Public Relations (or media/PR) is often included in a marketing plan, but it is a different aspect to marketing itself, which is concerned with with constumer relationships and market share. PR can include building consumer awareness and , but primarily it involves building good relations with the press and sourcing free positive editorials to disseminate the brand message.
There are two main types of PR; product and corporate. Product led PR creates awareness of a product or service, with corporate PR being concerned with the overall impression of a company.
With the current obsession over the perception of brand, Corporate PR is seen as increasingly important. For maximum effect, both types of PR should be run in tandem with advertising and other marketing methods; this lets companies test the impact of their whole approach.
A basic rule of PR is that you should develop credibility before raising the visibility of a product or company.Although exposure is all-important generating business, if people don’t believe your claims you will never succeed. Without credibility, you will never win repeat sales or referrals. While advertising might make people aware of you, it doesn’t build credibility. People are smart enough to know that anyone can buy advertising. PR on the other hand is free, getting in the media is more important, and a positive editorial is far more believable than the same amount of advertising.
Editorial coverage in the press is one of PR’s strongest weapons. The main benefit, is the credibility that comes from having a story covered by an industry expert. People who are seen as experts can make a big impression on the public’s perception. Another benefit is the cost involved; advertising has to bought. The costs come in creating and distributing the press releases.
possible pitfall of editorials is that the PR company has has no influence over what’s said or what the editorial content is. Regardless of the efforts you place in your PR, it can still result in negative coverage. You must plan for potential negative outcomes is critical for a well-run campaign.
When you’ve started, you must work hard to maintain relationships with the media. Follow-up reports, handling enquiries and prompt responses help to create a sympathetic environment for your messages. Expert PR professionals, like those at this Leeds PR company, have worked in journalism, so they know the sort of deadlines journalists have to work to. Working closely with reporters’ needs means that they’re more likely to run stories about you in future; companies that give poor or late responses get bad reputations in media circles.
Effective PR creates a positive impression of a product or company, enhancing your reputation. PR companies have the intangible job of swaying opinion and [spin]the results can unmistakeably make or break a business|the results can be business critical|can make a massive difference to a company’s future.
