Reasons To Do A Public Relations Evaluation

By Tara Daniels


There is no business in the world that can survive without people. The very core of trade is that people buy and sell commodities. Therefore, every business owner must ensure that his product or brand name has a good image amongst its potential and existing clients. A public relations evaluation is essential every few months to give useful feedback and guidance for improvement.

Public relations involves all the communication that occurs between a company and its past, present and potential future customers. It is about the image that is presented to the people, how they see you and relate to you as a brand. If this image is good, business is bound to be good as well.

However, despite the importance of good PR, many businessmen ignore it or place little time on working at it. In this case a public relations evaluation is non existant and may have dire consequences. Without any feedback from consumers or staff, there is no way of knowing how well a product or service is being received or how to improve sales.

Many companies do not actually hire a public relations officer. The role of this person is crucial in establishing and maintaining healthy communication with the media. If he or she is not a permanent employee, they should be outsourced on a freelance basis. Their job will include social networking via the Internet, posting regular blogs, press releases, sending out emails or newsletters to clients and even staff members.

Once a healthy relationship has been established with consumers, they will trust your brand over others. Research shows that people like familiarity. Once they know a product or company name, and once they have a good relationship with them, they will return. They will also refer your business to friends and family. Never underestimate the power of word of mouth. A booming enterprise is one with a good marketing team behind it.

The public relations evaluation is something that should be done as often as every two or three months. It will include things like going through emails, calls or letters from customers. Any complaints or compliments via online forums, social messaging or other means should be taken very seriously. All correspondence that took place between the business and its clients must be evaluated thoroughly.

The procedure should also involve an evaluation of internal communications and relationships with staff members. If employees are happy or disgruntled, an assessment will reflect this and indicate what needs improvement and what is working well. Staff motivation exercises can include regular pep talks or luncheons to ease stress and encourage communication.

Whether big or small, all businesses should invest in a PRO and hold a regular public relations evaluation during the course of the financial year. Ignoring something like this will mean perpetuating serious problems and repetition of the same mistakes. If consumers are unhappy about something, it is crucial for the company owners to know about it to prevent bad publicity. A small amount of bad publicity can mean a loss of thousands or even millions. Embarking upon this procedure can direct owners to their strong areas and show them what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong. The overall results will be invaluable.




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