CEO Key to Small Biz PR

--New research indicates key component of PR for small orgs has to do more with building community relationships, rather than garnering publicity--

A new report finds the success of a small business' public relations often lies with top decision makers and that CEOs hold the PR reins at small businesses. The report, titled "Thinking Big, Staying Small," claims that the chief executive plays a central role in a communication in a small organization, whether its a for-profit, nonprofit, trade association or government agency. The four-year study, released by the International Association of Business Communicators Research Foundation, found that small organizations:

• approach PR holistically from a variety of perspectives and view the function as both proactive and reactive
• practice PR based more on instinct and personal feeling than on formal training
• tend to focus on the use of personal and direct forms of communication, as opposed to mass media or large gatherings to communicate messages
• begin to change and formalize their communication processes and procedures when they reach about 20 employees

tags: CEO, small business PR, publicity, IABC, pr machine