When businesses decide to engage in a public relations program, they often bring expectations of what PR will deliver for them. These expectations could be increased sales leads, rave reviews about their products and services or a multitude of other increased business metrics.

While PR produces measurable results, it is important to remember that PR is storytelling and thus is about shaping the audiences’ perception of an organization and its value proposition through credible sources and verifiable data.

Through PR, organizations can expect increased credibility, brand awareness and customer visibility. Below, we break down some logistics for each aspect.

Credibility

Credibility is a key differentiator between advertising and PR. The voice of a trusted journalist telling your story within the context of a larger issue covered in their beat will position your services or products as a solution to the problem.  Vendor neutrality is a key editorial principle and the expectation for coverage solely about products or services is not what journalists in top tier business outlets are looking for. Rather, reporters are looking to inform their unique readers/viewers about the key players within an industry and new solutions for pressing issues. An effective public relations program will assist organizations in developing this narrative and determine the most efficient strategies for engaging with the most relevant media.

Brand Awareness

Through earned media placements, which are the results of a successful PR initiative, organizations can increase their brand equity, name recognition and overall exposure.

When a backlink to your website is included on a website with a higher domain authority than yours, it represents a digital “vote of confidence” and can have a positive impact on your website’s domain authority.  Additionally, news outlets are more widely recognized as credible sources in organic searches, and rankings will view your mention and backlink as a vote of confidence.

Customer Visibility

PR campaigns can help organizations develop their customer relations, since customer stories (case studies) are an important aspect for journalists and analysts in validating your services or products.  However, securing buy-in from key customers may not be easily accomplished.  A PR partner can help you to illustrate the potential value add and manage logistics involved with a joint PR campaign. This includes identifying appropriate spokespeople, developing terms for media interactions, and developing the messaging and narrative around the use case to build its appeal for media.

In today’s competitive business environment, differentiating your business from competitors can be difficult without PR due to the sheer volume of “noise” that is being generated these days. By considering your PR team a strategic partner, your organization can accomplish business results.