The Power of Press and PR in Marketing
Press and public relations have a pivotal part to play in the brand success of a company. How do the media perceive your business, and what is your relationship with publicity contacts?
Like most companies I have worked with, there is an undeniable fear, hatred, and potential envy of what good press and PR can do for a business. The somewhat elaborate truth is that those who fear the media do not understand the true potential of how it will support and grow a business.
Press and public relations have a pivotal part to play in the brand success of a company. How do the media perceive your business, and what is your relationship with publicity contacts?
Public relations define how a company communicates with people — customers, partners, journalists, philanthropists, politicians, and the general public. All businesses need public relations, regardless of their size or industry. Why? Because, nowadays, customers want to trust the brands they do business with — and nothing builds and fosters trust like public relations.
PR and Marketing
Public relations and marketing are similar in their actions and tactics, but their goals are quite different. The main objective of PR is to boost the reputation of your brand. On the other hand, the primary purpose of marketing is to drive sales.
PR is an ongoing, iterative strategy — not a one-off task. (In fact, the best PR involves multiple tasks, tactics, and strategy.) Just like marketing, it can take a while to see results.
But with a solid strategy and a commitment to spreading the word about your company, you will soon see more mentions, backlinks, and general buzz. And that is a great way to build a memorable brand.
Good Press Coverage
Press supports the gathering and publishing or broadcasting of news. It is everything around us and is everything we consume as mainstream media content.
It is also a subtle yet effective way to promote a brand and service in the mass media market. Controlling this form of promotion is not easy though – the reliance of the press to endorse and promote your brand is not one that is ever taken lightly.
Reputation management is a crucial factor when controlling your press coverage. Understanding that flaws, potential issues, and undoubted unhappy staff can indeed create negative coverage is essential to outline from the beginning. Press is not for every business, but its strength to increase marketing awareness must not be underestimated.
Marketing Expansion
Marketing has changed. It is not acceptable to be a one-dimensional marketing professional these days when so much is desired and expected of a marketing team in a business.
By understanding, appreciating, and leveraging the usage and support of the PR and press circuits, marketers can expand their brand promotion in a way that supplements the long-term effort of any business – driving awareness and creating business growth opportunities.
The real winner is working out whom to trust and what to believe……