The Importance of PR for Associations

By Judy Smith, APR

Public Relations, or PR, is one of the most misunderstood industries today. The euphemisms to describe it: spin doctor, flack and worse, connote a practice dedicated to twisting the truth to a client’s advantage.

But public relations is far more. Literally, public relations is the business of relating to your publics in a dynamic two-way, interactive process that ultimately promotes the goals of your organization.

PR uses the tools of great story-telling. To tell a great story, you have to understand your audience. You want to know their concerns and interests, and how you can get them involved in the story telling, to be an active participant. Then, you must tell your story in a compelling way. PR takes it one step further: You know why you are telling the story and what you want your audience to do as a result of hearing and interacting with that story.

My mentor liked to define PR as “Performance and Recognition.” This points to the fact that you must have substance as well as good story-telling in any valid PR campaign. First, you perform and do something worthy (providing the substance), and then you are recognized for it.

Finally, at its most strategic, PR is “reputation management.” Reputations are valuable assets – good reputations are earned and continually nurtured.

Why PR is essential

So, given these broader definitions of PR, what publics do associations have and why are relations important?

1) Membership: Why should your members continue to pay dues and participate? What value are you giving them? What have you done for them lately? Are you telling this story in a compelling way? How are you letting them know they are being heard?

2) Trade/News media: Is your association mentioned frequently in news articles? Are you getting the recognition for your performance? Is your association looked at as a source for expertise and perspective on issues important to your industry? Are you providing a voice for your members in the media?

3) Government and Other Non-profits: Why is your association a valuable resource to government agencies and other non-profits? How can your association influence public policy; are you telling your story in a compelling way, so that laws and regulations are written for a balanced approach? Do you understand and respect other’s viewpoints and concerns so that, as an association, you can address them?

4) Community: What communities are you members of – your local business neighborhood, the geographic area you serve, your industry community, etc. What are their concerns? Why is your association a valuable resource for them, and why are they important to you?

How and How much?

There are basically three ways to incorporate PR in your association: hire a full time professional(s); hire an agency; hire a freelance PR professional. There are pros and cons to all. The Public Relations Society of America, and its local chapters provides references for a list of professionals and agencies. Many PR pros have passed the professional accreditation, entitling them to use APR after their name.

In-house: An in-house professional is advisable when you have enough work to warrant the cost. Having a professional in-house enables your association to have PR strategic perspective on all aspects of association business. Be sure to provide additional staff to support the person. One overwhelmed professional doing everything from overseeing the critical messages and managing reputation to putting out newsletters will soon be too busy to provide a good strategic perspective. Salaries for public relations professionals are similar to other professions: expect to pay $100,000 and up.

PR Agency: Hiring a PR agency provides a flexibility and accountability that an in-house staff cannot provide. An agency contract is reviewed on a periodic basis, allowing the association to continue with them, or select another alternative. Agencies are often a one-stop shop, providing both the strategic oversight by the senior account people as well as the communications tasks and clerical support and a variety of specialized skills such as graphic design, speechwriting, strategic planning, media relations, videography, etc. Expect to spend at least $80,000 - $200,000/year for a good agency effort. Agencies charge by project, by hourly staff time, and by retainer.

Freelance PR Professional: Many PR professionals prefer to work alone, taking on clients and projects that match their skills. Hiring a freelance person can be helpful to answer an immediate need to supplant existing staff. Freelance professionals usually work by the hour, charging anywhere from $75 – 150 per hour.

A final word of advice

Successful public relations campaigns and efforts, like anything else, need clear, quantifiable goals. Look at your publics, look at what you want them to do, know your budget, and set your PR goals accordingly.

(Article first appeared in Association News, November 2005. Tel: (310) 577-3700.)