Public Relations is a great way for businesses to increase their exposure and attract new customers. However, there are several common misconceptions about what PR does. Although it might seem that PR is only for large corporations, this isn’t the case. PR can be used to increase exposure and gain customers by small-to-medium-sized businesses as well. This article will dispel five myths that people often believe about public relations and provide information on how you can use them to your advantage.
1) What is public relations?
Although many people think of press releases when they hear “PR,” there are several other ways you can use public relations to boost your business’ online presence. PR is the act of building awareness about your business through press releases, media interviews, and other forms of communication. Rather than talking about yourself, you are simply sharing your story with the public. This builds trust in your brand and gives consumers a reason to choose you over the competition.
2) What does PR do for my business?
The main aspect of PR is increasing awareness about your company’s products or services, leading to more sales down the road. The goal of PR is not only to increase exposure but also to boost engagement with your followers. By sharing your story through various media, consumers can connect with you more personally and will be more likely to buy from you rather than the competition.
Another important aspect of PR is that it can help you build a brand and gain new target audiences. By sharing your story through various media, consumers will start to see your business as more reputable and want to purchase from you rather than someone else.
3) Difference between Public Relations and Advertising
While PR is earned media, advertising is paid media.
Earned media- This type of marketing doesn’t cost you anything because it comes from your target audience. All Earned Media requires is to create a great product or service and then tell people about it through various forms of communication (such as blog posts, press releases, or social media).
Paid Media- This type of marketing is when you buy media (such as ad space on TV or in a newspaper). This type of marketing is a promotion where you pay to have your message seen, heard, or read.
Advertising is focused primarily on selling products or services, whereas public relations has an overall goal of building positive relationships between a business and its stakeholders.
4) Is PR measurable?
The amount of effort you put into your PR strategy will largely depend on how much money you are willing to spend. That being said, several things can be measured with public relations, including audience size, engagement rates, and even statistics about which media outlets covered or mentioned your company the most.
5) Public Relations Vs. traditional marketing strategies
- PR may not always be as exciting or flashy as advertising, but it does have several advantages over traditional marketing strategies
- PR costs less than traditional ads on TV, radio, and print
- When delivered by an authoritative source (the news), your message has more power than just another ad for your product/company
- It’s easy to track how many people pay attention to you because journalists often quote statistics from a company in their articles
