Why you need to include PR in your 2023 marketing strategy

We know, we know, it’s not 2023 just yet, but if there’s something we swear to in marketing, it’s that planning is key. Getting ahead of the game and setting out your brand’s aims and intentions for the upcoming year is fundamental to growing your business and PR could be one of the most beneficial strategies to reach your goals.

But, we imagine there’s a lot of you business owners right now questioning what PR is and how it can help your brand? We’ve explained it for you below.

What is PR?

Simply put, PR marketing effectively manages the flow of information between a brand and the general public. PR is used in marketing to maintain good media relations and public image, build brand awareness, and engage with potential brand promoters.

PR aims to tell a story that resonates with a brand’s target demographic and to engage them in a professional dialogue that is consistent with the businesses’ culture and values. Most importantly, public relations is a powerful tool to accelerate growth.

Five reasons why PR can
benefit your business in 2023

1. The rise of WOM marketing

Gone are the days of stylised adverts and the simple message of ‘Buy now!’ Marketing used to rely solely on direct to consumer marketing, where brands assumed that the public would believe their claims and buy wilfully. With so many advertising avenues, like social media, dominating public perception, consumers have had to become more savvy. This means that buyers will look to trusted third party sources for product recommendations and testimonials, whether that’s friends, influencers or online news sites.

2. Elevate your brand’s authority

The digital landscape is becoming more saturated with brands and competitors day by day, and with organic reach declining on social media, it might be time to consider alternative marketing mediums. Getting your brand featured in online national news sites will dramatically raise your brand’s authority, from a B2B and B2C perspective, and will help to increase your brand’s share of voice in the market.

Another bonus of securing coverage in renowned magazines and news outlets is that you can share your coverage on your brand’s social media, increasing credibility with your followers.

3. PR is paramount to your SEO strategy

To gain first-rate exposure, you want to make sure your brand is visible online. One of the biggest benefits of PR for brands is that it can support your SEO strategy which will help your page rank higher on Google’s search results.

This can be achieved by journalists including a link to your brand’s website in their online article - commonly known as a ‘backlink’ in the SEO world. Securing backlinks from websites which have a high domain authority and are recognised as such by Google, will help to increase the credibility and authority of your brand and enhance its online exposure.

As your PR strategy kicks in you will be able to build a repertoire of articles with backlinks which will, in turn, see a significant rise in your SEO results.

4. Exposure to new audiences you might not be reaching

With constant algorithm changes and ever-changing features, it’s no surprise that most brands have seen a sharp decline in social media engagement and subsequent success. More than ever, reaching new audiences online can seem both challenging and time-consuming.

Implementing a PR strategy, however, will introduce your brand to potentially thousands of new consumers who may have never come across your business through other means.

5. It’s relatively low-cost compared to other marketing mediums

Through tactical and carefully thought-out press releases, you can develop a PR strategy with the sole purpose of securing beneficial editorial coverage. Editorial coverage is free coverage from news sites who want to publish your content to entertain their readers, meaning you don’t have to fork out for advertisements or advertorials.

Your only out-going fund is paying for a PR agency’s time. This makes PR one of the most cost-effective marketing techniques, which is imperative in the current climate.

Looking to kickstart your brand’s PR strategy but unsure where to start? Drop us an enquiry via our Contact Us page and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.