How Does PR Support Marketing?
Hiring a PR firm is one of the best and most cost-effective ways for brands to position their businesses strategically. Public relations can be very valuable when your business has a limited budget to advertise and publicize your products and/or services in the market.
In addition to being more affordable than conventional advertising, public relations agencies also offer numerous benefits, especially for new businesses. PR firms utilize strategies that complement an organization’s current marketing and advertising initiatives.
The Marketing “Pie”
Marketing is the strategic process of promoting and selling products or services to customers. It involves various activities such as market research, identifying customer needs and preferences, developing compelling messaging and positioning, creating marketing campaigns, and implementing distribution and promotional strategies. The goal of marketing is to effectively communicate the value and benefits of a product or service to target customers, ultimately driving customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction while achieving the organization's objectives. Marketing plays a crucial role in understanding consumer behavior, building brand awareness, generating leads, fostering customer relationships, and ultimately driving business growth.
There are many pieces of the marketing pie. A few include: :
Advertising (Paid Media)
Content Marketing
Public Relations
Social Media
Digital - SEM/SEO
Influencer Marketing
If you are looking to hire a communications agency to bolster your business, it is important to understand that PR is just one slice of the marketing pie and it can’t stand alone.
Advertising
Advertising is a specific subset of marketing that focuses on promoting products, services, or ideas through paid communication channels. It involves creating and disseminating persuasive messages to capture the attention and interest of target audiences. Advertising utilizes mediums such as print, television, radio, digital platforms, and outdoor spaces to deliver compelling and memorable content. Its primary objective is to raise awareness, generate interest, and ultimately persuade consumers to take a desired action, such as purchasing, engaging with a brand, or adopting a specific belief or behavior. Effective advertising campaigns employ creative strategies, market research, and audience segmentation to deliver impactful messages that resonate with consumers and contribute to the overall marketing goals of a business or organization.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a specific target audience. It aims to provide consumers with information, entertainment, or utility rather than explicitly promoting a product or service. Content marketing involves creating and sharing various forms of content, such as blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, podcasts, and social media posts, to build brand awareness, establish thought leadership, foster trust, and drive profitable customer actions. By offering valuable content that meets the needs and interests of the target audience, content marketing aims to attract and retain customers, enhance brand loyalty, and ultimately drive business growth.
Public Relations
Public relations (PR) is a strategic communication discipline that focuses on managing and nurturing relationships between an organization and its target audience, including the media, stakeholders, customers, employees, and the general public. PR professionals work to shape and maintain a favorable public image for their clients or organizations by utilizing various communication tools and tactics. This may involve developing and implementing PR campaigns, crafting compelling press releases, organizing events, managing crises, conducting media relations, and engaging in community outreach. PR aims to build trust, credibility, and favorable perceptions of the organization, effectively managing its reputation and fostering mutually beneficial relationships with key stakeholders. Through strategic storytelling and communication, PR helps shape public opinion, manage perceptions, and enhance an organization's overall brand image and reputation.
Social Media
Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a digital marketing strategy that uses social media platforms to promote products, services, or brands and engage with a target audience. It encompasses creating and sharing content tailored to social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube to connect with users and build brand awareness. SMM includes creating engaging posts, running paid social media advertising campaigns, responding to comments and messages, monitoring social media analytics, and fostering relationships with followers and influencers. Social media marketing aims to reach and engage a target audience, drive website traffic, generate leads, increase brand loyalty, and ultimately achieve marketing goals through strategic and targeted social media activities.
SEM
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a digital marketing strategy that used paid digital advertising to promote to increase websites visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).SEM involves utilizing platforms like Google Ads to create and manage campaigns that target specific keywords and phrases relevant to the business or industry. Advertisers bid on these keywords and pay when users click on their ads, commonly known as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. SEM allows businesses to gain immediate visibility and reach a targeted audience actively searching for products or services, driving traffic to their website and potentially increasing conversions. It involves careful keyword research, ad creation, bidding strategies, and continuous optimization to maximize the return on investment (ROI) and achieve marketing objectives.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) improves a website's visibility and organic (non-paid) search engine rankings. It involves various strategies and techniques to optimize website content, structure, and performance to make it more appealing to search engines and users. SEO aims to enhance a website's relevance and authority, making it more likely to appear prominently in SERPs when users search for relevant keywords and phrases. SEO involves optimizing on-page elements such as titles, meta descriptions, headings, and off-page factors like backlinks and social signals. By implementing SEO best practices, businesses and website owners can attract more organic traffic, increase their online visibility, and improve the overall user experience, leading to higher search engine rankings and improved website performance.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing involves collaborating with influential individuals, known as influencers, who have a dedicated following and authority within a specific niche or industry. Influencer marketing aims to leverage the influencers' credibility and reach to promote products, services, or brands to their engaged audience. Influencers can be found across various platforms, including social media, blogs, YouTube, and podcasts. They create content that resonates with their followers and has the power to influence purchasing decisions. Influencer marketing involves:
Identifying and partnering with relevant influencers.
