While community relations specialists and media relations professionals perform similar functions, there are several distinct components to community relations. For example, community relations specialists coach their clients on how to communicate effectively with the public or with their own employees. They may also conduct opinion polls or other market research to collect information about how clients are perceived within the community, and use the results to improve their clients’ images.
In addition, community relations specialists typically identify local organizations or citizens’ groups and establish cooperative relationships with their representatives. The goal of these relationships might be to arrange speeches, exhibits, or other types of public appearances for clients to raise their profiles and expand their networks. This requires an in-depth knowledge of the local community.