The very first rule of public relations is that you must get out in public. No, that doesn’t mean your Saturday morning errands are going to result in new clients or garner you and your company positive news stories and recognition. If only it were so simple!
What we mean when we encourage clients to be a part of the community is that they need to be physically present in the community and participate in events and community affairs outside of their own company. One client, whose company has multiple locations, always makes a point of telling people that he firmly believes if his company has operations in a community that he and his team should be working for that community. He believes in this philosophy and sincerely works to get to know the communities where his company does business.
The results speak for themselves. His company is widely regarded as very dynamic and civic-minded and their community involvement has generated positive attention in the media and among stakeholders in the community. The company culture benefits in part because of the shared community volunteer events.
Not every event has to be charitable in nature to generate positive impressions. Simply attending networking functions, chamber of commerce programs or association events can lead to other connections as well as PR opportunities.
Jennifer, our company’s principal, and I recently volunteered at a local chamber’s golf event. It was fun to reconnect with folks we don’t see often, and we learned about other community events and opportunities that might be of interest in coming months. Getting a few hours of sunshine was a great way to spend a Tuesday and we met some new potential clients and were able to share details via social media.
It’s easy to get bogged down working in your business, but the best way to get positive publicity is to be out in public! Set a goal to participate in at least one community event each quarter and then share, share, share your events on your company social media.
This blog is courtesy of MMC Media Relations Manager Malinda Lackey