The Puzzle Pieces of Research

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The world of Public Relations relies on research in order to function properly. Without research in the PR industry, it would lack a lot of the necessary background knowledge that is crucial to working with others in the field. With this knowledge, you are able to properly interact with your clients and gain an understanding for creating strong lines of communication. According to a PR professional Dr. Stacks, “without research you cannot demonstrate the efficacy of your program” (Stacks, 2017, p. 4). These lines of communication are key for a successful relationship that businesses have with others in the industry along with the public that they communicate to. Having this strong background allows for an even distribution of communication between both parties and a successful gain in knowledge.

Many may think that communication is the main key of Public Relations, but there’s much more than one may think! Research allows for one to target their audience on a relatable level, having an understanding of the audience and who/what your main focus is. In addition, various methods and critical thinking are used in interpreting research with gaining knowledge on your client. “Research on the functional level is most of all “benchmarking” research of critical success factors and best practices” according to the authors of Public Relations Metrics (Ruler, Vercic, & Vercic, 2008, p.11). These authors reiterate the importance of creating a foundation in your research that will allow for best success in the field.

In terms of research, many professionals use various methods to gather and collect data. Getting this data prior to beginning an assessment allows for stronger knowledge and helps to direct an approach to solving the main issue. An example that helped me understand the need of data when assessing a topic is finding your audience when giving surveys and collecting raw data. In context, when surveying a random group of people, finding the age majority will help you understand who your focus is. When viewing your results, you are given a set of data that you can then go forth with allowing for specific problem solving. Having this data allows for one to direct their focus on a certain audience in working towards solving your main objective.

In addition, research allows for the PR professional to gain feedback and answers to topics that one may assess. In the beginning of a certain project or case, background research allows for one to start addressing different questions that they will later find out at the end of the case. This allows for a gain in knowledge that one could use in future projects or clients. Having this extra knowledge from previous clients or cases allows for one to become more credible in the competitive field. Paine, Draper, & Jeffery (2008, p. 4-5) reference the three “O’s” that you gain from your result in research. These were noted as outputs, outtakes, and outcomes that all make up what you hope to get out of a case or study. All three of these allow for an increase in content that can be used in future studies allowing for an increase in data, understanding, and knowledge.

Without research in the world of Public Relations, it would lack many key concepts that help build up the main focus in identifying problems. As many of these problems range from target audiences to successfully understanding and solving problems in an organization, research is key to understanding background information. In addition, the strong communication lines that are built through research is something that PR professional strive to have in every case. Allowing for these strong connections makes a huge impact on what a company’s status in the PR world and how one looks at the overall image of their company. 

References

Paine, K. D., Draper, P., & Jeffery, A. (2008). Using Public Relations Research to Drive Business Results.

Ruler, B. van, Verčič Ana Tkalac, & Verčič Dejan. (2008). Public relations metrics: research and evaluation. New York: Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group.

Stacks, D. W. (2017). Primer of public relations research. New York: The Guilford Press.