This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.
Unfortunately, I have not prepared for the first blog post but this blog post currently movie based on my previous perceptions a public relations that now are altered by my current perspective and knowledge of public relations. In the beginning of the semester, my assessment of public relations was only established by the basic research a public relations course taught by Professor Wallace. The course Fundamentals of Public Relations was more than just the fundamentals of the material it provided a grasp of the rigorous information that enhanced my knowledge and showed me of a public relation was all about. The most interesting and dynamic part of this course was the planbook campaign that our class work towards in order to help the history department at Grand Valley State University. Through this planbook, I realize the importance of company/client relationship in regards to public relations. Also, I learned the importance of the means on conducting and providing the research it to the client.
I realized it was imperative to gain as much of the primary research and secondary research for further the pursuits to understand the true knowledge of any campaign. In my opinion, I fell short of this due to a lack of preparation and organization. But I did learn that through intensive primary research you can grasp a sense of useful knowledge of the target audience in any campaign. I found conducting an online survey very cost efficient and beneficial for this campaign.
I believe that this campaign was imperative to every student in the class to understand how public relations is utilized in our society and how to handle a true campaign project. Even if the students were unprepared and unorganized such as myself, it still taught the lessons of what attributes and skills you need for the industry of public relations. I believe the most valuable attribute for someone in this industry is time management and organization. I, unfortunately, learned the importance of the ability to be on time for deadlines is crucial in public relations. If a client is trusting you to find the underlying issues of their company they are in dire need to find solutions quick, that why it is so important for deadlines to be met. Also, an organization is a major key in public relations and especially when delivering a company with a campaign planbook. In order for the client to understand the information that was created in any campaign, the research has to be presented in an organized fashion to be understood easily.
Even though I was regularly unprepared for this class, especially this moment, I found countless incentives in taking this class in regards on bettering my understanding for my minor and the entirety of the public relations field. I was able to understand the attributes that will help me in this field and the necessary knowledge that employers are expecting me to know after graduation. Before this class, I was rather clueless on Public Relations and now I have a general idea of what PR truly means.
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To gain further knowledge you must obtain the necessary research. Everything we know to this date has been built off of some type of research that was furthered by those who searched for it. With modern technology at our fingertips, it is rather ignorant to say you know any sort of material without doing the research. In Public Relations, it is a must to conduct the essential research for and about your client in order to appear professional. Having a lack of research will make your company and you seem unprofessional and unreliable. In return your client will lose faith in you or will not recommend you to other potential clients. Being so, research is the primarily pillar that makes Public Relations so important. This is exactly why doing your research is so crucial in Public Relations.
In the Public Relations industry, research is the first and most important part of the 4-step process. You must recognize the problem and the situation of your client through in-depth research. The remaining three parts for the Public Relations process are action, communication, and evaluation. After you conduct your research and develop a strong hypothesis you start working towards the action phase where you determine what is going to be done about the situation. When you have found the solution for the problem that is when you communicate with the public and decide how to tell the public your information. The last phase is the evaluation, where you can see what effect your research has created for the public. “In PR planning and evaluation the Research is an important step. While you may not know in advance correctly what your research will reveal, it is wise to have a strong hypothesis to focus attention and resources. Knowing what you want to learn develops the likelihood that you will succeed your aims and achieve the greatest returns” (Neaimi, Ramsi, Shamsi, & Saee, 2016, p. 6). When your public understands and agrees with your research speed up the project. That is why being ready with research is such a necessity.
When you are prepared with the mandatory research for your client, you appear on task and goal oriented in order to further your clients needs. This in return helps you retain a creditable and reliable professional status. Since Public Relations main purpose is to build a trust worthy name for your company, you are doing your job when you do your research. Even though the concept of research seems relatively elementary you must conduct condensed and concentrated research to use it for your advantage. “Research is the main to any successful public relations, communications and/or marketing efforts, not only in the business world, but also in the non-profit and government sectors. Without research, those who administer public relations, public affairs, promotional, and related communications programs and activities for their institutions would be working in the dark, without any guidance or clear sense of direction” (Al-Jenaibi, 2011). This statement proves that without research Public Relations would not be as pertinent.
Many times when working with a client, you forced to fight for the solution that you believe is best suited for the client. The client may think that you are wrong or misleading them. This kind of situation is exactly why research is so important. “When you present your PR plan to a client, you should be prepared to justify your ideas – why you chose a certain medium or publication, how you came up with the tagline, or how you think a certain step will contribute to the overall plan. If your plan is substantiated by research, you shouldn’t have trouble answering such questions” (PR friend, 2016). This is exactly how research helps employees in Public Relations to connect with their client to agree on a possible solution. Public Relations is meant to bring all of the different publics around a company to a common ground but without researching the situation there couldn’t be a common ground. This is why research is the first and the most important stage in the Public Relations process.
References
Al-Jenaibi, B. (2011). Gender issues in the diversity and practice of public relations in the UAE case study of PR male managers and female PR practitioners. International Journal of E-Politics (IJEP), 2(3), 35-56.
Neaimi, N., Ramsi, A., Shamsi, F., & Saee, G., (2016, January, 26). Research in Public Relations: Higher Education of Social Science. CSCanada, Vol. 10, No. 1, 2016, 6. Retrieved from cscanada.net/index.php/hess/article/download/8192/pdf
PR Friend. (2016, September, 14). The importance of research in public relations. Retrieved from http://www.prfriend.com/research-in-public-relations/
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