More than ever, it seems like the lines of marketing, social media, advertising and public relations continue to blur together as all industries grow. Despite the large amount of overlap and partnership these industries lend to each other, they still have their own unique role to play.
If you're still a little bit confused about what public relations actually is and how it can grow your business, we're here to help! We've rounded up the top five questions we get asked to help you identify how PR can successfully fit into your marketing strategy.
1. What is public relations?
In the simplest terms, public relations is getting a brand, service or product placement in the press for free. This includes things a mention on a podcast, a feature on the news or the inclusion in a round-up from your favorite publication and so on. It's something that money can't buy; organic coverage.
As opposed to paid media, PR focuses on the positioning of a brand or company, which can be done through many different non-paid platforms and channels including social media, blog posts, unpaid press outlets and unpaid publication placements.
2. How does PR differ from marketing?
Think of it like this: Public relations focuses on informing audiences while marketing focuses on selling to audiences.
PR involves communication with the general population to maintain a positive image, which can include people who may not be a part of your target audience, and marketing focuses more on promoting or selling a company’s products or services to a target market.
The long-term goals of the two are also different - marketing aims to identify what a customer wants and how give it to them. The goal of public relations is to position a brand in a positive light while boosting its overall awareness. In addition, in marketing it's clear that you're trying to sell something and PR is a much softer sell that feels more informative.
3. How do PR and marketing work together?
If you're looking for overall brand growth and success, we think it's integral to include both marketing and PR tactics since each has its own advantages. PR can't replace marketing and vice versa. PR helps move along the message of marketing, while marketing helps set a foundation for good PR.
4. How can PR be defined in a way that is quantifiable?
Ah, the golden question. We know that it's essential to be able to "measure success" and many boards or executive teams are looking for statistics. Know this: the success of PR is not as distinct as a number, like ROI, because the effectiveness can be seen in many areas. Leads, website traffic, social media analytics, social media engagement, product samples and more can all be used to measure the success of a PR strategy.
5. Why is public relations important?
PR helps increase brand awareness, promotes the values of a brand, strengthens its relationship with the community, creates credibility and increases online presence. These are all vital factors for customers when deciding what products to use along and their brand loyalty. PR can also help generate leads, partnerships, and sales.
Any questions we missed? Drop 'em below or shoot us a DM on @sodapoppr
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