What is Public Affairs and When Should Your Company Work with a Firm

May 22, 2018

Sometimes considered a crossbreed between public relations and lobbying, public affairs is a culmination of all the management and tactics required to ensure a positive image with the media, community, and policymakers. It’s all about relationship development, controlling public policy and how the public views your company or project. Most of the time, public affairs services are utilized by large companies or charities, trade unions, membership-based organizations, or interest groups. However, occasionally smaller businesses will seek public affairs services on a project, rather than retainer, basis.

Why People Should Work With a Public Affairs Firm

Unless you have an internal communications team, thinking about how policymakers, stakeholders, communities, media, or other groups perceive your company or project isn’t usually top-of-mind. However, managing your reputation is a crucial part of your overall success. When you hire a public affairs firm, you have all the resources and political connections you need to ensure a positive reputation and sway public policy. Some organizations hire public affairs firms for situational issues, and others hire firms on an ongoing retainer – the length of time you need these services ultimately depends on your needs. Regardless, having a team of individuals who are experts at the ins and outs of government to handle your lobbying efforts, public and community relations, crisis management, and project management puts you a step ahead of other companies.

A Different Approach

PSI offers public affairs in New Jersey and has experience in a wide-range of different industries. Rather than doing a one-size-fits-all-approach, we customize our services to meet the specific needs of your company. Some of the most commonly utilized services include:

• Public and media relations – we identify key groups, determine their wants and needs, listen to their concerns, and serve as your spokesperson to ensure there are no misunderstandings or complications.
• Community relations – we open a dialogue with key policymakers and establish community support for projects, including presenting at town meetings or in front of town councils.
• Project management – we specialize in organizing and managing projects with a lot of moving parts, whether that means handling the project entirely ourselves or working together with your internal team.
• Crisis management – we prepare a strategy for a crisis before it even happens, including fielding calls, creating a uniformed stance on the issue, and reaching out to key media to get ahead of the issue.

If you are looking for public affairs in New Jersey, we’d love to discuss your needs more in-depth. Please reach out to us via email at info@njpsi.com or call 609-393-7799.