Can public relations help you get through a recession?

Let us count the ways:

1. Public relations has always been more cost-effective than advertising; you’ll spend less and get longer-term results.  Public relations doesn’t offer an expensive quick fix; it offers long-range solutions.
2. Public relations is more “holistic” than advertising; although it can support a sales function, it’s concerned with much wider concentric circles than just moving a product off the shelves.  Just think about employee relations, media relations, community relations, investor relations – these are the relationships which public relations works with, and these are just some of the relationships.
3. Public relations will help you pull your head out of the muck of this recession depression because it will force you to plan for the future.  While a clever, witty ad is one thing, and might capture attention for a little while, a solid public relations plan will help you take care of this moment, this week, this month, and this year; it’ll get you through, empower you, and make you realize the true value of the relationships you have.

There’s a whole lot more, but that’s all for now.  Just don’t underestimate the power of public relations, or the need for it during these difficult days.

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Attitude and Recession

I found myself, earlier this week, in a bit of a funk.  Certainly not the kind of funk that’s gripped people who have lost homes and jobs; I’ve lost neither and consider myself incredibly lucky.  But I was in a bit of a funk about ever-tightening finances: worried about clash flow, about the incredibly shrinking nest egg, about the bills; worried about things I’ve promised to others, promises I don’t know if I can still fulfill. 

It took me a few days to get a grip.  There is so much news out there that continues to be so grim.  Finally, slowly, I seemed to be able to lift my head out of the muck and remind myself of my own strengths: I’ve always, forever, been an entrepreneur, and a recession is the best time to continue being (or to start being) an entrepreur.  There are generally projects available even if there aren’t full-time jobs available; and I’ve always wanted to combine projects and private consulting with teaching anyway.  There are lots of companies which would love personalized, customized training in crisis, or community relations, or social media.  So what’s my problem?  Probably just inertia.  Probably just a big sigh about starting yet again… but that’s how life is when you hang out your own shingle.  You always start again.  You can’t look at how tiring that might be; you have to view it as discovering opportunities out there.  You have to visualize the people who need you, and what it might take to get in touch with them so you can be of genuine service. 

I have a flyer about attitude here on my desk.  The last sentence reads, “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.”  Yeah.  Why should any of us hide our light under a bushel?

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