Public Relations (PR) is a form of marketing communications that disseminates information between a company, organization or individual, and a targeted audience (often the general public). PR information is typically written in either a short news release or a longer feature article about a topic of interest. This information and accompanying artwork is then delivered to the mass media. If the content is deemed worthy, it earns a spot in their coverage. The media then disseminates the content to their audience via publishing or broadcasting.
Why is Public Relations Important?
Anyone looking to expand brand recognition, grow lead generation, increase credibility and ultimately increase revenue can benefit greatly from PR.
Have you ever told someone your company/product/service is the best kept secret in the world? That is where PR comes in to help get the word out. Rankin PR generates demand for your products or services by creating a strategic communication strategy that is 100% unique to you.
Is PR and marketing the same thing?
Public Relations is a form of marketing. Marketing is an umbrella term to define any attempt by a company to influence the buying of a product or service. Marketing includes advertising, public relations, digital marketing, social media, etc.
What is the difference between PR and advertising?
Both PR and advertising are forms of marketing intended to disseminate information about a company, product or service. The biggest difference is advertising requires direct payment between a company and the media while PR does not.
Does public relations or advertising work best?
Advertising works! It is why Coke and Geico spend billions each year utilizing the technique. However, there are a number of reasons why you may want to choose PR over advertising.
Public Relations:
- Is cheaper than advertising. For the cost of a one-page ad in a magazine, a PR firm can deliver 2-3 pages of content often in multiple publications at a lower cost.
- Delivers your message in the form of valuable content that your audience wants to consume.
- Allows for a more detailed explanation of the company, product or service.
- Educates sales prospects, hence shortening the sales cycle.
How does a public relations firm create content?
Most PR firms are really good at writing press releases. This can be a few paragraphs long up to about a page and a half. However, writing feature-length PR articles that publications don’t have to further develop is much harder and yet much more effective at garnering placements. These feature articles dramatically improve a company’s ability to engage with a specific, targeted audience.
Can PR help with SEO?
PR is the single most valuable tool in increasing your domain authority and increasing your search engine results (SEO). Here is how it works:
When a website runs your content with a link back to your website, that is called a backlink. Search engines (like Bing and Google) see these links and add them up in their algorithm to determine which websites get ranked higher on the results page. Think of it as the cool kid in school. The more friends you have (backlinks) the more other kids (search engines) perceive you as important. Hence you rank higher for your key terms and phrases.
There is much more to it, and Rankin PR specializes in generating backlinks in high-authority websites using a few tricks of the trade.
What is good PR?
A good PR agency has to be able protect, enhance and build your reputation through the media. The best way to ensure the PR agency is a good fit for your business is to understand what type of PR do they specialize in (B2B, Industrial, Consumer, Fashion, etc.). Also critical in the selection process is ensuring the agency has established media contacts within your target markets. Then finally, can they write content that engages your prospects to reach out to your sales team?
Want to learn about our B2B PR services? Check out this page.