Public relations can make a significant impact on your brand and company. Find out why public relations is important on the Playbook PR blog.

Public relations is the gateway to increase your public perception and sentiment. With a trusted public relations agency by your side, you can build a regular rhythm of PR activities that will elevate your brand and return on investment. Why public relations is important in your marketing mix comes down to five reasons why PR is a must.

• Increases Brand Sentiment 

Need to shed some light on all the unique offerings your company or organization provides? Your business is most likely doing some incredible things that are timely, relevant, and interesting. But without public relations to help busy journalists, reporters, or editors, they might never know about it. PR helps to tell your story, distinguish you from the competition, and provide a stream of ideas for the media who are always on the hunt for content that speaks to their audiences. From your press release or pitch, they will then produce various types of content that help to promote your brand. PR helps in times of good or bad too. With the realities of online reviews, comments, and discussion websites, a business can face disgruntled consumers whether it is true or not. This is where a PR campaign can help to get sentiment back in the right direction and shed light on as well as reinforce brand values. 

• Generates Leads, Sales, and Profits

Public relations builds relations with a multitude of audiences depending on your business’ focus. From building relationships with the media, investors, government, community, customers, and/or internally (think employees and their morale), PR gets a targeted message to your preferred audiences in impactful ways. Since third-party content about your business carries more credibility with consumers, PR gets people closer to buying decisions and quicker. For transforming your business and profitability, PR is an ally you need by your side.

• Builds Credibility 

Consumers feel more comfortable with established brands. Online, this equates to showing a robust history of media coverage high up in the search rankings. TV segments, articles, interviews, social media posts, and more show credibility in your industry. Added to that, you can get more mileage out of these media mentions and have sales reps and business developers use this content in their follow-ups, as well as boost employee morale and future job candidates with the goodwill you’ve created by being active in PR.

• Creates a Proactive Playing Field

When you collaborate with an experienced PR agency, you can establish a regular daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, and/or seasonal rhythm for your PR activities. By being in the driver’s seat with your PR instead of just doing it when crises emerge, you will generate lots of good press which results in a more proactive playing field. This trail of credibility and goodwill humanizes your company and helps in times of distress to point to the good that your company has done. A proactive PR plan helps you to leverage opportunities, plan for emergencies, and calculate your steps in advance.    

• Connects to Coveted Audiences

With so many options for PR and already jam-packed schedules, marketers and business owners can easily feel overwhelmed. Expert PR agencies help to identify the best use of a business’ time and investment to get on the right platforms, publications and channels, and with the right authorities and influencers to boost their brand exponentially. Getting access to these coveted audiences is a crucial component to your growth. From small businesses to larger organizations, PR companies have the connections to reach these audiences. From tailoring the message to the audience to knowing which reporters cover which topics, savvy PR agencies can handle all these details so you can focus on other projects for the livelihood of your business. With each connection you make, your business stands to become a routine source for the media and others to call on, quote, and provide further insight on.

Takeaway

When public relations can be the quarterback to shine a light on your business, its goodwill and relevancy no matter what is happening in the marketplace, your business has the ability to flourish. As the public confidence in your brand stands the test of time, your business’ PR efforts create a lasting story about your business, personnel, services, products, and customer base. From this angle, public relations should be a mainstay in your marketing, not just a luxury when more sales are needed or crises emerge.

With more than 30 years of experience in marketing strategy, public relations, and project management, Playbook Public Relations takes the guesswork and stress out of PR for a wide variety of clients big and small. From leveraging media relationships to developing PR campaigns, Playbook is known for its high-quality standards, dedicated teams, and helping companies stand out from the competition. Contact Playbook Public Relations at (813) 789-7122 or online to elevate your PR and brand.