The public relations (PR) umbrella at your business covers a number of related activities. All these public relations activities are concerned with communicating specific messages to specific target audiences:
Research: You have to thoroughly understand not only your business but also your customers and potential customers. What do you offer that is unique or special? What are customers looking for? And how well do you fill those needs?
Strategic planning: Define each target audience, your marketing objectives for that group, and the messages you must communicate in support of those marketing objectives.
Publicity: For most small businesses, the central public relations activity is publicity — getting visibility for your products, the company, and the owners in print and broadcast media.
Community relations: Public relations in a community means furthering your business goals while maintaining a positive relationship with the people and organizations in which your business operates.
Government relations: Your public relations can often help your business improve its relationships with local, state, federal, and even foreign governments.
Internal relations: Employees are the internal audience. A good public relations program can help improve loyalty and retain your employees.
Investor relations: The aspect of PR that communicates your business's story to stock analysts and other financial professionals.
Stakeholder relations: A stakeholder is anyone or any organization that holds a stake in how well your business performs.
Charitable causes: When a business gives to charity, it wants to help the cause, but it also wants to be recognized for its contribution.
Communications training: You need to make sure you know how to deal with the media, as well as cultivating other communications skills.