By Peggy Sealfon

There's no doubt that the reputation of a business is important. People purchase products and conduct business with companies they trust.

Public relations, which used to be a low-priority function, has become at the forefront for many businesses in the 21st Century. The dot.com explosion has raised the level of emphasis on public relations to an all-time high in the communications mix. Consider the brand building of Amazon.com, which has become one of the best-known brands internationally -- a feat accomplished without much of a traditional advertising budget.

What can public relations do for your business in Southwest Florida? It can help your company establish and maintain lines of communication, understanding and acceptance with the customers you serve, whether that includes other businesses or the public. It can help keep management informed and responsive to public opinion and help keep abreast of trends. Plus, it underscores the responsibility of management to serve the public interest.

What's Your Image?

A pro-active approach to public relations should begin with an analysis of your image today. Do you know how your employees perceive your company? How do your customers perceive the firm? Conduct surveys and interviews and then bring your key people together to discuss where your image is and where you want it to be.

Take a good, hard look at all of the internal communications materials you produce. Are your key messages the same, or are you sending mixed messages that can be confusing to your staff? If your employees aren't clear about your positioning, how can they be effective at conveying it to your clients? Review employee newsletters, annual reports, corporate communications and press releases. Is your message consistent?

Naturally, the media is one of the best vehicles for broadcasting your messages, and a variety of publicity tactics can be implemented, from creating press releases, to developing feature story placements to news conferences. In addition, two other avenues for potential public relations have been emerging more and more in our region and are worth serious consideration: event marketing and cause-related marketing.

Event Marketing

No doubt you have heard about the Nuveen Tennis Tournament, the Dodge Celebrity Tournament or LPGA Subaru Memorial. Businesses are quickly jumping on the bandwagon of existing events for instant awareness and notoriety. Some have even created an event.

Sponsorship event marketing has grown enormously in recent years. On a national level, in the past 16 years it has increased a rather remarkable 613 percent. What can it do for your business? It can greatly improve recognition of your company, improve your corporate image and enhance employee retention. It can provide both brand and image building. And it can sell product. According to Performance Research, the likelihood that a fan would buy a sponsor's product at a particular event indicated: Nascar at 72 percent, tennis at 52 percent, golf at 47 percent, NBA at 38 percent and NFL at 36 percent.

In choosing what event to sponsor, a company should analyze image compatibility and audience makeup of the particular event. An exclusive high-end company would probably not be interested in targeting customers at a wrestling match but might find a polo or tennis tournament or an arts event more in keeping with the demographics of their potential clients. Exclusivity should also be important. The company name should be synonymous with the event. It should have a clear dominance and offer many publicity opportunities.

The obvious benefit over traditional advertising is the establishment of credibility with a successful event that has top-of-mind impact on the consumer. It increases internal company morale because employees are delighted to be associated with notable events, which can build great pride in the company's involvement. Then there's the prestige element, which is intangible but very winning. And for many companies, the ability to have access to a live audience of potential clients can make a huge difference both on impact and feedback.

Cause-Related Marketing

Still, it is far better to spend promotional dollars on an event that you can own, manage and measure rather than on a smattering of events in which you have a much smaller presence. Cause related marketing is effective because it establishes a business as a good corporate citizen, and it often yields very positive media coverage. Companies are viewed very favorably when they give back to the communities they serve and it establishes a powerful connection for the company by sharing customers' values.

To be the most successful through cause related marketing, a company should make a long-term commitment. The results are accountable and much more trackable that way. Again, it's best to focus on fewer causes so that the impact is greater. Companies can assist in building exposure for sponsorships by publicizing them.

As competition for media space and time continues to increase, businesses will need to explore more creative alternatives for bringing their message to the light of day. Strategies might include using online bulletin boards, web page advertisements, trade publications, local access cable and radio stations, corporate newsletters, student newsletters, community bulletin boards, chamber publications, tourist information and brochures. Explore photo opportunities, which might additionally showcase the company's name, logo or employees. The more a company plans to use these efforts effectively, the greater will be the rewards!

Peggy Sealfon, president of Naples-based advertising agency Sealfon & Associates has written about a variety of topics for national magazines and newspapers.