Corporate Public Relations by Joseph LaRocco

Most private companies underestimate the importance of good Corporate Public Relations. Surprisingly, even some public companies don't feel its that important. A good brand name takes time and careful planning to develop, but once established, a brand name is a valuable asset. It increases the value of the company and the reputation of the the products that it sells.

In the area of Venture Capital it obvious that you need to make sure as many people as possible know about your company. This increases your chances of raising capital and public relations can indirectly assist a company with its funding goals. Of course, that’s just one reason to have a good public relations plan.

A good public relations program can help promote your company to potential investors you might not even be able to identify. I’m talking about the numerous venture capital firms that are out there and the thousands of angel investors that are looking to make investments in certain types of companies. These investors do occasionally contact companies instead of waiting for companies to contact them. This is only one reason however, to consider a corporate public relation campaign.

  Joseph LaRocco has advised clients regarding corporate public relations and advised them on public listings on various exchanges in the United States and Europe. He has also advised clients on numerous funding matters including capital raising, investor relations, SEC regulations and equity funding structures.

The main reason companies do PR, however, is not to raise capital but to increase public awareness about their company. This public awareness should increase the credibility of the company in the eyes of potential customers. It can and should build brand name recognition and promote your corporate name and identity. This public awareness and credibility then translates into sales and revenue for the company.

A little bit of good public relations can go a long way, although it is not always easy to quantify the benefits that may result from a PR campaign. By good public relations I mean effective public relations that is very targeted and helps build either brand name recognition or exposes more potential purchasers to the benefits of your product or service, but does it in a "soft sell" kind of way. Understand the reason or goal you are trying to achieve and retain a reputable public relations firm to set out the goal and the step-by-process that will be used to achieve that goal.

The reason why most companies don’t consider putting a PR campaign into effect is because they don’t want to pay, or can’t afford to hire, a public relations firm. With a little bit of effort and strategy though, a company’s management team can execute a pretty good public relations program without an outside firm and save a lot of money in the process.

Check out these two articles for some more ideas and tips on how to save money by doing your own cost effective PR. Preparing a Corporate Public Relations Plan and Corporate Public Relations Tips.

Joseph LaRocco has seen how the use of good investor relations and public relations has assisted companies that could not otherwise obtain funding from banks or private equity firms.