Corporate PR is much more than sending press releases to the media and organizing events and press conferences. When I started working at an agency I quickly learned one thing: reputation is not built only when a problem arises, but long before it. It is built with every post, every response to a journalist and every public appearance by the company. That is precisely why corporate PR plays an important role in creating trust between the company and its employees, clients, partners, the media and the wider public.
Zašto stalno ističemo povjerenje?
Trust is one of the most important values of any company today. In fact, everything can be improved – the product, the service, the price.. Lost trust is much harder to regain.
This is especially evident in situations when a company is going through changes or a crisis. At that moment the public does not observe what the company says, but how it says it and in what ways it reacts. Are they quick in their reactions? Are they transparent? Do they take responsibility? Are the messages they send consistent?
Trust research in recent years shows just how complex the public’s relationship with companies is. The Edelman Trust Barometer regularly tracks changes in levels of trust toward institutions, the business sector and other social actors. For PR professionals such data is not just interesting statistics but a reminder that corporate communication contains a broader social context.
The real test comes during a crisis
It is easiest to communicate when everything in the corporation is going well. The real test comes during a crisis, when a problem arises. In crisis situations we do not have much time and space to think, and the first reactions can significantly influence the further development of the situation. The role of PR then is not to embellish reality, but to present the situation transparently, but quickly, clearly and responsibly.
This means having prepared crisis questions and answers, aligning internal and external communication and, if necessary, taking responsibility. That is precisely why crisis communication begins even before a crisis occurs.
People trust people
Today, audiences increasingly want to hear less of the „corporate voice“. They want to hear the people connected to it – directors, employees, experts and other representatives of the corporation who can respond without complex corporate jargon. People want to understand the message, and that is much simpler when communication is clear and straightforward.
That is why leadership communication, as well as the personal branding of key people in the company, is playing an increasingly important role. When an expert speaks clearly about business or a certain social change, the company gains a face and a soul, and communication becomes more credible and personal.
Corporate PR as a long-term investment in reputation
In a PR agency we often work on campaigns whose results cannot be measured only by the number of posts or media articles. Sometimes the best result is that the company has become recognized as relevant or socially responsible. Sometimes we can also track results through a quality relationship with journalists, and sometimes through the fact that the company reacted quickly in a crisis situation.
Corporate PR should therefore be viewed as a long-term business function, not just as support. Perhaps the most important lesson is simple: we cannot always control what will be said about the company, but we can control how we communicate in moments when it matters most. It is precisely in those situations that corporate PR shows its true value.
