In today's highly competitive business landscape, establishing a positive reputation is paramount, and this is where Public Relations (PR) comes into play.
It’s worth noting here that PR and publicity are not the same thing: publicity gets headlines while PR creates or builds brands. We explore this topic in another blog which can be found here.
Back to the topic at hand, PR plays a pivotal role in shaping the image of a company, managing its reputation, and fostering meaningful connections with its target audience.
We are going to explore the reasons why PR is crucial for businesses of all sizes, exploring its various benefits, and its undeniable impact on overall success.
In the article we will provide you with the top 13 questions about PR and answer why it should be part of your next integrated marketing strategy.
Table of Contents
- What is the role of Public Relations (PR) in business?
- How does PR build trust and credibility?
- What is the impact of PR on brand visibility?
- Can PR help during a crisis?
- How does PR contribute to business growth?
- What are the key strategies for effective communication in PR?
- How does PR shape public perception?
- How does PR achieve targeted outreach?
- How can companies measure the success of their PR efforts?
- What's the relationship between PR and marketing?
- What is digital PR?
- How does PR collaborate with media?
- How do influencer partnerships benefit PR?
13 Reasons Why PR is Important & Why it Should be Part of your Marketing Strategy
1. What is the role of Public Relations (PR) in business?
Public Relations plays a vital role in business by managing communication between a given or defined audience.
It shapes the company's image, manages its reputation, and facilitates meaningful connections and actions.
2. How does PR build trust and credibility?
PR builds trust and credibility through transparent, clear, consistent and honest communication. The fact that its earned media – not paid for – also helps in the credibility stakes.
PR helps showcase the company’s reliability and reputation to stakeholders.
3. What is the impact of PR on brand visibility?
PR enhances brand visibility by making the target audience aware of the company’s values, offerings, and unique qualities.
This increased visibility leads to growth opportunities and when 82% of PR professionals believe getting coverage in the media is the most effective method for building brand awareness2, it’s hard to argue!
4. Can PR help during a crisis?
PR is crucial during a crisis.
It helps manage and address issues, minimise damage, and demonstrate the company’s commitment to resolution.
A company’s response to a crisis can impact the trust of around 76% consumers trust in the brand3.
5. How does PR contribute to business growth?
PR contributes to business growth by delivering against the defined business objectives and shifting the dial, whether that be attracting new customers, investors, partners or changing perceptions.
6. What are the key strategies for effective communication in PR?
Effective communication in PR involves crafting messages that resonates and engages the audience to inspire a change, action or opinion.
This ensures that the company’s values and goals are effectively communicated, fostering a deeper connection with stakeholders.
7. How does PR shape public perception?
PR can help shape public perception by highlighting the company's contributions to society, sharing success stories, and engaging in philanthropic activities.
This positive image enhances customer loyalty and attracts like-minded partners.
8. How does PR achieve targeted outreach?
PR achieves targeted outreachby creating, tailored campaigns and messages alongside the all-important relationships with key media and influencer stakeholders that are built by PR professionals every day.
This personalised approach increases the likelihood of connecting with individuals who are more likely to become loyal customers.
9. How can companies measure the success of their PR efforts?
Measuring PR success involves tracking metrics. These are bespoke and measured against the original KPIs agreed.
This could be media sentiment, reach, brand favourability, social engagement, web traffic... the list goes on!
These metrics provide insights into the effectiveness of PR campaigns and three-quarters of PR professionals use these to measure the success of their campaigns5.
10. What's the relationship between PR and marketing?
PR and marketing are intertwined.
They work together to create a unified message that drives brand consistency, customer engagement, and overall success. In fact, integrated marketing and communications strategies can increase effectiveness between 20-30%6.
11. What is digital PR?
Digital PR utilises online platforms, social media, and influencer collaborations to expand brand reach and recognition in the digital age. Digital PR is also incredibly beneficial for use on websites and other online channels. Digital PR is an essential part of SEO because it helps build links and authority to brands websites.
12. How does PR collaborate with media?
PR professionals cultivate relationships with journalists and media outlets to ensure that the company's news and updates receive the attention they deserve, reaching a broader audience.
13. How do influencer partnerships benefit PR?
Influencer partnerships allow companies to tap into influencers' trusted communities, expanding brand credibility and reach.
The power of Influencers is demonstrated in a study by Influencer Marketing Hub who revealed that 81% of UK consumers trust the advice of influencers more than traditional advertising.
So, what have we learned about why PR is important?
In today's competitive business landscape, public relations (PR) is essential for building a positive reputation, managing risk, and achieving business goals.
PR can help businesses to:
- Build trust and credibility with stakeholders
- Enhance brand visibility and awareness
- Manage and mitigate crises
- Attract new customers, investors, and partners
- Grow market share and revenue
- Shape public perception and influence decision-makers
PR professionals use a variety of strategies to achieve these goals, including:
- Crafting messages that resonate with the target audience
- Cultivating relationships with journalists and media outlets
- Leveraging social media and other digital channels
- Partnering with influencers
- Measuring the results of PR campaigns
By investing in PR, businesses can build a strong foundation for success in the long term.
We caught up with Lucy Coughlan, Director at tigerbond and PR guru, to get her thoughts on why PR is should be a vital part of every marketing strategy:
“In recent times, the true value of PR has become very clear. When the chips are down in a global pandemic or a cost-of-living crisis, PR reigns supreme, as the ability to craft engaging content, quickly and cost effectively has become a key skill.
‘PR is now a multi-channel discipline working across media, owned channels, influencers and this flexibility should not be overlooked when developing your marketing strategy.”
Speak to one of tigerbond’s PR experts today and step-up your integrated marketing strategy with PR!