A well designed PR campaign can be a cost effective way to communicate your value to the marketplace and increase awareness of your brand. PR is also a great way to position yourself or your company as a leader in your particular industry or field.
We are big believers in the value of PR and marketing when it comes to helping support the various business goals of our partners. Whether it’s securing press coverage in a top-tier national business publication, helping to craft company messaging and value propositions, or delivering strategic crisis communications counsel, our role as PR practitioners can take a lot of different shapes and forms.
When done right, PR can also help increase leads and drive sales and that’s what’s really cool. A direct correlation between PR results and sales can be difficult to prove. We’ll be the first to admit that. But PR can help introduce your company to your target audiences, improve your brand’s credibility and positively impact your SEO. These things affect sales, right?
Here are five ways B2B PR can help you win more business:
PR can help introduce your brand to the public
The best way to get your story out there – especially when you are trying to get in front of other businesses – is to have someone else tell it. Press coverage is an excellent way to increase awareness of your company, while also communicating the value you provide. This is especially true for younger or start-up companies, who often need help getting the word out about their services until they have an established brand presence or customer base. Media coverage is a relatively inexpensive way to get in front of your target audiences and create a buzz about what you’re doing.
PR provides third-party validation
Public relations provides value because it adds instant credibility through third-party validation. New business prospects will generally respond to a profile story or broadcast segment presented by a trusted news source. Having a news outlet highlight the merits and current happenings of your business and/or quoting you on topics that matter to your field helps to solidify your position in the industry. You cannot put a dollar amount on the value of being featured in your local paper or quoted in The New York Times.
PR can help protect your brand’s reputation
The press can greatly influence what the public thinks of a brand or an individual, so controlling the message becomes an absolute must. Just ask Donald Trump, who continues to find new ways to rub people the wrong way, or Target, which recently came under fire for selling a controversial “Trophy” t-shirt. In each case, the brand has been damaged because of public comments that weren’t handled properly. Ultimately, people want to work with companies that they believe in and have a connection with, so it’s important that your reputation is managed effectively in the press.
PR can help separate you from your competitors
PR is also a great way to distinguish your company or brand from the competition. A profile story on the history of your firm, your goals and how you support the community can have a tremendous impact with potential customers. Again, we’re talking about credibility here and news outlets still remain among the most trusted sources. Think of it like this … if your direct competitor has been featured in the local paper and on television and you have not, chances are prospects will lean their way when making a buying decision. Your competitor is more familiar to them and that matters.
PR can help increase your digital footprint
The great thing about media coverage and PR is that it has a tremendous impact on your company’s search results and SEO. Key news sites, such as The Wall Street Journal, get hundreds of thousands of visitors every single day, which means a story featuring your brand on their site will appear extremely high when people Google your company. Media coverage also makes for a great share on your company website, social media profiles, in your newsletter, etc. By sharing positive coverage of your firm, you are driving additional traffic back to the story, which in turn increases its performance on the web and ultimately helps add to your credibility.
A gentleman by the name of Bill Gates once said “If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on PR.” He said this because he understands the role increased visibility can have on profits. He was a pretty smart guy. With the right team in place, public relations can be the perfect complement to your broader sales and marketing goals and even help increase leads for your business.
