Here we have two concepts that in Spain we still find hard to define, or that do not get the treatment they deserve, or are used inappropriately.
Let’s start with Networking:
Networking can certainly refer to data networks, but if we add the word “professional” to it, I understand Professional Networking as the art of managing a network of contacts effectively.
Networking means being very clear about your professional goals and about who you want to approach to achieve them. It is about going out to fish for clients, collaborators and partners in a fully structured way, based on a strategy.
Networking is therefore a marketing tool which, used well, will not only help us win clients but also help us raise our company’s profile. To do so, we have to be scrupulous when choosing the actions we are going to carry out: taking part in professional events, trade fairs, associations and so on.
Networking is as old as humankind, at least since the exchange of goods and trade first appeared, but as usual the Americans were the first to give it shape and set it down in management books at the end of the last century.
Let’s move on to Public Relations:
This concept really has been misused in our country, so the first thing that comes to mind is the young people who hand out drinks vouchers for the bars and clubs in the nightlife districts.
The term Public Relations, PR (RRPP in Spanish), in a business context is the technique that seeks to create a positive image of the company. Because of its importance it reports to general management, since it involves designing the company’s communication strategy with the different audiences it deals with.
Beyond that, it is also about getting the media to publish you and speak well of you or your company, what is known as “publicity”, free advertising. Another concept rooted in Public Relations is lobbying: pressure groups or influence peddling.
It could be said that Public Relations dates back to ancient times, since even in tribal societies it was used in some way to promote respect for the chief’s authority. (Wikipedia).
The father of Public Relations was Edward Bernays, who used the term in a publication in 1923.
Why are Networking and Public Relations related?
In my view, both techniques share the same goals for the company, namely raising its profile and conveying the best possible image of it.
I like hearing the expression “Joe Bloggs is an excellent PR person, he looks after us really well and he is a true professional”.
You also hear more and more often: “You’re a born networker, I can’t imagine how many good contacts you must have”.
Being a good PR person or networker are skills that make a professional more valuable to a company, because it means they have a good network of contacts, that they look after it, that they are an open, proactive person and that they will sell us better than anyone wherever they go.
And to close, a nod to a good friend I have been working with for some time, who not only understands the concept of Public Relations well but also has a communications agency that puts it into practice wonderfully for its clients. I’m talking about Tuatu PR and its director @octaviorojas
Happy Networking and PR Activity!!
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