Insider Tips - 36

We're quite certain that the majority of Canadian companies, whatever their field, have yet to grasp the importance of good P.R. Too few companies take the steps to develop good in-house P.R. They may well have a small department to which they assign a very limited budget, and far too many responsibilities. These responsibilities can range from the gritty hands-on details of event planning to handling customer service calls to writing and producing the internal newsletter in "hard copy" or for the Intranet.

P.R. is all about credibility and image. And while both are vital in-house, P.R. people also need to tackle the media and the community (industry, investor relations and the various publics) for which the company must be top-of-mind.

If you have good in-house P.R., let them do their job. First, give them freedom of movement. It's stunning how many companies want their P.R. people on site every minute of the day instead of out where they should be - establishing contacts, attending seminars or better yet, sitting on the boards of industry initiatives.

Second, stop assigning them all the detail work involved in internal moral-boosters such as the staff Christmas party or summer barbeque. Too often, because of their experience, they end up having to run the event because the company's social committee just find time to get together. Find an event- planning company and let everyone else do the jobs they - and you - need to do.

Third, make sure you feed them information. Better yet, have them participate in the big decisions: People succeed when they are part of the solution, not just the recipients of a few bullet points of information imparted via E-mail or memo.

Contact Davidson Communications for any help you may need in writing and releasing news or statements, and for appropriate follow-up.