Public relations (PR) has many benefits, including helping brands improve credibility, awareness, reputation building, crisis management, and so on. But the world is ever-evolving. Constant inventions, tools, and techniques are created to increase business profitability. To play smartly, you must incorporate new trends in your strategies. Content marketing, not to be confused with traditional marketing, is new and also has many benefits. Which can do more to help your business; PR or content marketing? Let’s find out.
What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketers can attract, retain the attention of, and grow their audience by producing and disseminating relevant articles, films, podcasts, and other material. This content keeps your company in customers’ minds, builds expertise, and increases brand awareness. It is a type of marketing that focuses on producing and distributing online content for a specific audience.
How Content Marketing Benefits Brands
As already mentioned, content marketing is all about providing relevant content to draw consumers’ attention. Some of the specific mediums which are a part of content marketing are mentioned below:
1. Podcasts
Podcasts are an excellent method to gain the trust of your audience because they let you share your knowledge and skills. With each released episode, your audience becomes more connected with your brand. You can have deep discussions and in the end, share a more personal side of your brand as well.
2. Social Media Posts
They are the most interactive way to connect with consumers because it is a two-way interaction with your brand. It will enable you to post engaging content that draws the public’s attention. Your response to the public’s comments and queries helps build your image.
3. Videos
Videos also allow you to provide information about the company. You may showcase your products and depict how they can satisfy your target audience’s needs. Due to the visual representation, the videos have a better and more significant impact than printed content. You can add catchy music to your videos, depending on what you cover in the video, to enhance the retention rate.
4. Blogs
Blogs are an incredibly popular medium in which to create content. You must ensure that the blogs are natural, informational, and conversationlall because your purpose is to communicate and educate, not overtly promote your business.
What Is Public Relations?
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) defines PR as, “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” The goal of PR is to influence, engage and build a positive relationship and/or image with your audience and the public.
How PR Benefits Brands
Several factors influence consumer choice. The bond people believe they have with a company, such as their connection to a brand, image, or product can all be affected by negative press. Public relations frequently oversees this brand’s management and ensures that consumers, employees, investors, and other third parties have a favorable attitude about continuing their connection with the business.
1. Corporate Image
This is how people perceive your brand. Good public relations improves the company’s reputation with your target audience. This helps you build relationships with multiple stakeholders and increases public trust. It informs the target market about the goods and services you offer and subtly convinces them to buy. When you have a stronger brand image, they see you as more reliable and trustworthy. PR informs your target audience, thereby increasing your brand awareness in their eyes.
2. Media Relations
Public relations can benefit your brand through effective media relations which can include building and maintaining relationships with journalists and print, digital, and broadcast publications. It also includes research, media list development, pitch ideation, pitch drafting, pitch distribution, working with publications to finalize stories, and setting up and managing interviews.
3. Crisis Management
Ups and downs are part of life and business. Product recalls, customer injuries, and employee misconduct, are some of the types of crises that may affect a business. Public relations professionals are specially trained in the communication tools and techniques necessary to react promptly and strategically with the media and the public in a crisis as well as to identify any potential vulnerabilities proactively for your brand.
4. Lead Generation
Each media hit, influencer post, viral social media post, and partnership you secure through public relations will help drive traffic to your brand’s website. Not to mention, when your brand is featured in an article or you’re selected for an interview, you’ll start to be associated with specific keywords online. When searchers type in these keywords, your website will be more likely to show, again securing more eyes on your site (and garnering more leads in the process).
Public Relations or Content Marketing?
We recommend you do both because the perks of PR, publicist and content marketing are tremendous. Where PR builds awareness, credibility, and connection with the target market, content marketers, through their interactive content, attract the target audience towards the brand. So, PR and content marketing go hand in hand. Undoubtedly content marketing is newer, but you cannot replace PR.