For numerous businesses, each annual period is a time for their assessment goals setting and strategic planning. Indeed, this brings out the essence of Public Relations as it helps organizations to set their objectives and formulate a clearly defined strategic plan that allows the entities to achieve their optimum results. The fundamental goal of a public relations department is, therefore, to enrich an entity’s reputation. The staff that works in public relations are skilled publicists, and they can present individuals and organizations to the world in the best light.
Research
The essential element in public relation is research. It is systematic and thorough investigations that aim to discover or add knowledge, facts, and general rules. Research is the principal purpose of any successful public relations marketing efforts, or communication, not only in the business world but also in the government and non-profit sectors. Research enables the administrators of public relations to have a clue of the direction they are set to take. Therefore, it gives them the perfect course to make since it emphasizes the entire public relations process and it examines the communications relationships that exist between organizations and their key target audience. Research in public relations, therefore, aids the PR officials to define not only what they know but also what they do not know (Smith, 2013).
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Purpose of the Research
The research aims to enable managers to develop the strategy in public relations to make them able to conduct their campaigns with a specific purpose and targeted goals. Besides, research enables public relations to operate as a part of the general strategic management function in an institution. Lastly, the analysis allows public relations to measure the effectiveness of the public relations effort. Public relations research, therefore, predicts the number of cases that aid the plan of organization courses of action (Smith, 2013).
Social Responsibility
The social responsibility of business encompasses the economic, ethical, legal and discretionary expectations that society has of organizations at a given point in time. Thus, corporate social responsibility initiatives must correlate to contribute to a similar organizational/social function and needs. Consequently, social responsibility strengthens the relationship between an organization and its key stakeholders. Social responsibility enables entities to build long-term value, and this allows the organization to improve their reputation (Smith, 2013).
Opinion Surveys
Public opinion in public relations refers to the constant forming and revising of people’s opinions on public figures, issues, and organizations. Public relations can help to frame and define problems that often have their roots in an individual’s self-interests. Public opinion, attitudes, and persuasion are very vital to public relations. After getting a prevailing opinion, public relations have to use persuasion to attempt to induce or change the belief, attitude, and behavior of the group or individual through the transmission of the right information in the context which will enable the public to be in the degree to make a free choice (Grunig, 2013).
Policy formulation
Consequently, for ski tourism to be active, it is recommended that the mandatory educational program study for the students of New Hampshire state gets implemented as a value addition plan that will ensure they learn the various ways of ecological conservation. The policy will be applied at all the phases of education beginning from the elementary levels of knowledge to the tertiary level. Indeed, this is a long-term policy that promotes awareness creation and mitigation strategies.
2. Planning:
Grunig (2013) states that careful planning is what distinguishes modern public relations. Good and more plans make the public relation strategies be more successful. Planning is, therefore, suitable for public relations since it contributes to the success of public relation activities. In public relations, planning can be done through contemporary and traditional planning methods. Planning a PR strategy, therefore, aids in the generation of new ideas and opportunities for the business to grow, and planning for the organization enables it to realize its overall goals and maintain consistency
Data Collection
Public relations often aim to grab attention and recruit new audiences through the building of trust and transformation of awareness. A data-driven strategy and this is the essence of data collection. One popular method that is synonymous to public relations is quantitative research which is based on statistical generalization. The statistical observations from quantitative analysis enable public relations strategists to know the exact places which need improvement since they can be measured. Before undertaking the research, qualitative data enables public relations to compare the gaps and numbers of each group of data they have to deal with. Modern methods of collecting quantitative data include internet-based surveys, telephone surveys, mail surveys, comment cards, content analysis through media coverage and frequent shopper program tracking (Watson, & Noble, 2007).
Determination of objectives
While conducting public relations the following are the real objectives for conducting public relations research:
To obtain benchmark data about the views of crucial target audience groups
To gather information that public relations professionals need to have and to enable them to perform their jobs perfectly.
To plan, develop and refine public affairs, public relations or marketing communications activity or programs
To monitor programs. Events or activities that can be important for the organization.
Core Groups
The core groups are the targeted audience that the public relations team needs to identify to help in the direction of message and communication to the right people in the best meaningful way to them. After the identification of the core group audience, the public relation strategy is created to enhance communication with them, and this helped in the building of brand awareness and the increase of reach out (Watson, & Noble, 2007).
