What’s the difference between public relations and marketing? Many people use the terms interchangeably, but there are considerable differences between the two. PR is about creating positive relationships with the public, while marketing focuses on sales and promoting products or services.
We know firsthand how important it is to understand the difference between the two – so that you can recognize how they can and should work together.
What is public relations?
Public relations teams manage the relationships between an organization and the public. It’s all about reputation management and building a positive image for the company, both proactively and reactively. Working with the media, doing community outreach and managing events are all effective avenues to create a positive image for a company. We have an Emmy award-winning journalist on the Red Shoes team who understands the interworking of TV, print and radio. She will work hard for you to build and maintain a good relationship with the media, including pitching story ideas, setting up interviews (and coaching you through them) and facilitating statements.
It’s more than media, though. Good PR also involves working with the community, such as organizing charity events, speaking at local schools, and partnering with non-profit organizations, to name a few. Companies must get involved in the community to show that they care about more than their bottom line.
What is marketing?
Marketing is the promotion and selling of products or services. A marketing team focuses on creating demand for what a company offers, along with generating leads. Some effective methods that current marketers use include paid advertising, social media, content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).
At Red Shoes, we focus on inbound marketing, a strategic approach that pulls people towards your company and product or services. We succeed by creating valuable content to be leveraged across many channels, including a new or updated website, blog posts, infographics, or a social media campaign.
How do PR and marketing work together?
PR and marketing are two essential pieces of the puzzle that help successfully grow your business and play a crucial role in enhancing your company’s reputation while boosting sales or services. It’s not enough to have both, however. They must complement each other. When used together, PR and marketing can be powerful tools to help grow your business.
Some of the ways that PR and marketing can work together to help grow your business include:
• Focusing on creating quality content that provides value to your target audience and leveraging it across many communications channels
• Organizing events and participating in community outreach initiatives and working with the media to generate positive publicity
For example, let’s say your company is launching a new product. A strong marketing campaign will generate interest and demand for the product, but if there is no one to talk about the product in the media or no one knows where to find it, the marketing efforts will fall flat. In this instance, PR can help generate media attention and build relationships with key influencers who can help promote the product.
Or maybe your organization needs to hire new employees. Marketing can help to create job postings and reach out to potential candidates. But if your company’s brand isn’t widely recognizable or doesn’t have a good reputation in the area you are recruiting, then potential candidates may move on to other more attractive job opportunities. In this instance, PR can help improve the company’s image, making it more attractive to top talent.
When PR and marketing work together, they can create a synergistic effect that helps build your brand, drive sales, and enhance your company’s reputation. We would be happy to chat with you about how we can help your business do this.
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