What is public relations and how can it benefit an individual, organization, or company?

Public relations is the art and science of building relationships with a variety of publics. Those relationships can, in turn, serve as vehicles for education and influence, whether the subject at hand is product, issue, service, image or personality driven. Public relations is a powerful tool and when used responsibly, properly and with respect for professional groups, the news media and public, it can help shape opinions, purchasing and investment decisions, and ultimately your company's bottom line.

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How do I know if PR is right for me?

Public relations is often the least understood marketing modality as it is subtle, unlike advertising, for example, and often involves a slow, strategic build-up in relationships between an organization and retailers, distributors, industry associations and professional groups such as the news media and finally end-users, whether businesses or consumers. Whether your goal is to launch a brand with impact or to reach an untapped consumer market, we invite you to contact us directly to allow an experienced public relations professional discuss some broad strokes approaches to help you meet your short- and long-term needs and goals.

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How can public relations help me or my company?

Public relations can help you fine tune your individual professional or your company's image in a marketplace groaning with a glut of experts, me-too companies and avalanche of marketing messages. Distinguishing your image, leveraging brand equity and creating a strong presence for yourself, company, management, product, service, even industry overall, builds recognition and credibility, which can stimulate sales and profits. To be most effective over a long period of time, public relations involves a slow build up of these forces. Once this build up is underway, the domino effect begins, impacting your place in the industry, with retailers (if a product is involved), consumers, professionals, the news media, associations, key influencers and groups which play a role in contributing to your company's success.

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How will I know if a public relations practitioner is right for me?

Word of mouth is a fine way to begin your search for a PR pro. Look for a practitioner with experience, a good track record and someone who is interested in growing with you. On more than one occasion we have lost accounts to other practitioners who promised or even guaranteed publicity or particular results while we typically under-promise and over-deliver. It is as difficult to guarantee the outcome of a public or financial relations campaign as it is to guarantee the results of an advertising campaign. Look for good chemistry, flexibility on the part of the practitioner, plenty of creativity and a good feel for your product, service and/or industry. We have a policy of aligning ourselves with clients, particularly those going through an initial public offering, by taking a chunk of our services fee in stock to show our support for the company's growth and to avoid draining valuable resources.

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When is the right time to enlist the services of a public relations practitioner?

Running your business is something you do best. Combining that with personally marketing your product or service is not necessarily the best use of your time or resources. Hiring professionals with expertise and a proven track record often makes more sense from both a time and cost standpoint, and almost always in terms of results. Before you embark on a campaign, whether generated by in-house staff or managed by outside professionals, make sure you are able to accommodate an increase, which could come rapidly particularly if media relations are used, in demand for your product or service. Anticipate a rise in consumer or professional inquiries as well, so telephone lines will need to be covered by additional in-house personnel or service out-sourced to a tele-marketing firm, one that is reliable and capable. In short, embark on a public relations campaign when you have the resources and capabilities to meet an increase in sales, customer service and desire for greater success.

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How does Raker Goldstein & Co. work with clients and what kinds of clients does it represent?

Raker Goldstein provides a full range of communications services, from publicity programs to financial relations which reaches the Wall Street community. Our clients are a diverse group of organizations, companies, associations, individuals - each with specific marketing needs and goals we address with individually tailored programs. Fortune 500 companies, companies in the process of going public, nonprofit organizations, professional groups, individuals in the arts/public spotlight, authors, medical professionals, mid-size public and private companies, start-ups, and associations have all been represented by Raker Goldstein. The areas they represent are equally diverse, ranging from consumer goods, financial services, mainstream and alternative health care, sports and recreation, investment banking, telecommunications, international water distribution and waste management, food and beverage marketing and issues driven organizations and think tank groups.

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How much do most companies spend on public relations?

A common industry benchmark for public relations spending is 10% of the company's overall sales. That may be very high or low for a company, depending on its age, orientation. Your investment in public relations needs to be adequate to cover a quality campaign, which, ideally, will be on-going, to achieve the maximum return on your investment. Companies typically use a retainer arrangement which translates into service hours purchased at an agreed upon fee. Contact Heidi Raker Goldstein at 201.784.1818 for a free consultation and overview of fees.

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What kinds of results can I expect and how soon?

We advise clients to expect results, particularly if we are implementing a media relations campaign, roughly six to nine months from our start date. That allows us to develop an educational campaign, shepherd critical relationships along with the news media and give them time to digest our information and incorporate it as they see fit into their particular medium. Campaigns that do not hinge on media relations solely, but rather focus on industry speaking platforms and similar out-reach efforts, may take months to coordinate, though results are reached very quickly in terms of connecting clients with decision-makers in their industry. Public and financial/investor relations is about relationship building, a process which works best for clients when efforts are employed consistently and systematically over several months and years. The trickle down effect of PR on sales can be immediate once publicity is sparked or, conversely, take months and years before consumers and professional communities develop an interest in and commitment to embrace your product or service.

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What obstacles might a company face with an alternative or "green" product or service they would like to raise awareness of?

Learning curves, misperceptions, misinformation and other factors such as an inability to attribute product claims to a scientific body of research are among the issues facing alternative and green product/service marketers. While the news media, particularly beauty reporters and editors, covet "scoops" on the latest products before they reach the trendy phase, other news personnel, particularly those covering medicine and the sciences, are often hesitant to report on new personal products with ingredients they are unfamiliar with. As consumers become better educated about green and alternative products, the news media will be forced to stay one step ahead in terms of news, information, trends and industry developments. Green marketers are painfully aware of how mainstream companies can outspend them in terms of advertising and public relations dollars; innovative, whimsical approaches to making an impact with a marketing message are critical to a product or service's success, particularly as more mainstream companies try to portray their products and services as natural and/or ecologically friendly. Education, persistence, creative marketing and consistency serve green marketers best in a climate where consumers want a greater range of products and services and retailers are overwhelmed with too many choices and shrinking shelf space.

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Can I use public relations to help my company prepare for a crisis?

Public relations is critical to effectively communicating before, during and after a crisis. In the case of a product recall or mishap, which may require management to interact in an emergency situation with the public, public relations can help companies just as much with internal communications as with external communications. Drawing on our experience and working with you to forecast potential crises, we can map out a strategy for intelligently and responsibly handling situations that require thoughtful, immediate public communications. Our broad national and international network of media contacts and associations is a critical factor in helping companies manage both good and bad news.

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Does Raker Goldstein represent organizations in international markets and, if so, how?

Our clients are primarily based in the U.S. and many have overseas operations. Whether we are announcing news of an overseas development or acquainting visiting executives with local political figures and professionals, our intelligent marketing communications give organizations an international presence.

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