From working in public relations for over ten years and running my own public relations firm, Allison Dawn PR, for nearly seven years I have learned what makes client/publicist relationships work and what doesn’t.

The single most important thing to consider when choosing a public relations or marketing firm to represent your company is a shared vision with similar values. It’s really that simple. As a personal example, Allison Dawn Public Relations tends to gel most effectively with companies and organizations that share a vision of strong work ethics, corporate responsibility, philanthropy and a general awareness that public relations and publicity is a long term career, and not a single, short term project.

Building, polishing and cultivating a public image that will resonate with the media, potential consumers and with your industrty’s insiders requires ongoing strategic planning and public relations efforts that consist of: traditional public relations, community outreach, viral marketing, online social media, philanthropic outreach, impeccable customer service and ongoing branding indentification strategy.

When a client signs with my PR Firm, and says they just want as many media placements in magazines and on television as possible in the shortest amount of time, I can do that for them. I can blitz the media with their product samples or service and pitch their company ad nauseum, and our firm has a good track record at getting media placements, but in our optinion that is only part of the picture. One issue with “quick fix” publicity is that there has to be a strong news angle or “hook” to get a large amount of publicity in a short amount of time. Very often, and many PR Firms will not fess up to this, but if the brand is unknown this requires something of a circus trick. You have to make the brand, product or service seem as outrageous and novel as possible to generate media interest quickly. Does that help in the long run? It depends whom you ask.

What I often try to explain to clients is that a better way to attract positive media attention that will likely last and build over time is to spend the first part of the marketing and public relations campaign making the client newsworthy. Doesn’t that make sense? Creating a strong foundation and public relations platform that we can then go to the press with has long lasting results. For instance, if product placement and buzz in the celebrity weeklies like US Weekly, Life & Style Weekly or Star Magazine is what a client has set their sites on, well then we need to first set our sites on building a celebrity following. The press then follows and it has a more organic feel. That is why we love to work with celebrity stylists, personal publicists, costume designers, and the like.

If a client’s goal is to eventually link up with a high profile charity that is headed up by a well known entertainer or politician, well then don’t we need to establish a resume, so-to-speak, of philanthropic work that will impress that particular targeted person?

I could cite endless examples. The point is, don’t put the cart before the horse. Everyone will see what’s in your cart but it won’t go anywhere.

I have always been a big proponent of community service and charitable work as an effective and positive public relations strategy. This is mostly because I have always been a believer in doing charitable work in general as a way of helping others and bringing positive energy back to you. I always advise clients that they can never go wrong by choosing to align their product and/or service with a likeminded and complimentary non-profit organization. Over the years I have learned quite a bit through trial and error, where responding to scandels, gossip or bad press is never the answer. Public relations strategy that works in re-directing the public’s attention is never tit for tat, but strategically focusing the public’s or an industry’s attention elsewhere by engaging a client in something positive and community oriented. From animal rights organizations like PETA to children’s charities like Shriners Hospitals for Children, my clients’ have always benefited from lending their brand to a worthy cause.

This October, my client Flexfit will be the official headwear sponsor for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open taking place in Las Vegas, Navada. What initially drew me to Flexfit as a potential client was their love of corporate charity and responsibility. They have made non-profit work part of their business model and I commend them for it. In that way we are very like minded.