Developing a mutually beneficial relationship.
Co-creating content that aligns with the brand's message and values.
By harnessing the trust and influence of these individuals, brands can effectively expand their reach, increase brand awareness, and drive engagement and conversions among their target audience.
Now that we have explained the different parts of marketing - let us look a little closer at how PR supports marketing.
PR Boosts Brand Awareness
The main function of a PR agency is to generate awareness, distribute information quickly and communicate your key messages to the key audiences of a brand’s targeted demographic. Seeing your company or brand name published across trusted and credible news sources creates third-party validation.
Take this PR tactic of gaining exposure and validation via earned media and apply it directly to your marketing and advertising strategies. What trade events, news outlets, industry publications and other online sources do your customers and prospects visit or attend? Concentrate your advertising and marketing efforts on those news sources as well as events that your audience relies on regularly.
A PR strategy also supports direct marketing and advertising initiatives and can increase your website’s rank on Google so people can easily find your business.
PR Helps You Reach Your Target Audience
The main purpose of all marketing is to reach an audience for a specific reason. You can be a fashion brand looking to reach customers who will purchase your clothing or shoes, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looking to spread important information about vaccinations.
Regardless of the organization/brand, audience or message, public relations strategies provide multiple avenues for brands to communicate with their target audience.
PR Attracts Investors
Leveraging PR strategies can help attract investors to your brand. This is especially beneficial and important when a business is in its infancy.
A meticulously planned PR strategy can help generate positive media coverage, drive website traffic and create demand that gives you a better negotiating position with prospective investors. Also, well-executed PR campaigns help establish your brand, which can lead to securing partnerships and funding.
PR Amplifies Your Message
Once you have developed your initial PR campaign and determined the messaging to use on your website, such as paid advertising, social pages or content marketing, it is up to your public relations firm to amplify your message. Tools, such as Google Trends (https://trends.google.com/trends/?geo=US), can help you track the progress you are making during outreach.
As stated earlier, public relations can not be the only marketing a brand does. PR only works when integrated within the Marketing Mix.
Hiring a PR Agency
Hiring a PR firm is an excellent choice for brands looking to strategically position themselves in the market. It offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional advertising, making it particularly valuable for businesses with limited budgets. PR agencies provide a range of benefits, especially for new ventures, by complementing existing marketing and advertising initiatives.
When considering hiring a communications agency, it's crucial to understand that PR is just one piece of the marketing pie. It cannot stand alone and must be integrated with other marketing components, such as advertising, content marketing, social media, and digital strategies.
One of the primary functions of a PR agency is to generate brand awareness and effectively communicate key messages to the target audience. By securing placements in trusted and credible news sources, PR agencies create third-party validation, boosting brand recognition. This exposure can be leveraged in your marketing and advertising efforts, concentrating on the news sources and events that your audience regularly engages with. A well-executed PR strategy also supports direct marketing initiatives and can enhance your website's search engine ranking, making it easier for people to discover your business.
Another significant advantage of PR is its ability to help you reach your target audience effectively. Regardless of your brand or message, PR strategies provide multiple avenues for communication, enabling you to connect with your intended audience more directly.
PR can also play a vital role in attracting investors, particularly for businesses in their early stages. By implementing a meticulously planned PR strategy, you can generate positive media coverage, drive website traffic, and create demand. These factors enhance your negotiating position with potential investors and open doors to partnerships and funding opportunities.
Once you have developed your PR campaign and defined the messaging to be used across various marketing channels, it becomes the responsibility of your PR firm to amplify your message. Monitoring tools like Google Trends can help you track the progress and effectiveness of your outreach efforts.
While PR is an essential component of a comprehensive marketing strategy, it must be integrated with other marketing elements to achieve maximum impact. By leveraging PR's ability to generate brand awareness, reach target audiences, attract investors, and amplify your message, you can position your brand for success in the marketplace.
TrizCom PR
At TrizCom PR, we understand that effective communication is more critical than ever in this digital age. We started 15 years ago to create great work and now come equipped with a full-service PESO Model agency so you can reach target audiences where they consume media. But even more importantly, we focus on telling stories that help drive results for our clients - from crafting press releases to creating unique campaigns geared toward promoting your brand.
Our team of experienced professionals have mastered the art of storytelling and are here to give your business the attention it deserves!
With TrizCom PR, you'll be able to get maximum brand exposure while rest assured knowing that measurable data will back your communications efforts. From website optimization strategies and search engine marketing tactics to social media management services - trust us when we say there's nothing better than having specialists handle all aspects of your publicity needs. Our commitment to delivering top-notch content will gain you positive recognition and cultivate relationships with customers worldwide!
Check out what TrizCom PR has to offer today! Sign up for a free consultation and learn how we can help tell YOUR story!
