Team@AlexGPR.com +1 816-945-2477

The Business of Communication

by Brooke Parker

“People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic.”—Seth Godin

Public Relations. When you were in college, maybe a PR degree was looked at as a way for kids to simply skate by. It’s not rocket science, there are no computer codes, it’s not journalism nor traditional media. We aren’t mathematicians and quantum physics is a language that most of us just don’t understand. Sure, we understand Photoshop (to our highest extent) and can write a solid news release in no time.

Business is business. Someone sells garage doors, another makes Kleenex boxes and some sell paintings. Public Relations just happens to fall under the business of communication. Wait, how does the simplicity of words translate to business? I mean, money isn’t falling out of mouths during conversation (how cool would that be?). However, business basics are the simplest form of communication. Two-way communication—producer to consumer; consumer to producer. As PR people, we see how this works. The business of communication is basically what we spent our time studying. We don’t overcomplicate it or sell our knowledge short. Business is simply communication.

Credit 

Although money isn’t falling during those conversations, communication translates straight to dollars. Public relations people think for themselves, think like others and think for you. We study and create the words and messages behind business. To do this, our brains are full of different mindsets and personalities. To think like someone else, we study statistics and demographics to credit our newfound mindset. We write the words and create the content with that audience in mind. Actually, that audience is our mind. We adapt to audiences to make you money.

Age? Race? Day in the life? Where does this person shop? What does this person do for a living? Any kids? What about income? Values?

Weaving ourselves in and out of different audiences is a large part of our job. After all, this helps us mold your message. You change the way you speak to your grandma and boss; we change our way of thinking to resonate with your grandma or boss.

Public Relations professionals are not journalists, but we think like them (it’s the 5 W’s right?). Although we don’t understand quantum physics, we think like the scientist who does. We don’t write computer programs, but we mold ourselves into those who do. We understand your business to become your audience. Audiences turn into listeners which turn to consumers and advocators. If we can think like them, business success is a no brainer.

We’re skilled in our own art but understand yours too.

If the professionals in this field didn’t know a little about a lot of things, the business of communication would be out. A public relations agency works with the garage door businessman, the Kleenex box maker and the painter. When the scientist makes a breakthrough, we tell the story and understand the plot. This involves varied forms of marketing, journalism, a heavy amount of strategy and an understanding. Through the PR process, we become coaches, consultants and the voice behind conversation.

Perhaps the field of public relations is comprised of a whole bunch of writers who want to explain how airplanes work while knowing every rule in baseball. PR professionals aren’t expanding the field to simply tweet and post Facebook updates. Although incredibly important and necessary in today’s world, public relations is more than 140 characters. Instead, PR professionals are collecting knowledge from varied industries to sustain business. How are we going to sell your vegan cupcakes if we don’t know how you make them or haven’t given them a taste?

Getting a degree in PR or working in the industry is nothing close to a skate-by. The proverbial “jack of all trades” live and breathe public relations. This business understands yours.

Follow Brooke on Twitter at @parkebrooke

Let us help you get your business moving in the right direction. Contact us today to arrange a free, 30-minute consultation.

[contact-form][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]
Please follow and like us:
LinkedIn
Share
Instagram
Twitter
Follow by Email
RSS
YouTube
Pinterest
Mastodon
error

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)