Blueprint Public Relations
Benefits

We reveal the blueprint public relations. Discover the 8 benefits to PR.

Bill Gates, the world-renowned  Microsoft billionaire once said that if he only had one dollar to spend on promoting his business, he’d “spend it on PR”. I’m not too sure what sort of PR he was planning to buy with one dollar, but we do know he was right.

Good PR can achieve increased sales, greater brand awareness, potential client awareness, deeper understanding of your product or service and many other ongoing benefits.

Your blueprint public relations are about the masses gaining awareness of your product or service, and it’s ultimately about getting people to talk about your company.

Consider this, if the owner of a restaurant sings the praises of his cuisine, you may listen, but you’d be at least somewhat cynical. If, on the other hand, you come across a media article of review of that restaurant who have no vested interest in its success, and that person raves about the experience, chances are you will not only believe that person, you will probably be eating there within the month. Business growth basically comes down to that very low-tech, old-as-the hills' strategy known as “word of mouth.”

Blueprint Public Relations - The Facts

• 34% of businesses list PR as being in their top five essentials for successful business development

• Unpaid for editorial has enhanced value as the reader / viewer sees it as being endorsed by the media in which it appears

• Industry leaders state that editorial (PR) is three times more influential than advertising and suggests the real figure is in fact eight times

• “For business, blueprint public relations is an increasingly vital marketing tool – especially as traditional forms of advertising struggle to catch consumers’ attention.” – The Economist

So let’s talk about some other specific benefits of PR.

1. The media is the most powerful developer of reputations

Coverage in the media shapes the way your customers perceive you. Whether you’re a brand-new  company, or launching a new product, or you’re an established company trying to communicate alongside the market leaders, media endorsement can make or break your business.

If you want people to believe in you, make sure the press believes in you first.

2. An editorial is the ultimate advert.

It’s true that advertising allows you to communication your own message and gives you complete control over the way your brand is promoted. It’s also true that when it comes down to editorial it’s down to the media to write whatever they like.

But that’s why PR companies exist. A blueprint public relations professional makes certain your company and its messages are communicated to the media in the most effective way, ensuring not only that the journalist covers the story, but also the coverage reflects you in the best possible light.

When it comes to comparing powerful advertising and a successful PR campaign, there’s only one winner. Top-quality editorial endorsement is the greatest PR exposure a business can ever experience.

3. PR is the most cost-effective marketing vehicle.

PR is a far more cost-effective tool than advertising, database development and e-marketing through brokered lists. Yet PR support is available at a fraction of the cost of traditional above-the-line communications.

One positive endorsement in a high circulation – or highly targeted – media title often produces a sharp rise in traffic to your website or call center. If you’re a trade operation, positive coverage can stimulate direct enquiries, and make your business targets more responsive to your sales and marketing campaigns.

4. PR doesn’t just get customers interested in you!

Press coverage doesn’t just develop sales, it also activates market-wide interest in your brand.

Typically, coverage can lead to requests for strategic partnerships, such as affiliate relationships, endorsements and sponsorships.

5. PR is vital to online searches (SEO)

Blueprint public relations are now one of the most effective weapons in SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and prove to be one of the most powerful weapons in helping companies achieve the highest possible rankings.

Take up of your press announcements by wires and websites creates online coverage which in turn quickly gets picked up by the search engines.

The outcome?

Your business is ‘discovered’ by people using search engines in ways you’d never previously imagined, because of the sheer weight of search terms that produce a result with links to your website.

For this reason, online PR is now becoming a key element within a switched-on company’s PR strategy.

6. PR can improve your presence online.

Managing a company’s blueprint public relations is no longer just a focus on the national or trade press, it can also involve infiltrating forums, pod casts, social networking sites and blogs to ensure that accurate and relevant information reaches the readers.

Often online journalists receive details from a third party or use the web to do research. By reaching out to these networks PR can make certain that a business is represented in the best possible light.

7. PR develops speaker and expert opportunities.

Newspapers, conference organisers and other media and marketing channels are constantly on the lookout for experts, either for speaker platforms or to join panels, work groups or other types of events.

Press coverage helps position your experts as industry gurus, and press coverage is much more likely to lead to them (you?) being invited to participate in events.

8. PR is essential to recruitment and to staff motivation.

Press coverage communicates to your staff that your company is going places. Keeping staff informed about your latest media stories is vital both to motivation, and ensures that staff act as ambassadors for your company.

Just as importantly, press coverage often stimulates interest from prospective employees. Companies often witness an increase in hits on the recruitment section of their website – and the arrival of new CVs – immediately after coverage appears.