A Relationship Business

Perhaps the most overriding characteristic of any positive relationship any of us might enjoy is that we never want it to end. Despite whatever challenges it may entail, we embrace sound relationships because of the end result: good feelings. Two friends remain friends because they enjoy each other's company and provide each other with a strong sense of acceptance and belonging. So, even if the friends have a disagreement, the good feelings easily outweigh those negative times to the point that each person does what is necessary to get their connection back to where it was. Ideally, the result is a relationship with a long shelf-life.

When organizations or even individuals secure the services of a public relations firm they do so with the goal of establishing and maintaining a relationship with another entity. For example, a candidate running for public office wants the lasting support of voters in order to help her or him be elected and then carry out the work they pledged to do in order to be re-elected. The politician definitely does not want their relationship with voters to begin and end on election day. In the business world, shop owners love it when customers walk through their doors. You can bet they also want repeat business from those same customers.

Those working in public relations are in the relationship business. The best strategies they devise are ones geared to bring two entities together and then lay the groundwork for keeping them together. Just as I acknowledge that such a statement is simple, I also admit that carrying it out successfully is not so simple. Relationships can often be complicated. Ones that last any significant length of time often face an array of obstacles or hurdles that interfere with their "happy place." Having a solid foundation and sense of how best to keep it secure are what keep the bond strong. In the world of outreach, this is what public relations practitioners do.