Public Relations can be daunting for non-specialists causing lots of businesses to miss out on the benefits an effective PR strategy can have on their success.
That is why DowSocial invited Sabine Raabe from Biscuit PR to talk about 5 PR Myths that are holding back small businesses at our marketing strategy event in December
https://youtu.be/gY2n4U-LK5s
PR Myth 1 – PR Is Expensive
Sabine spoke how PR can be less expensive than advertising with more substantial benefits.
“One good media placement can lead to a substantial increase in sales and company growth. Any amount spent on marketing is too much if it doesn’t work, but effective public relations is priceless”
PR Myth 2 – PR stands for Press Release
Sabine then dispelled the next of our 5 PR myths that the discipline is solely about the press release.
A press release, although a good start, will not do all the work that a well-planned public relations strategy will do. There is much more to public relations than just a news release. It gives the media information to write a story. But it doesn’t convince them to write one. That’s where a strategic PR plan and proactive media relations are necessary to get reporters to cover you.
PR Myth 3 – There Is No Business For Our Company To Tell
Sabine explained that a good PR professional will work with a business to understand how to create stories and use the trend of thought leadership to provide industry commentary.
For breaking news, journalists often need an expert to comment in real time via a phone interview, video-conference, live video interview, Tweet, email or IM. With some quick thinking, reaching out can lead to great new connections and media attention.
If you’re anticipating success before PR, you have it back to front. Achieving significant and wide-ranging editorial exposure can be the key to helping your business get off the ground in the first place.
PR Myth 4 – PR Is About Who You Know
Sabine argued that Public Relations is about building relationships with the right people and that these can be easily identified within your industry or niche.
There’s a misconception among many that success on the media front comes from who you know. The truth is, good contacts are only a small piece of the puzzle. The more critical aspect to successful public relations is a good pitch – a story angle about you or your business that holds media appeal.
PR Myth 5 – PR is not for my business
The last of our PR myths was highlighted by looking at the benefits of PR that any business can benefit from. Such as, increased consumer awareness, sales, brand credibility, investor interest, partnerships, stockists and public speak opportunities.
PR works best when you’re open to all possibilities. There is a bit of experimentation to see what works best from different mediums (print, broadcast or online) to various story angles and target markets. It’s important to align your communications objectives with your overall business goals, and it’s crucial to ensure they are realistic.
As Bill Gates said, “If I was down to the last dollar of my marketing budget I’d spend it on PR.”