A lot of small businesses and start-ups make the mistake of jumping into aggressive advertising campaigns to break into the market, without doing prior research or public relations. This has caused many new products and services to fail because they weren’t properly introduced to their target market, and did not establish stable relationships with their public before being actively endorsed.
PR is often called the opposite of advertising, although in a typical campaign, the two methods should complement rather than compete. Much of the success of an advertising campaign relies on prior research and publicity, which is the responsibility of the PR practitioner. In fact, it is possible for a product or service to sell without being advertised, but all companies engage in PR at one point or another.
Long-term results
When properly executed, a PR plan can create a corporate identity and establish long-term relationships with the public. Over time, this can make advertising cheaper or at least more cost-efficient. This way, marketing and advertising serve only to boost an already stable client base. Also, for most companies, it is too expensive to maintain aggressive advertising for long periods. In periods of little or no advertising, PR can fill in the gap by keeping you visible in alternative mediums.
Lower costs
With advertising, you have to spend on production, creative work, talents, and airtime. In PR, your expenses involve mostly printing, mailing, and phone calls to your agents. Even if you choose to publish in mainstream newspapers or magazines, it’s still a lot cheaper than TV and radio advertising.
Better reach and longevity
Because PR favors print and web media, it lets you reach your target audience directly – a cosmetics firm can choose to appear only in women’s magazines or blogs, while a marketing ad is usually less targeted. Printed and web material is also more permanent than most media ads; while you can store promotional videos and clips, it’s unlikely that a potential client will dig through an archive to find your particular ad.
Credibility
Another advantage of print or internet publicity is credibility. People are more likely to think highly of a product, service, or organization if it is featured in a reputable publication. While it’s harder to get a full feature, companies can easily publish “advertorials,” or advertisements in the form of editorial content. It also lets you talk more about your product without worrying about airtime costs – your content stays on the page, which is available for reading at any time.
Flexibility
When you advertise, your message gets stamped into the public’s mind and it’s hard to change that image. This can make it difficult to reinvent, which is essential to the longevity of a product. PR is a dynamic and subtle process, which means you can change course at any point without affecting public perception.
Internal communication
The PR practitioner is also responsible for handling communication within the company, including in-house publications and correspondence between departments. In large companies, a popular form of internal communication is the company newsletter, although it is often designed to be distributed to clients as well.
Conclusion
Public relations can be your business’s ticket to success – provided you implement it properly. Aggressive advertising campaigns may work for a short time, but only PR can sustain interest in your product and make your company credible.