Public Relations: Types of Audiences

1. LECTURE 8
Internal vs External
Public of Public Relations

3. Introduction
• Primary function of public relations is to facilitate
positive and profitable relations between an
organization and its actual or potential audiences.
Internal vs External

4. Internal Publics of Public Relations
• includes Shareholders or Investors,
Employees, Suppliers, Distributors,
Retailers/ Dealers and Other
business associations.
• Internal Public Relations is just as
important and can make a huge
difference when it comes to your
external efforts.
• The internal publics very important
- core group in an organisation.
• This core group has a very intimate
relationship and a stake in the
company.
• Company need to win their loyalty,
confidence, trust them and provide
them facilities.

5. • Secure internal buy-in from the
executive management team.
• Manage the PR budget to ensure
it is being used efficiently.
• Drive the PR strategy and make
sure the company develops long-
term strategic plans that mesh
with its overarching business
goals.
• Work and responsibility of
Internal PR:
• Internal PR share key messages
with all the members in
organization.
• It recognition to people they
receive awards.
• Internal Publics professionals
keep the image of the company
fly high.
• Internal Publics of an
organisation looks into the
goodwill of its collaborators and
maintain good relations.
• They take corrective actions
when problems arises within the
company.

6. Employee Relations
• The most important resource
that a company has are its
employees and the customer
service they provide.
• The functions of public
relations in regards to the
company’s employees is the
maintenance of employee
goodwill.
• The image and reputation of a
company among its employees
is also another responsibility of
public relations in its function
of employee relations.
• Definition: Employee
Relations is the systematic
and symmetrical process of
communicating with and
listening to employees to
achieve an organization’s
objectives.
• Systematic – all tools and
techniques must be used
in order to be highly
effective
• Symmetrical – those who
communicate seek an
interactive relationship.

7. Objectives of Employee Relations
• Enhance esprit de corps and loyalty
• Dissemination of information on
mission, vision and strategies
• Ability to communicate to specific
publics
• Practice two way communication
• Encourage feedback
• Avoid rumors and grapevine
• Give reward and contribution
• Explain changes of policies, procedures
and actions in getting support from the
citizens of the organization
• Encourage the involvement of
employees in decision-making and
welfare
• Minimize whistle-blower in organization.

8. Employers must reinforce 5 specific principles:
• Credibility/honest feedback:
Employees want to know what they
should believe what you write or say.
Is the organization established? Can
the management be trusted? What is
their strength and weaknesses
• Respect: Are the workers being
respected and treated appropriately?
Experience, age and position are
added values for employees to be
given due respect.
• Participation/encouragement:
Enhance esprit de cop and loyalty.
Easily feels satisfied with the
achievement of oneself and the
organization.
• Involvement/ a voice: are employee
given equal chances to give opinion?
Are their say being heard and given
the attention? Are they being given
fair treatment?
• Accreditation/recognition: Are the
employees being awarded for their
work and performance? What are the
types of rewards given? Who knows
about the reward?
• Opportunity: Is the evaluation for
promotion equally the same for all
employees? Are all employees given
equal chance to improvise their
knowledge?

9. External Publics of Public Relations:
• External Publics of Public Relations includes
Consumers/Customers, Community, Mass Media,
Government, Financial Institutions, Action Groups and
General Publics.
• External communication covers how a provider interacts with
those outside their own organization.

10. Work & Responsibility of External PR
• External Publics concentrate
on issues pertaining the
values, policies, procedures
and attitude of the company
towards various groups of
people in society. (subject
matter of external publics)
• External PR services
proactively respond to
editorial inquiries and
requests as appropriate and
manage the process
accordingly.
• Field interview requests,
coordinate and facilitate
interviews, and develop
briefing materials to prepare
key spokes people.
• Build relationships
• Prepare PR tools like fact
sheet of the organisation or
company, its background
and its plans for the year.
• Enjoy news release success.
Evaluates and consider the
audience

12. Community Relations
• Organizations can implement various programs to improve
community relations on a regular or even ongoing basis.
• So, clearly, one of the major functions of public relations is to
bridge the business/community gap.
• When organizations support activities and programs that
improve quality of life in their communities their image and
reputation will been enhanced.

13. Benefits organization gain from a good
community relations activity
• Give employees a reason to be proud of the company, which
increases loyalty.
• Good reputation of company in the community attracts
highly qualified new employees.
• Generate new business through the contacts and leads from
its community relations activities.
• Easier for the company to obtain financing for expansion,
find promising new locations, or gain favorable treatment in
terms of taxes, ordinances, or utilities.
• Good community relations can also be beneficial in times of
crisis, such as a fire or a plant closing, by rallying the
community around the affected business

14. Financial Relations
• This function involves communication
with the wide variety of individuals and
groups that the company deals with in
the course of its operations.
• This includes the stockholders and
investors but is not limited to them.
• Financial analysts and potential
investors have to be informed about
the company’s finances.
• A well planned and executed financial
relations campaign can increase the
value of the company’s stock because
of improved image and reputation.
• This improved image can also make it
easier to gather additional capital.

15. Consumer Relations
• Consumer relations refers to the way a business
communicates and interacts with the public to gain
and retain customers.
• It is necessary for a business to cultivate good
consumer relations to attract and keep a loyal base
of consumers.
• Good consumer relations must know its publics
wants and needs – e.g.
products/services/packages/rewards etc.
• Handling Consumer Complaints (Never be defensive
nor offensive).

