Do you know the difference between marketing and PR (aka Public Relations)? Small businesses often don’t think PR is something that can be used to grow their brands. However, it can actually be a valuable tool to have in your marketing toolbox.. Learning how to integrate PR into your business can help you grow your brand.
Marketing vs. Public Relations – What’s the difference?
While marketing and public relations are sometimes used interchangeably, they do serve different functions. Marketing is a function of sales. Most things done through marketing are to support a sales function and are typically done to boost revenue. Public relations, or PR, is primarily a function of management. PR is normally done for building and maintaining the reputation of a business. But the two can work well together. For example, if you’re launching a product, both marketing and PR would be useful. Marketing would build out the sales aspect of the launch. PR could be used for announcing the launch in publications or outlets that would be interested in the new product. It’s important to ensure that the marketing and PR voices aren’t conflicting each other and are cohesive in their messaging.
There Is Such a Thing as Bad PR
We’ve all heard the phrase, there’s no such things as bad press. And while that might be true for someone like Beyonce, for the average business owner, it’s simply not the case. There are definitely ways that bad press can ruin a business. Think of those businesses that have violated your own personal beliefs and whether you still shop there. Managing that brand voice, both internally and externally, can be vital to a business’ success.
Using PR as a Small Business
“It used to be that there was one newspaper, and TV channel one radio station, and you know, everyone’s competing for the same airwaves.”
Lauren Cockerell, President of Kwedar & Co.
The internet makes it super easy to find all the information you could ever want on pretty much any subject. But it can be challenging to figure where to talk about your business. Offering content to journalists or blog writers that would benefit their readership is a great first step into PR. Think about what type of content or information would get that blog more clicks and you’re more likely to get your content posted.
You should also consider utilizing PR when you want to make announcements for your business that affect the community. If your shop is celebrating their one-year anniversary with an amazing sale or giveaway, reach out to local news outlets to see if they would be willing to share.
When It’s Time to Outsource PR
While you can utilize sites like HARO to DIY your public relations in the early stages or your business, you should consider outsourcing your PR when you don’t have the time to focus on finding and consistently following up with publications and outlets to share your news. And what you don’t know can sometimes hinder your business. Making connections with industry reporters or bloggers can be a full-time job and public relations specialist have these connections already and can know exactly who to pitch your business to and create a strategy around how best to showcase your business.
Lauren is President of Kwedar & Co., a PR/marketing firm that provides the strategy and execution business owners need to achieve balance and sustainably take their businesses to the next level. As a one-stop shop for strategic communications, we help entrepreneurs enjoy growing their businesses and feel confident in the direction they’re headed.
Lauren is also the Board Chair of the Foundation for the Young Women’s Leadership Academy of Fort Worth, empowering the next generation of women leaders.
Visit www.kwedarco.com/book-consultation for a free consultation to see if Lauren can help your business scale and grow.
Leave a Reply