Writing your history with effective public relations - by Jody Fisher

Imagine a customer deciding on a company to do business with. They put your name into their computer’s search bar and results fill the page. What do they see?

Most likely, they’ll see your website, hopefully as the first result, followed by any of your social media pages.

What comes next? The answer is simple: your news coverage.

Anytime you are mentioned in news media - whether it’s your local paper, nightly TV newscast (or their website) or even an industry trade journal like New York Real Estate Journal (NYREJ) — Google and other search engines grab that content and push it to the top of search results, in reverse chronological order. As verified, third party content, it is prioritized as legitimate and verified — even the stuff that you might think is inaccurate.

Whatever those stories say about you is what people will think about you: the new project you’re building right now; the worker incident on one of your sites a year ago; the deal gone bad in 2005.

It’s all there, waiting to be found and read, making a critical first impression in the blink of an eye.

So how do you make sure what people find is what you want them to know?

An effective public relations campaign — focused on securing positive news media coverage — can help show the world what you want them to see: who you are, what you do, and what you believe.

Positive and authentic news coverage has a nearly immeasurable impact on your business:

• Providing long-lasting impact with news stories remaining accessible online, often for years. This means that the stories you generate today will influence perceptions far into the future.

• Steering your reputation management, ensuring that the narrative surrounding your company is controlled and positive. These build a reservoir of goodwill and trust with current, prospective and yet unknown partners and collaborators.

• Attracting top talent and new business, with potential customers and employees finding what you want them to that gets them to engage with you. Positive media coverage can be the deciding factor in choosing your business over a competitor’s, showcasing culture, values, and accomplishments, and making you a more attractive option for them.

Over time, a positive, proactive public relations campaign will generate dozens of stories about your company, your employees and your work. It will craft a compelling and authentic picture of your brand. In contrast, ignoring your new coverage leaves the results to chance may present a blank slate or, worse, a string of negative stories left unchallenged.

Investing in public relations  is writing your history — the history that people will find a year, five or ten years from now. It’s an investment in your reputation and future. It’s about taking control of your narrative and ensuring that your company is seen in the best possible light. By focusing on positive storytelling, you are securing your future — one that will attract customers, partners, and talent for years to come.

Jody Fisher is founder and CEO of Jody Fisher PR, Greenlawn, N.Y.