What exactly is PR, and why should you think about using it? If you’ve ever found yourself wondering this, you’re not alone.
In this blog, we’ll break it down a bit and explain what PR is and how it can benefit businesses – whatever the size or budget.
PR – Public Relations – is all about shaping how people see your company. It’s about building – and maintaining – a positive reputation, and getting you noticed by the people who matter to your business.
There are two main approaches to managing PR: hiring an agency or and for much larger organisations employing PR professionals inhouse. Some companies and organisations will work with both inhouse teams and with external agencies and PR consultants, depending on their priorities and strategic needs at any given time.
If you choose to hire an agency, you outsource your PR to experts who specialize in managing brand reputation with contacts in your markets. This can be on a regular and recurring basis – where you ensure your profile is consistently high – or it can be project-specific, depending on your business’ needs.
There are pros and cons to both approaches. Employing inhouse professionals can sometimes mean greater immediacy, with a team embedded in your company. But external agencies can bring a fresh perspective to your messaging and marketing, and hiring an agency can be more flexible and less of a risk than hiring employees – especially if you are new to PR.
So, what’s PR all about? PR communicates what your company does, your most important news and successes, to the audiences you want to target through the media channels that are most effective and relevant to your sector and to your own aims and objectives.
At Aro, we specialise in securing high-impact media coverage for SMEs in the advanced engineering and scientific sectors. For example, we “sell” stories to industry publications, and we gain high-profile, broad and niche, thought leadership and topical opinion features to enhance our clients’ reputations as industry leaders.
We craft tailored news stories that highlight our clients’ innovations and key milestones, ensuring the content resonates with their target audiences. We also develop longer, more in-depth feature articles, often from our clients’ customers, publicising technical capability.
By leveraging strong media relationships and understanding editors’ needs, we effectively pitch stories to journalists, increasing the chances of placement.
We integrate both print and digital channels to maximize reach for the content we develop, ensuring our clients gain the visibility they deserve in a competitive market.
So how is PR different from advertising? PR focuses on managing a brand’s reputation and fostering positive relationships with stakeholders, through good media relations and interesting, topical and relevant news and stories. It is all about building trust through earned media, such as press releases and editorial coverage.
Advertising, on the other hand, is a paid strategy aimed at promoting products, services, or ideas through controlled channels, such as TV or digital ads, to directly influence consumer behaviour.
At Aro we’ll often suggest a blended approach, where our services work in synergy to create the most effective campaign possible. Including PR, digital advertising, events and SEO in the mix, our team works to form an integrated sales and marketing strategy bespoke to each client’s individual needs.
Bruno, our Chief Barketing Officer, recommends a strategy tailored for advanced engineering companies:
“Start with the basics of PR – highlight your company’s innovative solutions and expertise and secure media coverage in media read by your existing and potential customers, staff, funders ….”
“At the same time, for marketing and longer-term PR – focus on creating technical and engaging content, such as case studies and thought leadership articles that resonate with engineers and decision-makers.”
Bruno’s confident that his tried-and-tested approach will position your company as a leader in your field.
‘Pictured- Bruno who has fallen asleep after a long day’s work’
If you’d like to explore this further or just have an informal chat around generating opportunities to grow your business, drop us an email info@aroprandmarketing.co.uk or phone 0117 379 0008.
