Dec. 31, 2007 at 1:54pm

What is PR and why does it matter to credit unions?

Posted by Jamie Chase in Choose the Right Target Audience, Elections, Strategic Communications, Talking to Members
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Confusion about public relations is universal. It’s not just spinning a story, getting ink or creating hype - that theory is pretty far removed from credit union ideals and the mission of the movement.

PRSA has a lengthy definition of public relations. The basic point is that PR helps facilitate a rewarding relationship between an organization and its audience.

Defining audiences and addressing them appropriately can be a challenge for many organizations. There are endless examples where your credit union’s success relies on beneficial relationships with many groups of people - from members and staff to legislators and peer credit unions.

Credit unions are great at communicating with one another through trade associations and publications, maybe too good. How long does your marketing specialist spend writing a press release for the Credit Union Journal? Will they spend that same time and effort identifying the different messages your staff, members and community need to hear during your next board election to encourage people to run? Which of these two actions would help your credit union to be more successful?

It all comes down to communicating to reach a goal. When I was 17, what I needed to hear to accept a date with Brad Smith was a different message than my dad needed to hear to let me go out. Attracting new members, fighting credit union taxation and protecting the credit union’s reputation during a security breach are examples where different people need to hear different sides of the story to support your cause.

Public relations is not about seeing your name in black and white. It is about finding the best possible way to communicate with your audience and remembering that different parts of the story are more relevant for different groups. Telling each group the information that is relevant to them isn’t spin, it’s good PR practice.

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