Throughout the nearly 20 years in the marketing business, I have never had two clients share the same definition of what public relations is, and how it is measured by their company. “We need PR,” is a typical phrase that I hear from prospective clients several times a week. Yet it is interesting to learn what their expectations are of PR when I further probe them. While almost everyone will agree PR can propel their business, it is intriguing to learn the different definitions, methods, and metrics used by business executives to describe it.

For some, PR is getting into The Wall Street Journal or BusinessWeek, securing a slot on CNBC, or nailing some other “Holy Grail” media opportunity. Others want PR to achieve a consistent “buzz” in order to promote their products and services. Most clients gauge their PR investment by the number of tangible articles or “mentions” they receive on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, while others define it as the means of which to generate thought-leadership, awareness, and credibility. Some simply want PR to “make the phone ring.”

All of these definitions are correct in the sense that each can help a company boost sales and marketing initiatives. But given these depictions, there is a whole universe of individuals that don’t really understand what PR is and does – essentially sinking a PR campaign before it even starts.

Whether you manage PR in-house or via an agency, make sure you have a clear understanding of what PR means to your organization and the tangible “deliverables” you want it to achieve. This allows you to direct your PR resources, optimize budgets, and most importantly have the capability to measure the result effectively.

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