Why Public Relations is important

Public relations is used by successful companies to tell strong stories that engage their customers. Marketing alone will not take your business to the top, but marrying PR and marketing strengthens your chances to develop relatable and engaging stories that help customers decide to buy your product or hire your services. Public relations will help you build a successful company.

Public relations is not the same as marketing.  While they share the goal of increasing business opportunities, they do so in different ways.

We define marketing as the use of storytelling to promote products or services. More and more, marketing occurs through paid promotions. Television commercials, print advertisements, digital ads on websites and social media, billboards, and email campaigns comprise these promotions. Think of those promotions as stories and you understand why public relations is important. To take it one step further, each story targets a specific customer audience and has targeted goals associated.

Combine marketing with public relations and you amplify what your customers need to make decisions about your brand.

Chris Martin

“Marketing, by itself, has the ability to act as a great promotional element.  Combine marketing with public relations and you have created tools to tell stories across various platforms. Those stories amplify what your customers need to make decisions about your brand,” said Chris Martin, president of Atlas Marketing.

Importance of relationships

Public relations enhances marketing by building relationships. Among the relationships is a range of stakeholders necessary to build trust and instill credibility in your brand. Those stakeholders can be customers, potential customers, public officials, media organizations, investors, employees, and others.

Public relations is not paid – it is earned – because you can not buy trust. You must earn it.

PR in action

For example, companies get involved in a community to create trust. A company sponsors a Little League baseball team. That same company volunteers in a neighborhood cleanup or participates in Career Day at a school. Along the way, they donate supplies, services, or financial aid to those impacted by a flood or fire. The result of this involvement is the creation of a positive impression. That is the power of public relations.

When your company performs exemplary during a big public project; unveils a new or unique product or service; or launches a major expansion, utilize public relations to publish a story about the effort to improve your reputation. Viewers and readers rely on various media for information. As they look for more positive news and your company becomes a trusted source public relations efforts validate your company.

Another example includes your CEO as he/she speaks at a trade conference or writes an article for a trade publication. That effort builds credibility. He or she will solidify their reputation as an expert in their field and enhance their company’s standing. Clients and our Atlas Marketing leadership have used speaking opportunities as methods to tell a story and enhance reputation. This public relations effort creates a massive advantage to help your target customer learn about the brand they will engage with.

When crisis hits – true PR value

Public relations professionals often use their relationships with trade organizations and publications, local media, and community organizations to create those opportunities. The outcome typically earns company goodwill. And if a crisis were to occur, public relations professionals can defend your brand.

Audiences who have a positive perception of your brand are more likely to make the decision to buy your products and services, and more likely to become customers.