Public relations is a cost-efficient and effective way to find new customers and build a quality reputation. Awareness and a good image are what can set a company apart from its competitors.

PR is a carefully planned, sustained effort to establish a company’s identity, maintain credibility and promote communication between an organization and its public. It’s a way to keep a brand’s name and good deeds in front of the public. It should be part of an overall branding strategy for a business to build brand awareness.

PR is one tool to be used to achieve a communications objective. Advertising strategies are another. In advertising, one pays to control the brand message. Public relations means getting stories written or broadcast about a brand both online and offline in the local press, business media, trade publications, radio, television and other media outlets depending on the target audience.

Consumers have lots of advertising messages thrown at them on a daily basis. But, when consumers read articles, hear or see something about a company in the news, they’re going to take that brand more seriously than they do from its ads.

When a brand makes a claim, the typically response is, “How do you know?” The reply most commonly heard is, I read it in the newspaper, I heard it on the radio or I saw it on the Internet. Not, I saw it in an ad. Using the media to deliver a message is a type of endorsement that is impossible to achieve through advertising. With its message of integrity, quality and extraordinary service, PR has the power to persua

Writing and placing good and informative content — case studies, company profiles, product and market overviews, section briefs — in publications or getting a client interviewed by a local or national reporter have a much longer shelf life and greater word-of-mouth value than advertising.

Waiting to be discovered by the media can take a financial toll on a company. Every company has thousands of competitors. Often, the main difference between one company and its competitors is whether one of them has an established communications or marketing program in place.

Getting media attention takes an ongoing, dedicated effort. It requires implementing an ongoing plan to communicate ideas and messages to the public, creating marketing support for services and products, and developing and nurturing media relations. It requires a keen focus on key brand messages.

So, what is news? Anything that is of potential interest to the people in your community. People make news. Employee promotions and awards make news. Events make news — business openings, special promotions, anniversary celebrations, participation in or sponsorship of a community event. Innovations — a new product or service — are news.

The more customers read, see or hear about a company’s accomplishments and initiatives, the more they know about that company, and the more they want to know about the brand. A commitment to a sound, ongoing PR program can make a big difference in growing solid awareness of a brand.