Public Relations: Getting Started

What business/industry/service is your company or organization in?  Which associations cover this industry?  Which trade publications cover this industry? (New articles are uploaded to databases monthly).

What is the PR problem?  Does something need to be repaired or refreshed?

What is the current environment (social, economic, legal, etc.)?

Who is the target market for your product?  How has this market changed over time?

What are the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunites, threats (SWOT)?

Who are the competitors?  What is the competitive environment?  Where does your company rank against its competitors?

What are the characteristics of the brand, if applicable?

What kind of promotions are common to your business or organization?

This guide focuses on resources for students in Public Relations courses. It is also useful for marketing research projects.

Consider these questions as you create your public relations plan:

• Is your company public or private? Is there a parent company? The larger the company/organization, the easier it will be to find information.
• Large organizations will have many brands/services, do you want to focus on the company as a whole or a specific segment?
• For small businesses, such as a local restaurant, industry trends (food, beverage and/or hospitality trends) can provide an alternative way to conduct research.  You can check trade publications and trade organizations for current issues and regulations.
• Focus on the need, problem, issue for either the company and/or its product or service.
• Companies have already done their market research, you can use that information even as it is presented on webpages and in other promotions.
• Look for partnerships, experts in a field, professional organizations and association related to your company's product/service.
• Keep track of key names, industry executives, trade organizations. You can use these to improve Internet search results

This presentation reviews how to do public relations research in the WPU Cheng Databases.