PR can often go under the radar for a lot of people. They read the papers, watch the news or pick up a magazine without realising what’s going on behind the content they’re reading, watching or skimming through.
It is understandable. A lot goes on behind the scenes, but whether it’s commentary from a business leader, a nice charity event or even an events guide, chances are you’re reading about an organisation with a message – and seeing the successes of a PR team on a mission to promote that message and reputation in a positive, clear and consistent way. That, in summary, is PR at work.
What is PR in marketing?
So you might know that marketing should probably form part of your business plan because you want sales or conversions, but isn’t it all just advertising?
Well, PR often falls into that nice, grey area of reputation management and profile building. It isn’t marketing, it isn’t advertising. It’s the authentic face of your company splashed across press outlets of all shapes and sizes, be it local, regional, national, or trade publications.
It’s there to defend you when things go sour. You pay for PR, but a PR professional’s ability to write stellar copy that eloquently captures your company’s latest bit of news, or positions you in the perfect publication as an industry leader, is truly priceless.
If you’re in the industry, you know the ins and outs of PR and can spot a paid ad or feature a mile away, but it isn’t always that obvious to those who aren’t involved in PR. You can also appreciate the background hard work that goes into a company spokesperson featuring on BBC News, for example. You know that that 30 second interview was the result of tireless work by all parties – from briefings to emails and calls between clients and journalists, more emails and calls, and a few more emails and calls for good measure.
Being a consumer of news or business owner of an SME, you probably have an appreciation of your own passion or industry-knowledge in a similar way, and have a similar inward ‘whoop!’ when you see someone in your industry share their expertise in the news. You might wonder, how can I be the one on that BBC sofa or in a piece in The Times? Simply put, it’s all about PR.
What is a PR team?
A PR team will often consist of a great blend of copywriters, SEO experts and communications professionals, all contributing to your business’ public image and relations with their unique skillsets. Utilising a strong PR team allows you to focus on the important elements of your day-to-day business, making room for professionals of public relations to properly reflect the core values and messaging you want your brand to amplify.
This also helps to answer the question of what PR is in marketing terms, as skilled writers and communicators can earn great press coverage and conversion results to boost the reputation and credibility of your business. The primary goal of a PR team is to create a positive narrative around its clients, but it doesn’t necessarily rely on direct sales, in contrast to general marketing practices.
What is a PR campaign?
The foundations of PR are finding and curating a message, and giving yourself a voice. It’s easy to overlook the importance of sharing your message because you live it every day. You might not even realise you have a message. That’s where PR agencies or in-house PR teams come in. You, along with your team, can work together to realise that core message and then hone and craft that voice and message to build your own or your business, charity or organisation’s reputation. By telling your stories in the right areas, you build trust among the population.
This is also where effective campaigning can be an efficient tool for PR, devising innovative ways to promote a brand, a product or a service while maintaining the core ethos and messaging you want to uphold. A PR campaign can be a series of press releases, advertorials, product launches or brand awareness profiles that aim to elevate your key messages in unique and exciting ways.
PR is the contacts, the relationships, and fleshing out the story to find the heart of it and tell it to the world. It exposes your company – not in a negative way, but in a way that shows your target audience what your company can offer and do for them. Whether it’s your latest hire, a new product, some positive charity work… the options are limitless.
PR protects your brand
Ironically, PR has a pretty confusing – often bad – reputation thanks to depictions in film and television. We’ve debunked some of the biggest myths in PR in a previous blog post, and even spoken to PRmoment about how PR can re-brand itself. Because in the current climate, it has never been more important to be authentic and transparent. That goes for Carrington as a PR agency or your business. Honesty is the best policy, after all. Even in a crisis!
In fact, even if you’re not sure that PR is useful for your business day-to-day (pro tip: it is), then war time is surely the time when you’ll need PR it most, so you can share your side of the story before someone tells it for you, and control the narrative to the best of your ability. Scandal can hit at any moment, and no matter what hit TV shows may tell you, a trustworthy and professional PR team would never encourage a client to cover up a crisis. Instead, creating a crisis comms plan in peace time means you’re prepared for any eventuality – no matter how big or small. Take a look at our 5 top tips here.
In summary
As you can probably tell, PR has a lot of functions and arms to it. How it can benefit your business and personal brand is unique to you and goals, but ultimately, PR is about communicating your message effectively and to the right audience.
PR is about being reactive to current affairs and dynamic when things go wrong, as well as being proactive in the eventuality of a crisis. Also, it projects and protects your reputation so you can sit back and focus on the day job, while your PR team handles the rest.
If you’re looking to boost your business’ PR or even starting from scratch, get in touch to find out how our team of PR and SEO experts can help.
