A clear message is essential to everything you do...

2009-11-06 20:23:05 - Strategic Communications Solutions PR advocates strategic publicity to build brands

Oakville, Ontario, Canada, November 8, 2009 - Recently there has been much speculation that public relations is a dying profession. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, there's nothing more important to the growth of a brand than how you communicate its value, increasing visibility and credibility. That's public relations.

"Those who say public relations is dead only view

the tactical side of the profession - to them it's all about media releases," says Peter Turkington, a partner with Strategic Communications Solutions PR, a company specializing in media training and publicity. "Most of them think that PR is simply writing a release and posting it on the internet. In reality, there's much more to it."

Before you can communicate on behalf of a client, you need a well thought out communications plan.

"That's why we sit down with clients and do planning sessions before we even send out their first release," says Peter.

Certain questions must be asked. Questions such as:

- What's your marketing strategy? (often a PR campaign can complement current marketing efforts);

- What's your reason for being in business? (a clear vision for your business is an essential starting point for developing the message);

- What promotional activities/advertising do you have planned for the coming year? (an idea of the types of activities the company is doing, allows development of PR support that can extend the life of the promotion and create extra buzz);

- What kind of results do you expect from a PR campaign? (this helps to set and manage expectations); etc...

"As part of our planning, we focus and refine key messages," explains Peter. "Often, our key messaging advice has an impact on an organization's marketing communications, human resources/internal communications, and other areas of the business."

The bottom line is, if you want to get your message out it needs to be focused and clear. To make sure this is the case, it's often wise to seek professional advice.