pr vs. marketing: why your company needs both
Marketing can almost always be considered PR, but PR cannot always be considered marketing.
Many confuse Public Relations, or PR, as marketing because they are often grouped together due to both being essential to an organization’s communication and customer engagement strategies. However, they are completely separate fields with different objectives, each bringing their own unique benefits to an organization.
main fields
• Reputation Management
• Media Relations
• Event Planning
• Brand Journalism
main fields
• Content Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Influencer Marketing
so what’s the difference between pr & marketing?
what they do
Although they operate in parallel sectors, PR and marketing professionals spend their days doing almost entirely different things.
PR professionals spend their day writing press releases, pitching stories about their clients, and strengthening their relationships – to name a few things.
Marketing professionals on the other hand, plan and strategize for product launches, create marketing campaigns and do research on their clients.
who they connect with
One major difference between these two positions is who they connect with. A PR team speaks to many different audiences depending on their client. Their goal is to paint their client in a positive light to the customers, employees, investors, etc. They are essentially containing the reputation of an organization through verbal or written comms.
A marketing team prioritizes connecting with the consumer to increase sales and they tell a story about the brand or product they are looking to market.
how they measure success
A PR team bases their success off how much positive feedback they achieve for the client alongside how much press they earn surrounding a desired topic.
A marketing team measures their success off of their sales and other key performance indicators like followers, engagement, and brand awareness.
why you need to have both
PR is why a consumer comes, but marketing is why a consumer stays.
The two cannot be successful without the other. A PR team can enlist the help of the marketing team to relay certain messages via social media, email marketing, or through a well-thought out campaign. By working together, the PR team can assist the marketing team to create content that’s more aligned with the client’s values and messaging to ensure that the client maintains a consistent voice and image across all mediums.
The best solution for your company is to take advantage of both PR and marketing. Luckily, the Tric Agency does both. We have extensive connections in our market’s print and digital landscapes, on top of being well versed in marketing strategies.