“PR is extremely important, and being able to use it in the right way means everything. You have to market your success." – Lee Haney, bodybuilder and former Mr. Olympia

All organisations big or small, local or international, private or public can benefit from good public relations. If you are already in business or only starting one it is critical that you know what public relations is, what benefits it can bring to your business and how to achieve them. For starters, Public relations is a set of actions that a company conducts to generate and express a positive image of the company. The company should be seen as transparent, firm and reputable in the market. So PR basically deals with relationship between the organization and its different publics both internal and external. It is important to note that every company should have people interested in it such as consumers, customers, investors, public institutions, social organisations, focus groups and not just its own workers. Thus a good PR activity should drive awareness, increase visibility and manage the reputation of your brand. Public relations should always be part of the promotion and communication strategies of a company, as it creates a good image and helps you to sell, as well as strengthen synergies with other companies in your sector. Always know that information, integrity and trust are essential values in our ever more globalised and complex world, especially where products and services are more identical and very advanced. As noted by Alvin Adams, “public relations are a key component of any operation in this day of instant communications and rightly inquisitive citizens.” The secret therefore is for your business to reach for the highest level of social acceptance and differentiation relative to your competitors. The importance of a good image for your business can never be underestimated. According to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR-UK), Britain's industrial leaders are regularly asked what are the most important factors they take into account when making judgements on companies. In poll after poll, they rate reputation as a company's most valuable asset - in fact, they rate it considerably higher than they do a company's financial performance. Founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates is quoted to have said on the power and importance of a good public image that, "if I was down to the last dollar of my marketing budget I'd spend it on PR!" The popular assumption has been that commercially vibrant companies only use public relations. However, a key feature of public relations is the low cost of investment, and the high rate of return that a good public relations activity can have. Consequently, small businesses that have minimal economic resources can also make use of an effective public relations strategy as a marketing and communication tool for their business. One other relevant feature of public relations is that it is a two-way communication. You are not only sending a message to the public or your employees, but you also have the possibility of gathering information from them to get to know their needs, preferences, interests, opinions, etc. As stated earlier, the main benefit of public relations is creating and maintaining a good image for your business. The more positive an image your company has, the more likely you are to increase your sales and get preferential treatment compared to your competitors. In addition to increased sales, your business may also among other things indirectly benefit from the following effects through effective PR: •Establish good relationships both within and outside of the company. •Save on paid publicity given the fact that public relations will have the same advertising effect while costing less. •Generate credibility and trust. •Spread the image and the brand’s presence, which may result in an increase in sales. •Gain customer loyalty in the mid to long term. •Help to forecast potential crises through the analysis, interpretation and anticipation of public opinion as well as the behaviour and attitudes that affect the image of the organisation. •Good relationships with workers, which in turn generates a good atmosphere or working environment.

“Publicity is absolutely critical. A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad.” – Richard Branson

With the benefits of effective PR now known, the focus turns to how small businesses can achieve effective PR. Firstly, there are multiple activities that can be developed within the scope of public relations, but to achieve the desired objectives it is necessary to establish a strategy that is anchored on a thorough study and analysis of your target publics so that the activities directed at them are correctly focused. Actions that can be part of public relations include organisation or participation in cultural events, sports activities, seminars, conferences, social work, social aid projects, or communication or transmission of information related to the company. The information sent out to the public can be about the reputation of the company, the quality of the products and / or services offered, the benefits of working for the company, the good work environment that you have or important actions that have been carried out or are being carried out. Also, the essence of public relations is the link that is established with the media, both new and traditional. Therefore, it is essential that you first investigate the most important media for your business’ product or service and classify them in terms of how they can reach your target audience. So basically: • Select the quality media depending on the specific work area of your company. This means choosing a type of media that is well-known, serious, and has a good reputation. • Get to know the media. Analyse what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. • Focus the information that you are going to convey, as not all the public will be interested in the same thing. • Do not falsify information. • The media is not your public, but their audience and readers are. In the last few years though, with the increasing popularity of social media in Ghana (Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, LinkedIn, Instagram etc), it has been increasingly more important to develop public relations through the various online and social media networks. According to Internet World Stats, out of a population 25,758,108 in Ghana there are 4,378,878 Internet users as at Dec 31, 2013 representing 17.0% of the population, per IWS. Out of the number of internet users, 1,630,420 are Facebook subscribers for Dec 31/12 representing a 6.4% penetration rate. Social media platforms such as facebook are therefore a good way of reaching out to a large audience with minimum investment. It allows you to project a positive image, gain followers, maintain contact with your clients, network and promote your products and / or services in a direct way at a low cost. To conclude, if you are still not convinced that public relations is absolutely critical to the success of your business, remember what Bill Bernbach, an advertising pioneer and founder of DDB said that “nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression you make.’’

The Author, PHILIP OSEI BONSU is the Corporate Communications Manager of Skyy Media Group. He doubles as founder and CEO of PR Consulting firm OBPR. Philip holds an MSc in Corporate Communication and Public Affairs from the Aberdeen Business School of the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland. Contact him via mail: philiposeibonsu84@gmail.com Call him on: 0248793564