Five reasons why public relations advisory committees do not work and what you can do about it

After deciding to add a formal public relations program to your organization's business structure, a company will take on a team or maintain a professional PR company to develop and manage their PR initiative.-What 's great.

However, some companies a step further and create an advisory committee of public relations, presumably to direct and supervise the PR program and look over the shoulder of the professional assigned to make the program work.

Most often, these advisory committees to hinder rather than help the contact person responsible for implementing the program. Many committees fail in their purpose and drag the public relations program down with it.

Here are just five main reasons why these errors occur and what can be done to prevent:

1) An advisory committee of public relations is needed primarily because a skilled PR professionals should not need direction from people unfamiliar with the purpose and content of an effective PR program. Let your PR professional will apply its expertise to develop the objectives of the program and create a public relations plan that supports your organization's business and public relations objectives.

2) In determining the content of a PR program, committee members tend to focus on the needs and interests of your department, rather than the organization's strategic objectives. The PR professional should be free to design a program based on the organization's business plan and not the needs of each of the squeaky wheel.

3) Advisory committee members do not have a clear understanding of what public relations is and is not. PR is not a single event or presentation glittering noisy. This is an ongoing process designed to build and strengthen an organization's positive reputation among important, the audience selected. PR strength is its ability to build credibility. Committee members must be educated in the content structure, and purpose of an effective PR program. Providing such an education is a daunting task.

4) Members of advisory committees do not understand what public relations can and can not reach. PR is not marketing. It does not sell products or services. If you want to sell a product, you need an advertising campaign knockout. But if, for example, is expected to enhance the reputation of your organization as a community resource or to obtain support from local civic organizations, effective PR is needed on many fronts to highlight the qualities of your company.

5) An effective public relations program includes the constant vigilance of the media to stay abreast of fast-breaking news and to protect the company's positive reputation. Committee members usually do not understand the importance of responding promptly to media requests for information and quick responses. Members should not be placed in circuit with the media if not able to respond quickly and completely. You need to develop reliable sources of information, within the company that are sensitive to the outside of the committee .......