Introduction
On May 29, 2018, Starbucks Coffee Company closed down more than 8,000 coffee stores across the United States to conduct a racial-bias training session for its nearly 175,000 employees. The training followed a racial discrimination incident at one of its stores in Philadelphia on April 14, 2018. Two Black men, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were seated at a Starbucks table without ordering. One of the staff members called the police, and soon after the police arrived, the men were arrested.
A fierce backlash ensued, calling out the corporation for racial discrimination, engulfing Starbucks and the employee in a media storm. That’s when the public relations team stepped in, announcing the nationwide closure of stores for sensitivity training. Their intervention proved to be a critical step, as the media and general public praised the company for their swift efforts, and Starbucks emerged from the relatively unscathed.
In short, PR was an effective mitigation tool, and is invaluable for every business enterprise in times of crisis. . Besides businesses, governmental institutions and professionals like doctors and attorneys have also recognized the importance of positive public relations importance and are now implementing best practices. There are many specialty PR agencies in New York City that can help devise effective strategies for attorneys in NYC.
What Is PR?
Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), an association of public relations practitioners in the United Kingdom, defines PR as “the discipline which looks after reputation, intending to earn understanding and support and influence opinion and behavior. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its publics.”
Briefly, PR is nothing but an effective communication strategy of any organization or individual to build a positive reputation and limit damage in any reputational or any other crisis.
How Important Is PR?
Besides saving your day, effective PR also has varied benefits.
- Creates Awareness: Good PR helps build brand awareness and awareness about the role of your public organization. People are keen to learn about any organization’s structure and function, and PR is the best way to inform people about your organization’s existence. The more people see something, the more they hear about it, the more they trust it. PR helps gain people’s trust in you and your services.
- Increases Sales: Once you gain the trust of customers, sales follow. Industry experts agree that marketing alone is not enough for increasing sales of a company, but coupling marketing with effective PR strategies can boost sales, thus increasing a company’s profitability.
- Enhances Credibility: Effective PR can improve the credibility of professionals and the public image of governmental organizations. In a saturated profession like law, PR holds even more significance, as it will make you stand out from the rest.
- Draws Investors: Investors are always searching for credible business enterprises, and you can attract more investors by pursuing a yielding PR program. A range of PR aspects, including media relations, investor relations, community relations, internal relations, customer relations, and strategic marketing communications, can increase your public image and attract more investors.
PR for Attorneys
Nowadays, PR is becoming increasingly necessary for law firms and individual attorneys alike. Just like the business community accrues PR benefits, the attorney community can also build a reputation, enhance public trust, and increase their credibility among the public.
An effective PR program for attorneys must include the following elements.
- Market Your News: Market your achievements by widely publishing them on traditional media platforms like print and electronic media and nontraditional platforms like social media. Grab the attention of the public by tailoring your messages.
- Maintain an Online Presence: Besides relying on mainstream media, maintain a robust online presence by launching your website and engaging people on your professional social media accounts, especially Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
- Look for Opportunities for Public Speaking: Never miss out on an opportunity for public speaking. Whenever you get a chance, engage the public, as nothing can generate the trust created by a personal connection.
According to the 2020 American Bar Association National Lawyer Population Survey, there are 184,662 active attorneys in New York alone (9.5 attorneys for every 1000 people), the largest residence of active attorneys. (New York is followed by California, Texas, Florida, and Illinois.) New York City itself has 14 attorneys for every 1000 people. Because public relations has evolved into an independent profession, PR firms are abundant, and New York City is no exception to this trend. If you are an active attorney based in NYC, standing out among this vast community of lawyers requires an effective PR campaign. You can achieve this by hiring the most professional PR firms that focus on providing the best PR for attorneys in NYC.