Be it industry professionals or marketing experts, all of them find it a little confusing to differentiate between marketing and public relations. On the surface, all marketing avenues and public relations seem like the same thing. However, the differences exist, and business owners need to understand them. To get the service you are looking for, you must clearly understand and then decide what your brand needs.
Let’s discuss the differences here:
The most evident difference is the fact that marketing is more centered on the idea of promoting a product or a service. Marketing intends to increase sales and bring in more customers. In most cases, marketing avenues revolve around the same thing: how to grow business.
Even though Public relations have the same or for lack of a better word, similar intent, it does not take a direct approach. Public relations focuses primarily on building a positive image of the brand and ensuring that the image is maintained for as long as possible.
Motive
The first thing to discuss is the motive of both the marketing avenues and public relations. This is the most critical aspect, as it lays the foundation for the strategies devised.
The motive of marketing avenues is directed towards generating more and more revenue. Marketers try to understand marketing trends and come with different strategies they know will appeal to the audiences. If the marketer successfully promotes a product or service, more and more people will want to get their hands on it, which will increase sales.
The motive of public relations agencies is to gain the trust and favor the general public by establishing a good reputation and maintaining it. This motive has long-lasting results, as once you develop a good relationship with your audience, they will always view you in high regard. This is great for your brand identity as it will protect you against unforeseeable circumstances.
Difference of Strategy
Since both the streams have different motives, they also have different strategies.
Marketing Strategies
Advertising Campaigns – Marketing teams come up with different advertising campaigns depending on the product and the service. These advertising campaigns can be limited to one media outlet or they can cater to more. The purpose of these advertising campaigns can be the introduction of a new product, or they might also reinforce a pre-existing product.
Client Research- Marketers need to conduct a lot of research on clients to devise a plan that fits their needs in the best way possible. Marketing strategies are based on client research, which is not very common for public relations.
Email Marketing-Email marketing is a common strategy for marketing streams. Marketers target their audiences, existing clients, and even vendors using email marketing. They come up with personalized signatures and make sure to maintain visibility in their customer circles.
Screen Time / Advertising Slots- To advertise products or services, advertising agencies, and other marketers have to invest in looking for advertising slots they can use to display their adverts. These slots can either be on the television, the radio, or perhaps even the billboards. There has to be a medium where marketers can advertise their products and services to potential customers.
Public Relations Strategies
Press Releases-To introduce new products, public relations officers come up with press releases that are official announcements for the audiences. Press releases are not promotional and are based on facts about the products or the services. Press releases are distributed along the press wire and are a more formal way to approach the audience.
Speech Preparations- Since public relations make most of the media attention, the public relations officers write up speeches for the authorities to deliver. Since they control the brand’s image, they write and review the speech to promote the brand’s image they want to portray.
Media Training- Brand owners might not know how to face the media on their own, which can be damaging for their brand. This is why public relations experts train company personnel so that they are trained to respond to any media questions and convey their message in the best way possible.
Media Outreach- Public relations officers reach out to media outlets to come up with opportunities where their brand gets featured. They might write letters to editors with the hope that they might write an article on the brand. This helps them target the audience through an unbiased and formal channel.
Difference Of Target Audience
The target audience for both streams can be very different. For instance, advertising or marketing is focused on a more targeted audience. For example, if your product is a kitchen knife, you will not advertise it on the sports channel. Instead, it would be best if you did it on a food channel or a lifestyle channel. This explains how marketing has a more targeted audience.
On the other hand, press releases focus on the general public. They aim to establish a general good image in front of the general public. For example, if they come up with a press release, it will be a public announcement not limited to a particular demographic.
Outcomes
The outcomes of both concepts are different. If you go for marketing, you might be able to see immediate yet short-lived results. You might increase your sales significantly, but they might not remain the same a few months down the road.
However, if you hire a public relations agency in New York, you will be able to establish an undeterred image of your brand in the eyes of your audience. When the customers or the general public start seeing your services or products in a better light, you will be able to reap long-term and sustainable outcomes.
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