Menu
My experience at Bechtle also included me to learn about public relations.
I was part of the Corporate Communications for a year, and in that year I also learned from top experts in the theme.
Certainly, my time there was an attempt of the mix between corporate communications and marketing.
We aimed to merge to areas that might seem similar, but do have different objectives.
From one side, Corporate Communications aimed for brand positioning, as in the case of Digital Marketing, the aim was lead generation.
So certainly, the adaption was complicated to structure the new team.
But that is what Digital Marketing is bringing on.
Corporate Communications, Marketing and even Sales, should work together to work on their overall communication strategy.
When one goes to any business social media platform, they will barely distinguish if the content was created by Corporate Communications, Marketing or Sales.
Probably, by the sort of message, the difference can be noticed, but it is hard to know from a consumer perspective to know which department is working on a certain area.
Public Relations in Marketing is bringing that human interaction between the parts.
Marketing is not anymore a fancy ad, it is going further deep on the understanding of the audience.
And how to really understand the audience?
In my opinion, the work done to build relations is also a work done by a team, independently of the area where they are.
Today, entrepreneurship has taken off thanks to the opportunities that these small and medium entrepreneurs have obtained from different entities.
However, in this technological era, it is impossible to ignore that the effect of Public Relations in Marketing has made the emergence of new practicing brands much faster.}
This is due to the fact that specialists in this field have found a way to replicate the benefits and principles of Public Relations in order to keep the business sector at the helm.
Now, let’s learn a little more about the changes and benefits that Public Relations in Marketing can bring to your business.
Public Relations is understood as the set of communication processes that are aligned with a strategic plan that aims to build relationships that benefit audiences and organizations in a reciprocal way.
Since past times, businesses have always relied on the reputation they gain from their customers to become more successful and prosperous.
However, when a business begins to expand, it takes more than reputation.
Thanks to Public Relations they can count on options such as:
Define the values that define both the company and the product or services.
Set the voice tone of their communication.
Grow the brand.
All this is achieved thanks to the excellent work of the Public Relations department, which is in charge of making the client understand everything your business has to offer.
However, as incredible as it may seem, Public Relations is made up of the integration of three main branches:
Public Relations.
Advertising.
Journalism.
Those areas set the work of product promotion and customer loyalty through the brand is carried out.
However, one of the clearest ways to understand the work of this branch is to align Public Relations in Marketing, but first, let’s develop a little of its content.
Formed by a group of people who have a common goal.
Organizations can be represented by: an NGO, a Government, a Company, among others.
They are similar to organizations in that they can also be made up of diverse social origins that can cover a large territory.
However, in general, the definition of public in PR refers to the interaction that one or more people have with a particular organization.
If the organization and the public require a means for the relationship to be established, communication processes are the link that allows this to occur.
It is from the exchange of needs and transactions that the resource for designing an effective Public Relations plan is extracted.
They are all those that arise in a multilateral and spontaneous way that allow the different publics involved to understand each other and strengthen bonds.
The public and the organizations always relate to each other, which leads to the formation of dynamics that add value to the interaction of both parties.
The role of Public Relations is to intervene in order to give order to the processes of exchanges and links that occur between organizations and the public.
The greatest benefit that organizations obtain from PR is that it allows them to create a positive appreciation of the brand and the services it offers, on the part of the client.
In turn, thanks to PR, the public can obtain a clearer image of the organizations, which gives them enough confidence to express their disagreements when the product or services purchased have not met their expectations.
To be honest, if we want to compare the benefits that the duo of Public Relations and Marketing has brought to organizations, we must first mark the differences, since this will be what will clarify our vision on how to align both branches in favor of our brand.
Marketing focuses on covering advertising campaigns and promotions that will attract the public and increase sales.
Public Relations focuses on positioning the image and reputation of the organization through links with media coverage.
Marketing is in charge of reaching potential and current customers.
Public Relations ensures that the relationship generated by the exchange of transactions is kept in a positive focus.
It should be noted that this role applies equally to external customers as it does to internal customers and company collaborators.
The main objective of marketing is to reach the largest number of consumers through strategies that lead them to think that the brand of a specific organization is the one they need.
Public Relations, on the other hand, optimizes the communication channels so that customers can contact the organization and through which it can respond to them.
In short, it ensures positive contact between the public and the organization.
On this premise, both PR and Marketing align their efforts, since they know that only through transparent communication channels can they achieve the company’s main objective, which is to increase sales and maintain customer loyalty.
Marketing manage budget in order to position the brand through promotion.
Public Relations bases ROI results on perception statistics and old and current beliefs in order to shape the brand to meet the public’s expectations at all times.
Marketing sets brand momentum goals with measurable short-term objectives.
PR is viewed as a long-term investment, as the benefits of brand growth can only be measured in that chronological order.
When it comes to defining the functions of a Public Relations Officer, it is necessary to measure the dimensions and scope of its management through strategic plans that involve both the results of the company’s image and the actions of change to be taken.
For an organization, Public Relations is the key to centralize the demands of customers who try to contact them, after which the business environment is not affected beyond what is estimated.
That is why we have brought the main functions of Public Relations:
This work is not easy, but it is the most feasible way to obtain truthful results. For the public relations professional, the company must be represented with a holistic vision focused on service, values and fulfillment of objectives.
For this job, the public relations person must make sure he/she has the tools to use words, gestures and tone of voice correctly, in order to avoid misunderstandings that may affect the brand.
This will allow to cover customer loyalty, while measuring the collective reaction of customers to the brand.
This to stay ahead of potential customers and current consumer behavior. For this work, Public Relations is usually aligned with other departments in the organization, such as Marketing.
This will make the public feel that the company listens to them and takes their opinion into account.
In addition to boosting the work of the PR department, allows the brand to be known through media that are currently the most used by customers.
Control and reduce the margin of damage that the organization may suffer in case of eventualities.
Public Relations in Marketing know that pleasing 100% of consumers is a titanic job, that is why they are prepared to face the contenders with negotiation weapons.
It. allows you to learn about the models and means to establish an effective contact with consumers. This tool must be worked on constantly, due to the changes brought about by the technological era.
Nowadays, Public Relations and Marketing are branches that must coexist in order to boost brands.
Both must focus on communicating the organization’s objective.
Public Relations and Marketing are concerned with generating and maintaining customer loyalty.
They base their results on projections and market studies that allow them to expand and redesign the company’s image of customers.
As well, both rely on the media to make the brand reach all consumers.
Plus, they promote intelligent contact with the customer.
It is only a thin line that separates the tasks and objectives between Public Relations and Marketing.
Certainly, the new Social Selling trend, could be also a disguised Public Relations in Marketing.
Whereas, platforms such as Linkedin has become a tool to bring up Public Relations.
