By: Kyra Macomber
Public relations is one of the fastest-growing professions in the modern world. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth was at 8% in 2021 – much faster than average. How is this possible when so many people and businesses don’t know what public relations practitioners do in the first place? So, why is public relations important?
Public relations, although difficult to pinpoint exactly because of the many distinct aspects, was finally given a proper definition in 1982 by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Public relations is described as a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the public.
Public relations exists in any moderately sized company today. Sometimes these jobs are labeled as communications or marketing jobs, but employees perform the duties of a public relations practitioner. These practitioners help create credibility for a brand and connect with their audience or consumers through their values.
This can happen by increasing a brand’s online presence through press releases and events that are open to the public. Through these means, a public relations practitioner can help build long-term brand loyalty, which drives sales. Therefore, a company wants and needs to utilize the power of public relations.
Public relations practitioners are also trained in crisis communication, which can help companies and brands during times of turmoil. Whether it was a defective product or an ad campaign taken the wrong way, public relations professionals know how to regain their audience’s trust.
By learning how important public relations is and how it is utilized, you can begin seeing how these tactics used by public relations practitioners play out in the real world.