In an age where people want substance over simply appearance, brands can’t rely on a nice font or an influencer collab to get them through. The world has opened its eyes to the gloss of surface-level marketing – which means it’s time to up your game.
First, let’s explain the difference between PR and marketing. Although often used in the same sentence, the two are fundamentally different.
Marketing used to be all about billboards, TV ads, and promotional campaigns, designed to persuade the end user to buy a product. While that’s still part of the picture, today’s marketing goes far beyond selling. It’s also about creating value such as through blogs, webinars, and thought leadership; sparking conversations; building communities; and driving change. In this sense, marketing isn’t just telling people what they want to hear; it’s helping shape what matters to them.
PR, is a critical part of this marketing mix, influencing decisions, shaping opinions and driving change through earned exposure, whether that’s through press coverage, media relations or influencer partnerships – all with the goal to amplify awareness and manage a brand’s reputation – positioning it as the most credible voice in the room.
Despite their differences, like the Oasis brothers, Noel and Liam, the two work best together for the greater good of your growth strategy. Here’s how:
1. PR Builds Credibility and Trust
PR’s goal is to control and influence public perception and establish credibility. How? By building meaningful media relationships, crafting compelling stories, managing reputation during both the highs (and hopefully minimal) lows, and aligning your brand with the right voices at the right time.
Customers are quick to distrust self-promotional advertising, so incorporating powerful third-party endorsement – like PR – into your marketing strategy strengthens the credibility of whatever it is you do.
2. PR Enhances Brand Awareness
Marketing is incredibly useful for driving traffic and generating leads, but PR is needed to get the word out about your brand in a way that builds trust and confidence in the brand. This usually comes in the form of brand mentions, press releases and broadcast opportunities to generate a face to the brand. If a trusted source like your daily newspaper or your favourite influencer speaks highly about your brand, it’ll hit a wider audience than just putting all efforts into advertising.
3. PR Supports SEO and Digital Presence
Although it might not seem obvious, the link between PR and SEO is strong. A sturdy PR strategy can get brand mentions on high authority websites (some of the highest are websites like the Mail Online, MSN or Yahoo!), which in turn, can generate valuable backlinks and ultimately improve your website’s search rankings. Within that strategy, keywords will often be discussed to ensure your brand is associated with the right terms – helping search engines better understand who you are and what you offer.
4. PR Amplifies Marketing Campaigns
If you’ve got a new product, or you’re running a campaign, you want PR to take the reins on creating some traction before the big launch. Through teaser press releases, offering media exclusives and interviews or just giving journalists and influencers a small heads up, it will set your launch up to have a bigger and wider impact – you can’t spell preplanning without PR.
5. PR Encourages Authentic Engagement
Modern-day consumers know the difference between genuinely liking something and being paid to like it – so you need to present your brand as authentic, trustworthy, and transparent. Advertisements can often feel impersonal and out of touch, which is where PR steps in to cultivate genuine connections. This is achieved by understanding customer journeys and harnessing the empathy of the end user to tell a story that highlights your brand as down-to-earth and relatable.
PR is by far one of the most useful bits that you should have in your marketing strategy toolbelt, but you can’t break up a dynamic duo and expect the results to be the same. No matter what kind of road you’re looking to take your brand down, PR will make sure it’s the right one, and that it’s freshly paved.
Curious? Confused? Mildly intrigued? Let’s chat. Contact us here – or on 01242 335246 or drop us a line at hello@headonpr.co.uk.
