Marketing gets the lion’s share of the credit when it comes to increasing sales. It’s the go-to word when a business or nonprofit leader thinks about improving their revenue or impact. And they aren’t wrong. Marketing is the activity and process of engaging with people to make a sale. The goal is to make a transaction or create awareness in hopes of making a transaction in the future. Public Relations is often the misunderstood cousin of Marketing but packs some significant power when used appropriately.
I’m Jennifer Roberts, the owner of Back Porch Communications. And I help business and nonprofit leaders build marketing, public relations, and communications strategies to work with clients they love and make a bigger impact in the world. In my work, I use a toolkit of marketing, public relations, and communications strategies for my clients – all blended together. Let me explain why.
Marketing, public relations, and communications are close cousins. Where marketing is looking to make a transaction, public relations work is relationship building. Many times, relationships can lead to sales or lead to people who lead to sales. Communication needs to be clear and concise in all of these areas to ensure the correct messages are transmitted.
Some organizations split these functions into different teams. Some marketing or PR agencies only offer one side of these services. I’m not saying it’s incorrect to specialize, but if you are looking at an overall strategy to increase business, incorporating all three disciplines will get you further, faster.
The scope of public relations can include:
· Being a thought leader in your industry
· Building relationships in your community
· Telling your organization’s story
· Developing relationships with key stakeholders in your industry
· Working with the media and influencers
· Networking
When I see this list of things that can make such a difference in how your customers see your business or nonprofit, I can’t imagine excluding any of these approaches when the goal is to improve sales.
Applying communications tactics includes:
· Writing clear, concise copy for all communications – email, social media, websites, speeches, and more
· Ensuring your future customers understand what they should do next – there must be a clear call to action to learn more or buy now
· Structuring offers that make sense to your customer and showcase the value you provide
Taking a closer look at public relations and communications, I hope it’s clear that a new social media campaign or some upgrades to your website are important marketing tactics. But when combined with some public relations and communications efforts, you are pushing your marketing efforts farther and faster than if you just did the marketing work alone.
If you are interested in learning more about this triple-threat approach to marketing, public relations, and communications that I use with my clients, contact me via email at jen@backporchcom.com.