Why you NEED PR
As a public relations major, most people ask me what exactly it is that I study. It can be difficult to explain what PR is and why it's so important for all types of businesses. As a PR professional, you have to convince business owners to spend money they could spend somewhere else on a service that won't immediately show results.
So, what EXACTLY is public relations?
"Public Relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics."
PRSA
The definition of public relations can seem like a lot of words that don't really communicate a lot of meaning.
To me, public relations is about building a relationship not only with your clients, but assisting your clients with building relationships with their audiences as well. These relationships consist of trust, transparency and engaging with the audience in a way that will influence their decisions and attitudes about your business.
How is PR different from Advertising?
Source: Reputation Today
To those not in the world of communication, these industries look synonymous with one another. However, looking closer, there are key differences that will influence your decision to pick one over the other for your goal.
According to Zen Media, advertising is paid media used to influence the public to purchase a product or service. Ads aren't used to maintain and improve a business's reputation nor do they aim to communicate with your public.
Public relations focuses mostly on reputation and relationships as mentioned above, but also is referred to as earned media. This means that people outside your business; journalists, bloggers, and others write about your business and your brand does not control how or what is said. PR professionals give these people information on events, policies, and the attitudes of the company, but you yourself are not writing and publishing it.
The main difference is that as a business, you cannot build a relationship with your audience through advertisements (paid media) or what you as a company put out (owned media). Earned media is how you build that trust, as it shows people that your company is being as transparent and "real" as possible.
Why your business needs PR
According to Forbes (2021), here are five reasons why any business, big or small, can benefit from using PR.
1. PR Increases Your Business's Credibility
Source: Ripley PR
Customers are generally driven by their opinions and attitudes toward a business. Being seen as a company people can rely on and trust can boost sales and the reputation of the brand overall. Because these opinions don't come from you referring to your own company or from paid media, the reviews and comments are unbiased and therefore more trustworthy.
According to Oberlo (2020), 86% of consumers say that brand authenticity is a deciding factor in supporting brands and 66% of people think transparency is a top quality of a brand. They also state that 81% of consumers said they have to trust a brand in order to purchase products from them.
Brand credibility is crucial for building relationships between the business and the customer and even influences how people spend their money.
2. PR Is a Low-Cost Option to Increase Awareness of Your Business
Source: Agility PR Solutions
Because Pr is earned media, it uses free media coverage to bring awareness to your company and its products/services. Forbes suggests a few ways to use PR is the most cost-efficient way, speaking engagements, influencers and thought leadership pieces. Other ideas include attending other business events to establish relationships, writing and sending press releases to media outlets, and using social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook.
3. Good PR Can Boost Your SEO
Source: Oberlo
By using PR to expand your relationships with both customers and other businesses, it also can grow your online and social media presence as well. A larger presence on online platforms strengthens your SEO and allows your business to become more visible on search pages. Becoming more visible is vital to growing the number of customers finding and frequenting your business, leading to purchases from you and the start to building that reliable relationship.
4. PR Can Position Your Brand as an Expert in Your Industry
Source: Nufire Marketing
Just like with building relationships in your personal life, building relationships in your professional life through PR can set you above the rest of your competitors. It shows potential customers why they should trust you, your opinion and your brand. This trust has been shown to be a key factor in customers purchasing products/services from businesses.
The ongoing communication between businesses and consumers shows the business to stand out as an expert. Using public relations this way invites customers to see behind the scenes of the business by sharing knowledge and experiences directly with the customer, furthering that relationship.
5. PR Has a Large Reach
Source: Curzon PR
The purpose of PR is to communicate with your audience to build a relationship. Because the internet and social media are so prevalent today, the reach is limitless. Using PR allows you to grow your reach and increase the awareness of your business because of the many different platforms to utilize. Through news outlets, TV, reviews and general word of mouth, crafting the right story to influence your audience's attitudes is a great way for a business to reach its goals. Earned media is also a great way to create a positive reputation that will grow trust and ultimately influence sales for your business as well.
Source: Wamda
Public Relations can do so much for your business, big or small. It can increase overall brand awareness, improve reputation and grow your target audience through a wide variety of platforms. All of these things improve your image, create customer loyalty and build a lasting relationship between you and your audience.
