What is the importance of public relations in business? By placing it in the same breath as marketing and sales, it makes this article inherently valuable to all businesses.
The article will provide you with an understanding of why marketing is imperative to business success and what public relations is in regards to its differences to marketing.
At this point, you are either thinking of the many marketing decisions that you should be making, or you may be wondering why your marketing efforts aren't working. Without a firm grasp on marketing, it is very hard to know how to direct your campaigns to the people who can make the biggest difference.
Because most companies are responsible for their own marketing, it is easy to confuse marketing with marketing plans. Marketing plans can easily encompass every imaginable element that could be related to marketing in order to make sure that you're meeting your company's goals.
A marketing plan is generally much more manageable than a marketing plan and can be used as an easy guide for how to market yourself to the consumer.
An incredible marketing tip for all entrepreneurs is to utilize a reliable marketing agency. It is best to hire a marketing agency that has a track record of getting the job done without wasting your time or resources.
Every company should have an effective marketing plan that follows your company's goals.
One major difference between marketing and public relations is the amount of resources required to achieve a marketing goal versus the resources required to achieve a public relations goal.
The difference between public relations and marketing is the difference between getting the sale or putting an ad in the Yellow Pages. A public relations campaign involves carefully following-up with media outlets and publishing strategic press releases to inform the public of your company's new services, products, or events.
Your public relations firm will be the mastermind behind the success of your marketing campaigns. It is important to understand the kind of marketing that you are looking to achieve and only employ firms that have the experience necessary to reach your goals.
The amount of time, skill, and talent that your public relations firm will require for your business goals will vary from what you are looking for to a broader goal such as increasing brand awareness and traffic to your website.
As you can see PR has many definitions.
One that comes to mind is the firm's ability to stand out in the field of competition. This begs the question, why do we need public relations?
First, we need to know what public relations is not.
PR is not gossiping about people and businesses. It is not defending companies with bad news. The sole purpose of PR is to develop positive relationships with the media.
It is the best way to gain attention for your company and establish a solid foundation in the minds of people looking for the best.
For example, if I was a customer of Starbucks, I would believe that the company is very genuine and honest. However, if I received a phone call from someone representing Starbucks, I would think it was a salesman trying to get me to buy more of their products.
The whole purpose is to reach out to the media with the facts and get people to look at the things that make your business unique. Once they do, they are more likely to become customers.
Two, we need to know what public relations is.
According to the New York Times, "A publicist should be proactive, inquisitive, responsible and willing to be helpful to any and all who are seeking guidance from the communications professionals for the world's knowledge and interest."
This sounds like the perfect definition to me!
They need to know what people want and what information they need. They should be doing the work and making things happen!
Their relationship with the media is a two-way street. Therefore, the media has to be informed.
This is why PR is such a vital part of marketing, sales, and service delivery to a market. It keeps the media informed and keeps the community informed as well.
Public relations may play a key role in an organization's promotional strategy. A planned approach to leveraging public relations opportunities can be just as important as advertising and sales promotions.
Public relations is one of the most effective methods to communicate and relate to the market. It is powerful. Likewise, it is the most cost-effective of all promotional activities.
The success of well-executed PR plans can be seen through several organizations that have made it a central focus of their promotional strategy.
Paul Newman's Salad Dressing, The Body Shop, and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream have positioned their organizations through effective PR strategies. Intel, Sprint and Microsoft have leveraged public relations to introduce and promote new products and services.
While many may disagree, one thing is for certain; when it comes to business, public relations is a big deal.