Structure Breakdown
The structure breaks down in public relations entails the preparation of an outline that facilitates the management of an intended objective. It is completed with detail objectives and target dates that match the progress of the project along with the measures or costs that are required throughout the entire process. The merits of structure breakdown are that it enables the adjustment of the public relations programs whenever it is convenient.
Assigning Responsibilities
Public relations have account executives who are responsible for handling all the dynamics of planned publicity campaigns and PR activities. The executives are therefore accountable for the following; first, they are involved in planning, developing and implementing PR strategies, communicating with critical spokespeople and colleagues, and liaising and answering inquiries for the organizations, media, and individuals through constant communication. Most importantly, the executives are tasked with researching, writing and distributing press releases to the targeted media (Watson, & Noble, 2007).
3. Implementation
Proper Channel of Communication
Public relations implementation processes entail the actions and reactions to the laid strategic plans of a suggested method. Communication is therefore very significant during the implementation process except for organizations who react before communicating, and this has often led to tragedies within such organizations (Dozier, Grunig, & Grunig, 2013). In addition, persuasive messages are therefore created through relevant channels like seminars, mass media platforms like radio, print media, and televisions. In the digital age, stakeholders may use social technology applications that can enhance communication within organizations through social media platforms. (Coombs & Holladay, 2018)
Coordination
Coordination is the process of organizing groups or individuals, for them to work well in a unison. It aims at achieving effective results. Parties involved in public relations activities should be well organized to ensure a smooth flow of activities such as client’s relationships, market information as well as competitors. For them to achieve the desired public relation goals, the organization has to design well-formulated strategies to direct them through outlining how the tasks should be conducted. (Ferguson, 2018)
Understanding the elements of the process
Most important is to understand the elements of the process, and this is done whenever the cost for developing, distributing, and executing the implementation processes are determined to enable the potential meeting of the public relations objectives. Moreover, the key facilitators and target groups of the whole process should be carefully determined (Bryson, 2018).
4. Evaluation
Practical Applications
The practical application tools of measuring evaluation include clip counting which is often done at the end of the predetermined period and here the clips are obtained and examined to determine the success rate of the public relations benchmarking.
The data collected should also be examined to determine the existing relationship between the public and the organization as well as determining potential clients.
Detecting Failures
Upon the detection of areas with failures, the variables that cause the failure should be reevaluated to make them be the next driving force to the change that is needed. The factors causing challenges in the public relations process should be thoroughly examined to come up with the solutions and recommendations. The identified solutions may be used for future references on other processes to be conducted.
Making Amendments to the process
Successful public relation process is accomplished using efficient amendment process, that tracks the areas where the public relations efforts were weak; to convert and reshape them to make sure they become the driving factors towards modification. Such changes ensure that the future public relations practices are conducted in the perfect way possible with minimal or no challenges, therefore, producing the best results. (Grunig, 2013).
5. Ethics and Best Practices
The process used in the planning and organizing of the public relations in an organization needs to take the ethical dimension in dealing with the best practices to help come up with excellence in the public relations process. The understanding of the best practices in this process would be significant in equipping the person with the relevant knowledge needed to identify the separate areas that are required to be included in the field. It will also help in making it easier to understand the functions of each section in the process.
There is the need to view a number of case studies to help get to the bottom of the avenues used in the articulation ethics and best practices in the same field.
The significance of ethics and morals also help in the realization of the best leadership skills to use in the process of public relations. It is important to explore the theories linked to the subject and real-life impacts that the implementation process would bring. Finally, there is the need to select the best practices that would be considered very vital in the maintaining and developing of the excellent public relations within the specific organization and for the audience.
References
Bryson, J. M. (2018). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement .
Dozier, D. M., Grunig, L. A., & Grunig, J. E. (2013). Manager's guide to excellence in public relations and communication management. Routledge.
Ferguson, M. A. (2018). Building theory in public relations: Interorganizational relationships as a public relations paradigm. Journal of Public Relations Research , 30 (4), 164-178.
Grunig, J. E. (2013). Furnishing the Edifice: Ongoing Research on Public Relations as a Strategic Management Function. In Public Relations and Communication Management (pp. 41-66). Routledge.
John Wiley & Sons. Coombs, W. T., & Holladay, S. J. (2018). Innovation in public relations theory and practice: A transmedia narrative transportation (TNT) approach. Journal of Communication Management , 22 (4), 382-396.
Smith, R. D. (2013). Strategic planning for public relations. Routledge.
Watson, T., & Noble, P. (2007). Evaluating public relations: A best practice guide to public relations planning, research, and evaluation. Kogan Page Publishers.
