How do successful PR practitioners pitch these non-transactional efforts to clients or managers? I thoroughly believe that in order for PR to gain the respect it deserves it must have measurable impact, must relate specifically to fiscal goals and maintain a healthy ROI. How are relationships measured? How can one measure the impact of a PR plan designed to engage the community and build reputation? I understand the importance of using an open system approach, rather than a closed one, and how Public Relations can do just that through interacting with stakeholders. But how does one put a dollar sign on that interaction?

If you have the answers, or just have an opinion you would like to share, please leave a comment! Thanks for reading.