Here at Hertfordshire based PR consultancy, Blackbird, we often come across business people who say that “PR and advertising is basically just the same isn’t it?”
Actually, no they’re not. Whilst both disciplines constitute marketing, there are fundamental differences.
In simple terms, advertising is how a business attracts its target audience towards a sale of a product or service, by saying how good that product or service is.
Public Relations or PR, on the other hand, is getting someone else to say how good your business is, thereby providing third party endorsement. Typically, this is in the form of a press article, blog post, speech, presentation, broadcast interview etc
PR is the process of managing opinion in order to create a positive reputation, whilst advertising is primarily a sales signpost.
PR creates engaged audiences and helps to influence behaviour, which can involve turning sceptics into fans, revitalising past loyalty and even creating brand champions.
That’s because people share their views about great products and service and PR activity is used to amplify this and get eyeballs on your business. In a world of social media, brands are built and can be destroyed (overnight) as a result of public opinion.
Sustained PR builds advocates and ultimately, sales, by acting as a bridge between your business and its target audiences and helping consumers to differentiate your brand from competitors.
But here’s the interesting thing we want you to take away from our video on this subject. It’s not about choosing between PR and advertising, in our experience, it’s important to make them both work.
Get in touch with St Albans PR specialists, Blackbird, for some free tips on making the most of PR for your business.
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