First and foremost, we must quote one of our top PR specialists: “Marketing is taking your product to the consumer. Public relations is taking your brand to the media.”
We take pride in differentiating marketing from PR for entrepreneurs, although it is often lumped in as a marketing tool because it can serve as a marketing function.
While there are little to no distinctly measurable KPIs when it comes to PR, the authority you build by conducting a solid PR campaign attracts customers to your business.
Let’s Define the Other Marketing Tools
Indeed lists the following as official marketing tools:
- Print advertising
- Digital marketing
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Social media marketing (SMM)
- Press releases (PR)
- Commercial advertising
- Customer loyalty programs
- Brand reputation management
You’ll notice ‘press releases (PR)’ and ‘brand reputation management’ as two separate items. While different, both are technically PR. Brand reputation management is executed in multiple ways, from publishing profile articles and thought leadership pieces to managing social media engagement and appearing on top-rated podcasts.
The difference between press releases and the modules of brand reputation management aforementioned is that press releases only live online for a few months to a year, and then they disappear. Articles and podcasts, barring disaster, are forever. All of the above is PR.
Simply put, public relations is about your relationship with the public (how your target audience perceives you). On the other hand, an ad is an ad, is an ad. PR is spotlighting what positive things other people say and feel about you, whereas an ad is showboating, saying, “Look at me! Buy me!”
PR Pairs Beautifully with Marketing
Neither is better than the other, and both are essential if you want to grow your business.
Think of it this way:
If a potential customer sees your targeted ad on Instagram, they will likely go to your feed and see what sort of brand you have (your brand reputation). If they find an empty page or a page with low engagement, they might stop there and not buy. Or, whether they see good engagement or not, they will turn to Google and try to learn more about you.
Are you a reputable company? Do you have good values and customer service? Where is your company based?
If that customer can’t find anything about you on the web besides what you put out there about yourself, they will be skeptical and probably not buy. Worse yet, they might search your product or business name and find your competitor, who recently had their first profile piece published in Entrepreneur magazine, and opt to buy from them.
PR backs your marketing. Your marketing tells your audience you’re out here grinding.
So, if you would like to learn how you can use PR to aid your marketing efforts, book a call with us today!
Victorious PR is home to the go-to agents for PR and personal branding for entrepreneurs. We specialize in cryptocurrency, healthcare, real estate press, and more.
Further, many of our clients are now TEDx speakers who built ongoing authority, credibility, and visibility that inspires trust in their market audience with our services. Victorious PR is the top PR agency that helps the public see its clients as the #1 Authority in their niche — AKA, the companies to which the public should give their hard-earned money.
Victorious PR is a proud member of the Rolling Stone Cultural Council and the Forbes Agency Council and was named one of the Best PR Firms in Las Vegas by Expertise, Top Las Vegas Public Relations Firms by Clutch, and Top PR Companies by Mirror Review.
