7 Reasons Why PR is Worth the Trouble

As featured by Small Business BC

We often say that there’s something magical about public relations in business. And a lot of time and resources go into this marketing method. But what is so special about it, and why should businesses invest in it?

We took a stab at explaining this PR “wow” factor with these seven reasons why it’s right for your business.

1. SEO

PR creates credible links from other sites with high Domain Authority scores. If you’re into SEO, you know this is good news, and it’s only getting better as Google evolves away from on-site techniques to off-site factors. Credible links are essential for increasing your search ranking, especially in competitive industries. Being covered by a credible local paper or the media is a powerful tool that has major impact on your SEO.

2. Story

Behind every brand, company and person, there is a story. Whether it is how the product affects someone, or the philosophy/owner behind the company, it is never just about the product. It is PR’s job to highlight these stories to help leverage the brand.

Since the brand story starts with how the brand introduces itself, brands can steer the initial content. From there, the customer engages and interacts, reinterpreting the message and continuing the dialogue with the brand.

3. Demographics

PR is able to reach unique markets with traditional, digital and experiential techniques. Digital and experiential public relations are able to communicate effectively with specific segments that don’t typically respond to traditional marketing techniques.

Is your audience older? PR can reach them. Are they younger? PR’s digital media outlets will reach them too. Are they skeptical? Inquisitive? PR has all the bases covered.

4. Platforms

Compared to other marketing techniques, public relations can have an easier time transcending marketing platform boundaries, such as print ads or Twitter. For example, a PR contest doesn’t have to be limited to a Facebook promotion – it can be part of a giant social media, digital, or print campaign. In fact, PR lives on whatever platform the people want it to live on.

5. Humans

One unique attribute about PR is that it is inherently human. PR is not a tool that a robot could make or reproduce. For example, all press releases, articles, etc. have to be written by a human and must be passed through editorial filters before they reach their final audience. PR is always personal. A human touch makes marketing better and elevates public relations above many other channels.

6. Trust

PR establishes trust with your potential and current clients. People are aware of traditional advertising and have preconceived opinions about it, but PR can reach out to them on a more personal level. This can make them rethink their opinions about a brand.

Some people don’t trust messages coming directly from a brand. These types of people tend to respond better to third-party validation to consider purchasing a certain product. For example, a blogger who writes about an experience they had with a brand. Their readers appreciate the blogger’s authentic opinion and evaluation of the product, and they help spread online and offline word-of-mouth.

PR builds credibility by showcasing why your brand matters.

7. Human Resources

Not only does PR affect a company externally, but it also has many positive effects for a company’s staff members. PR promotes brands and increases brand awareness, which in turn increases the number of applicants when hiring. And it is a great way to inform the public and staff members about outsider customer service relations (CSR) initiatives they might not be aware of.

PR also boosts staff morale by making employees proud of what the business is up to. And owners can be especially proud, as they can see their company getting featured in their favourite media outlets. I can’t tell you the amount of times I hear about business owners posting an article on their fridge, sharing it to their personal social media channels or telling their friends and family about it at parties. You can’t beat that kind of viral and organic advertising when you empower yourself and your employees.