What do you think about when you hear the term public relations or – in short – “PR”? Public relations can, at times, seem like a foggy and befuddling concept for businesses – but it doesn’t need to be. Let’s demystify PR by examining what it is, what it can do for you, and why you should definitely hire a telecom PR professional for your business.

What is Public Relations, Anyway?

To start, let’s break down the term ‘public relations’. At its core, public relations is about building credibility for your organization. Successful businesses are built on relationships, and relationships are built on trust. If the term ‘public’ seems intimidating, just think about your clients, would-be clients and partners – people whose trust you want to earn. As for the ‘relations’ part, it’s about putting your organization’s name out there in a positive way. Establishing your organization as a thought leader and an industry influencer means solidifying your reputation in the industry. Terms like “online presence” or “brand equity” can seem daunting, but remember, public relations is just about finding ways to project a favorable image of your company to a certain audience.

What Can a Telecom Public Relations Firm Do?

For many, hiring a public relations firm is about keeping up with competitors and fighting for online turf. For others, public relations is about damage control, avoiding a bad reputation when threats occur. But beware, these viewpoints can be near-sighted and limiting. When conjoined with an effective marketing plan, public relations means so much more. A smart earned media strategy should be part of your lead generation plan, creating opportunities to connect to your organization’s services through business stories. This, in turn, can create more website traffic, trade show booth visits, social media engagement, and maybe even referral business. Ultimately, when your messages are resonating with your target audience it translates into sales – and profits.

The value of public relations agencies factors into more than just ROI, too. A good content marketing PR team will create a broad, strategic framework with which to focus your efforts: a strategic communication process. Setting objectives, calendar planning, budgeting, developing templates – the resources you need to perform. This includes monitoring, listening and optimizing the plan too. A progressive PR strategy includes elements of analyzing, interpreting, and ideally anticipating the pertinent opinions, attitudes, and issues percolating in your desired market. In this light, public relations is about more than inserting your organization’s viewpoint in the market; it’s also about how what’s occurring in the market affects your organization.

Why Do I Need A Telecom PR Specialist?

The broader, sometimes overlooked benefits of smart PR campaigns underscore the importance of locating a firm that specializes in your industry. The tech space continuously morphs and grows. A PR firm, that also has experienced digital marketers and is already in tune with the latest trends, policies, and players that matter to you, can be an ace in the hole, which is why finding a firm with telecom and data center experience is a must. After all, hiring a telecom public relations agency brings along with it the relationships they’ve cultivated with journalists, analysts, publications, and thought leadership, and those relationships are now available to you. If the connections you gain aren’t within your business sphere then how valuable are they, really?

While seeking out a PR agency may seem daunting, it doesn’t need to be. Maybe it’s just what you’ve needed all along.