Public Relations is a major buzzword in modern industry.

The only problem is, most of us (and by us, I mean “we”) don’t really know what it is!

We look at it as something for celebrities (Paris Hilton’s fame is almost completely publicity), politicians (just look at news articles about Sarah Palin, Anthony Weiner, and Gabrielle Giffords. Heck, even Barack Obama), and other famous people.

Marketing’s best kept secret, however, is Public Relations.

When a business publishes a milestone (a grand opening, anniversary, award, new product, or million dollar sale), they call attention to their establishment.

In other words, new customers.

Unlike advertising, which most people take with a grain of salt, Public Relations is almost completely centered around a credible, unbiased, event-centric, facts-only report.

And hidden in that event-centric, facts-only report is a positive public image. Exposure and brand awareness. The best ways to achieve this through Public Relations is to develop a customized strategy to get your business into blogs and magazine articles, TV and radio news pieces, e-mail and print newsletters, workshops, and flyers. What works for one business may not work for another, however. Public Relations is a very flexible field, however, that can be molded to fit your business, the industry, and your ideal customers.

That event-centric, facts-only report is also credible. Anyone can take out an ad and make themselves look good. A good reporter is going to do their homework and fact check their work. Because of this, a quality press release has to represent your business for what it is. The general public is more likely to trust the news than they are your word.

That being said, Public Relations isn’t advertising. It isn’t sales.

And it certainly isn’t guaranteed to produce any results.

But nine times out of ten, it often feeds your sales pipeline with curious potential new customers. And that is worth a lot more than a plain old advertisement.