What is Public Relation? What are advantages of Public Relations? What are the functions of Public Relation?

PUBLIC RELATION
It is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individuals, etc. in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc. It can be defined as the practice of managing communication between an organization and its public. Public relation is used to build rapport with employees, customers, investors, or the general public. This method of marketing does not
aim at promoting a single product/service but the company as a whole.
This is done by spreading a positive feel about the company through various stories and articles or positive feedback from customers about the company in different media channels. In comparison to advertising, PR is a very cost-effective method of marketing. A full-page advertisement of a product may fail to attract customers attention, but a positive response about the same from a satisfied customer when
appears in the form of an article in the same newspaper will work wonders for the company. PR is quite understandably considered as a very genuine method of marketing. It creates a favorable atmosphere for
conducting the business of the firm.

According to the UK Institute of Public relation, “ It is the deliberately planned and sustained efforts to establish and maintain mutual understanding between the organization and its public.”

Advantages of Public relations:
1. Credibility: The information communicated through public relation department is more reliable and it has more credibility. For eg.an article in newspapers or magazines discussing the virtues of aspirin may be perceived very much as more credible than an ad for a particular brand of aspirin.

2. Cost: In both absolute and relative terms, the cost of PR is very low, especially when the possible effects are considered. While a firm can employ advertisement agencies and spend millions of dollars on advertisements, for smaller companies, this form of communication may be the most affordable alternative available.

3. Lead Generation: Information about the technological innovations, medical break-through and the like results almost immediately in a multitude of inquiries. These inquiries may give the firm some quality sales lead.

4. Ability to reach specific groups: Because some products appeal to only small market segments, it is not feasible to engage in advertising and/or promotions to reach them. If the firm does not have the financial capabilities, to engage in promotional expenditures, the best way to communicate to these groups is through PR.

5. Image Building: Effective PR helps to develop a positive image for the organization. A strong image is an insurance against later misfortunes.

6. Stimulate awareness: Public relation techniques helps to stimulate awareness among the customers regarding the products of the company and thereby creating demand for your product.

Functions of public relations
The functions of public relations are given below:-
1. Creating awareness for a company or client and building a positive image for them through articles and stories in the various channels of media.
2. Keeping an eye on all media channels for any public feedback on the client company or its products.
3. Crisis management in cases where the company may be endangered.
4. Building goodwill and rapport with customers through special events, charity and community work.