You're reading: Business Sense: PR is not a luxury, it’s a necessity for forward-thinking companies

I once got a call from a journalist asking me for an interview. Mighty interested in how public relations, or PR, can boost the success of a law firm, he asked me for an appointment to shed some light on the issue. It was this call that got me excited about sharing my ideas and secrets about PR.

To begin with, there’s much more to PR than meets the eyes. A lot of people jump into it without the slightest understanding of what the business really entails. I’ve come to realize that the secret of successful PR is about managing a brand and retaining its integrity. It’s also about managing expectations and bringing a sense of calm reliability to a client.

The law business I’m involved in is absolutely client-oriented. You should think as your client, know your client and know the ropes of his business. A good PR manager will strive to enhance and support constant communication with clients, retain the image of the company in the client’s mind. Thus, it’s indispensable to have exemplary client-handling skills.

First, I recommend carrying out client satisfaction surveys, organizing seminars/conferences/roundtables/presentations/business breakfasts and networking cocktails for clients. In a nutshell, the top priority is to get some feedback. This communication should not be a monologue, but a rather lively discussion.

Second, what PR takes is the ability to challenge convention, to network and to get results. I recall talking to a friend, a business development manager, who pointed out that his job is to earn money for his company while, as a PR manager, mine was to waste it. PR is not about wasting money, I assure you!

The thing is that the Ukrainian mentality is quite stiff in grasping Western ideas. We are too cautious before taking the plunge (i.e., settling a PR budget or carrying out a campaign). I’m afraid we overlooked the moment some 20 or 30 years ago when PR was gaining ground in the West and raising immense budgets and creating hoopla around events.

Even now we are reluctant to admit its effectiveness (like this friend of mine is, like many conservative general directors are). Yeah, it’s pretty hard to measure PR efficiency. But, after all, you are a PR manager, not a PR technician. Thus, you’re supposed to imbue your business with results, not with some mechanical stuff like sending press releases once in a fortnight or publishing news on the website, etc. From my experience I have to admit that “mechanical stuff” takes too much out of you, leaving too little space for creativity and contemplation. My advice is to avoid it. PR is not festive; it’s the daily grind. But you should make it thoughtful at least.

And one more mundane issue: Remember your accountability. You have to deliver results. Dare to come up to your boss with a fresh newspaper where your corporate news appeared. Make a diagram of your website’s increased attendance. Be noticeable. Have material evidence of your work. This is of utmost importance. I once felt like an underdog when I tried to explain my PR expenses to my boss early in my career. You must not tremble in your shoes about your activity.

In the legal business, one might face reluctance to brainstorming innovations on the part of partners and some distrust with what you’re doing (and whether you’re doing anything at all). We, the PR experts, are too often behind the scenes in business. Be in the limelight. Otherwise, your work will not be properly appraised.

PR can also be regarded with some negative connotation. You can find your client, company or yourself the object of fierce attacks. Now and then I’m asked whether PR workers feel uncomfortable while promoting “damaging products” like tobacco or alcohol drinks. That’s another “black” side of our work, where common sense is at war with professional duties.

Would I feel twangs of conscience? Yes, I would. I’m a mere mortal. In such cases, I try to disengage myself from the moral image of the product in the eyes of general public. Today we’re more concentrated on what we have rather on who we are. That’s why tobacco and alcohol products are on the rise and flourishing. I also tend to think there’s one philosophy that guides me through such cases: There’s a huge difference between living by your profession and letting your profession take over your lifestyle. If you work for a company, you have to be obedient to rigid rules and policy. After all, life is not a fairytale in which good defeats evil, with you choosing what’s good and evil.

One hint for students and would-be PR specialists: You could have 3 degrees, but if you are a bad communicator, you aren’t going to get very far in the business. I personally hold a degree in linguistics, which has only assisted me in communication and writing. But, of course, it’s not enough.

A prerequisite for a PR expert is constant self-refinement – through reading books on PR/ marketing/management, through active membership in professional associations, through being among people of different walks of life and areas of expertise. People around me are the most valuable asset.

The third golden rule for me is never to put all your eggs in one basket. In today’s turbulent times, there’s no communication channel that’s 100 percent reliable. Apart from media-client-colleague relations, we as a law firm put great emphasis on Web 2.0, meaning Internet PR and blogging. You should try anything to decide which works best for your firm. I think it’s just the same as diversifying your assets.

Being a PR manager involved in a particular business, it’s a challenge not to trespass between self-promotion of your company and shrewd reputation management. One should bear in mind that corporate information is not always newsworthy for mass media and that the media is often “polluted” with the waste of human thought. Remember: We can buy space in a newspaper or a magazine, but their readership can only be won.

In summary, I strongly believe in the rise of PR in Ukraine’s future. Corporations acknowledge that expenses have to be controlled and so have appointed chief financial officers. Why not manage information flows? Thus, the position of a PR manager is being gradually introduced in every successful Ukrainian business.

I believe firms should embrace PR as an intrinsic need. It’s not a secretary’s duty, but a crucial function of top management. As managers we should strive to make our company not a gold mine for tabloids, but rather a reliable friend and an interesting interlocutor. The mission of a PR manager here is to be a mediator and to get the communication ball rolling.

Olga Pikulska is PR manager for Paritet law firm in Kyiv (http://paritet.ua) and can be reached at [email protected].