Public relations focus on two main activities: research and communication. Research is vital to public relations because organizations need to know their publics' opinions about them. What people think and why they have such opinions are important in helping management establish corporate and client policies and practices (World book Encyclopedia, 2003).
Public relation uses many research methods to obtain information. Researchers gather information on the many problems and opportunities facing a company, its industry, and the business community. They may also gauge public opinion to provide political candidates with issues to discuss during a campaign. Researchers also test PR campaign effectiveness and keep up with public relations techniques being developed by other companies or firms (World book Encyclopedia, 2003).
Communication between organizations or clients and their publics is an important part of public relations campaigns. However, the size and complexity of modern organizations makes direct communication with individuals almost impossible. Most organizations use mass-communication methods to reach their publics, often focusing their PR campaigns at groups of people who share a common interest (World book Encyclopedia, 2003).
PR professionals use four principal methods to communicate with their publics: advertising, lobbying, publicity, and press agency. Advertising involves the use of paid, non-personal communication through such media as billboards, the Internet, mail, newspapers and other publications, radio, and television. Lobbying attempts to influence special publics: such as legislators. Publicity and press agency involve promoting an organization or client by getting favorable media coverage (World book Encyclopedia, 2003).
Public relations professionals often detect possible breakdowns in communication by analyzing responses received from their publics. These responses may come directly, as in e-mail messages, letters, or telephone calls to an organization.