What a PR professional must know to be effective in his/her job

It's a no brainer; yet it seems to be the most overlooked parameter in the evaluation of a PR professional! I'm talking about the need to have 'industry knowledge' to be able to put together a well thought through PR approach and consult effectively.

I have read numerous articles and posts by PR practitioners over the years that provide advice on various aspects of our job roles to be better professionals. These include tips on working with the media, managing crisis, managing client expectations, measuring campaign effectiveness and so on. What I see lacking or not being discussed enough off is the importance of having industry knowledge and according to me it is the biggest skill gap in the Indian PR industry today.

Industry knowledge isn't limited to knowing about your client’s product or service or what it is doing in the market to differentiate itself; or what the media perceives of it. It encapsulates understanding and keeping yourself abreast of the larger dynamic environment (government policy, competition moves, customer aspirations, mood of the analysts/media/ influencers and the global business environment among others) and being able to analyse this information effectively in the context of your clients. This is the basic ingredient of being a true ‘consultant’ in any profession, let alone PR.

A lot of the senior professionals in the Indian PR industry have worked mighty hard to help establish the industry and our profession as a credible and respected one. The effort now is on raising the bar further and getting the industry professionals to be viewed as strategic consultants. While the number of professionals who are viewed in that light has grown considerably, it’s still a drop in the ocean.
PR professionals need to realize that having appropriate industry knowledge not only helps them validate their client's brief (which at times tends to be insular as it’s a big deal for them) but also come up with an appropriate position/message that is more effective, even if it drastically different from what the client wanted. We can argue the merits of the latter, but the fact remains that it’s our job to sensitize the client at times on the external context. It might lead to conflict, but more often than not, the client does appreciate the feedback.

I have often heard my peers say that we aren't engineers or finance folks or analysts to know how a product/technology works, its potential and how the market evolves in the future and my answer to them is simple. You don't need to be as long as you have the magic three – 1) understanding of the basics 2) larger industry view (basis what you read, hear and sense) at all times 3) ability to analyse information you gather. These should be apt to make you a fantastic professional and a true consultant.

So how does one go about getting the magic three? The first point is what the agencies impart in you. The second and third are about interest and focus and can be developed over time. It’s all about training your mind to consume information, asking the right questions and analyzing the information you have gained – consistently.

Trust me it’s worth whatever little pain one might go through in the larger context of elevated self worth/confidence and recognition.