They say, “you pay for marketing; you pray for PR,” but the real art is in the relationship between the two. Although arguably different to the trained communications professional, there’s a reason why public relations and marketing often find themselves rendezvousing with each other – both sides are working to amplify brand awareness, reach target audiences and accomplish a specific goal, helping to form a powerhouse of integrated communications.
There are four areas in every PR and marketing strategy where both facets thrive by working together. Let’s break them down.
Public relations and marketing services begin to correlate when developing a brand and its public messaging. On average, it takes five to seven impressions for people to remember a brand – if presented consistently. Creating an image or perception of a brand for the public eye is often the first challenge for any PR or marketing team. Yes, this can be done separately, but a lack of collaboration leads to contradicting narratives, convoluted messaging and added hurdles that get in the way of establishing a reputable and credible brand.
Marketing and PR pros achieve their goals through fostering connections between a client and its consumers, stakeholders, industry experts, media and/or the public. Both set out to amplify brand awareness and establish connections.
This is the give-and-take aspect of a relationship. PR reaches new audiences and builds credibility through third-party validation in the form of earned media, which marketers can leverage to drive promotional interest, increase SEO, expand target audiences and strengthen established connections.
An effective public relations and marketing strategy will include objectives to drive demand and lead generation in support of a client’s bottom line. Demand generation focuses on brand awareness and product education. Lead generation is the marketing process of developing and nurturing interest in a product or service to funnel prospects into a sales pipeline. The two go hand-in-hand, as 90% of consumers haven’t made up their minds about a brand before doing their own research.
This relationship forms in the tactical day-to-day: Demand generation may look like press releases in PR and advertisements in marketing, while lead generation can come from a combination of the two strategies, such as whitepapers and email campaigns.
Whether through editorial copy or creative assets, both PR and marketing professionals aspire to tell their clients’ stories. This connection grows stronger when both teams work together to share consistent content across taglines, blogs, email campaigns, media placements, social copy, promoted posts and more.
Consistent branding and storytelling amplify a client’s brand visibility, increasing the likelihood of consumer purchase, a higher share of voice or added credibility by 3.5 times.
When it comes to relationships, one size does not fit all, but there is something special in the relationship between PR and marketing. At every point – perception, connection, generation and creation – one may give and the other may take, or the two may simply work better together. The relationship between PR and marketing is fluid, not formulaic, to deliver the best results for every client.