16. • Client Charter :
Taken from: www.uitm.edu.my

17. FIVE (5) basic concepts in developing a
communications campaign for multicultural
consumers.
• Organize a team with an inherent understanding of the
customs and values of the various demographic groups you
are trying to reach.
• Understand that consumers of diverse cultural backgrounds
respond better to messages that are culturally relevant.
• Remember that consumers of diverse cultural backgrounds
are extremely loyal and once your products and services
become part of their lives, there is a very good chance you
will keep them.
• Use the primary language of the audience. A large portion of
your target audience prefers to communicate in their primary
language, even if they also have strong English skills.
• Use spokesperson that represent the audience. The
spokesperson must be a good communicator and be
sensitive to the issues that are important to the audience

18. Media Relations
• Media and PR work hand in
hand.
• Media must have material
and ideas from PR sources
• PR must have the media to
display stories
• Conceptually, media
relations is to build and
maintain relationships of
mutual respect and trust.

19. Guidelines for working with the press
• Talk from the viewpoint of the
public’s interest, not the
organization.
• Make the news easy to read
and use
• If you do not want some
statement quoted, do not
make it – should avoid off the
record.
• State the most important fact
at the beginning.
• Do not argue with a reporter.
• If a question contains offensive
language or simply words you
do not like, do not repeat
them even to deny them.
• Journalist are known to put
words into the subject’s mouth
ex: “do you mean…”
• If the reporter asks a direct
question, give an equally direct
answer. Yes or no
• If a spokesperson does not
know the answer or a
question, he or she should
simply say, “I don’t know, but
I’ll get the answer for you”.
• Better prepare for interview by
anticipating questions.
• Tell the truth, even hurts.
• Do not call a press conference
unless you have what
reporters consider news.

20. PR Opportunities in Online Media
• Has become a mainstream
communication channel
• Messages is in exact form
because there is no gatekeeper
to edit
• Promote products and services
• On
• Reach opinion leaders in specific
field with facts and opinions
• Pace of media relations
increased as PR monitor online
news
• Offer balancing comments
online before going on print or

21. Trends in New Media
• New media an important component in today’s world.
• The world is becoming increasingly digitized
• New technology has altered business communications.
• key component of the new technology revolution in Public
Relations – increased in internet and web use.
These are the primary
Internet uses in public
relations:

22. • Games are fun and popular.
• Is there something here for PR
practitioners?
• Gamification is about (digital )
engagement, and since PR is about
engagement, PRs can tap into the
gamification trend.
• Increased use of infographics

23. • Blog is highly dynamic and
interactive
• Anyone can start a blog
ranging from diaries to
personal travelogues etc.
• Leading companies created
blogs as supplementary
publishing avenues and
reach many audiences.
Example: Volvo has
sponsored autoblog.com
and auto-blog podcasts
• Bloggers usually welcome,
ignore or reject readers’
comments and regularly
incorporate it into revised
stories or provide links
• Bloggers must maintain
editorial control just like
the mainstream media
• Product promotion
• Investor Relations
• Mobile
Communications
(hand phones)

24. Social Media has changed the landscape
of public relations
• Listening and two-way dialogue are the basis of today’s practice. According to
the Institute for Public Relations (IPR), “Social media has provided an
opportunity to truly put the public back into public relations by providing a
mechanism for organizations to engage in real-time, one-on-one
conversations with stakeholders”
• Organizations must perform and behave because society
expects greater transparency and accountability.
Communication must be more authentic and credible.
• Social media is now fully integrated as a major tactic in almost every
public relations program or campaign. Public relations firms and
departments are now hiring individuals who are specialists in social
media and digital media management.

25. Non profit Organization
• Nonprofit
organizations are:
 Organized
 Private
 not-for-profit
 self-governing
 Voluntary

26. Role of Public Relations
in Nonprofit Organizations
• Public relations plays a key role in making nonprofit agencies
more successful.
• Internal and external communication activities:
1. Define or “brand” the organization to build top-of-mind
awareness.
2. Develop channels of communication with target
audiences.
3. Create and maintain a favorable climate for fund-raising,
and coordinate communication strategies.
4. Support the development and maintenance of favorable
public policy.
5. Recruit and motivate key constituents to support mission,
goals, and objectives
26

27. New public relations approaches:
1. Integration with marketing and business development.
2. Organizational leaders are retaining professional public
relations practitioners.
3. Recruiting volunteers, gaining public support, and helping
achieve financial stability.
4. Paid advertising as a major controlled communications
tactic.
5. Cause – related marketing and strategic partnerships linking
nonprofits with corporate donors and media.
6. Technology has boosted communication speed and
capability, but raises ethics and privacy questions.

28. Cause – related marketing
• In order to accomplish Non- profit
organization mission, it may
establish a “cause-marketing’
relationship with a for – profit
business.
• It can take many forms.
• For example: a for-profit can
conduct a sales campaign or
underwrite an event and advertise
it as benefiting the non-profit
charity.
• The relationship:
• Cause marketing partners
non-profits with businesses to
accomplish mutual goals such
as funding for the non – profit
and an enhanced reputation
for the business which can
lead to additional sales.
• how to conduct cause-related
marketing event:
• Look for a cause related to your
products or services or that exemplifies
a product’s quality
• Consider cause that appeal to your
primary customers
• Choose a charity that doesn’t already
have multiple sponsors
• Choose a local organization if the
purpose is to build brand awareness for
local franchises.
• Don’t use cause-related efforts as a
tactic to salvage your image after a
major scandal; it usually backfires.
• Understand that association with a
cause or non-profit is a long-term
commitment.
• Realize that additional budget must be
spent to create public awareness and
build brand recognition with the cause.

29. Conclusion
• Internal and External
Public Relations are very
important.
• Internal & External PR
dependant on each other
without one never
grownup.
• Public relations consultant
is also a part of marketing
communication, which
involves in advertising and
promotions in targeted
markets with the help of
both.