Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Should PR serve the purpose of boosting sales along with other strategies? This question has long been a subject of discussion among business experts. While PR professionals traditionally focus on brand awareness, reputation and media exposure, business owners want to see these factors reflected in increased revenue.
PR is an invaluable tool that becomes an integral part of many business processes, from shaping consumer perceptions to influencing people’s purchasing decisions. Although PR emphasizes brand image and visibility first and foremost, its ripple effect extends to consumer behavior, which ultimately translates into increased sales figures for businesses.
In this article, you’ll learn how PR can positively influence sales when implemented as a long-term strategy and get tips on maximizing this effect.
Related: 4 Reasons Your PR Campaign Isn’t Driving Sales — and How to Fix Them
Perceive PR as part of the business ecosystem
PR is part of a larger chain reaction in your company. Product quality, marketing strategies and customer service all shape the image and value of a business, and PR can amplify their impact through media storytelling. In other words, don’t expect PR to create a strong brand narrative out of nothing. Build it into the fabric of your company’s culture, values, and actions. PR is most effective when it aligns with the authentic identity of your brand, highlighting and amplifying the inherent strengths that already exist within your business.
To leverage this ecosystem, you need to encourage your sales, marketing, and other specialists to use PR as an extra asset in their work.
Make sales reps and PR professionals work together
Incorporating PR into sales will boost the effect of the former by highlighting brand credibility. It leads to enhanced customer confidence and increased conversion rates.
Here’s what sales managers can do in conjunction with PR:
- Provide potential customers with a media list that reflects the company’s recognition and reputation as an industry leader;
- Use media publications to create branded presentations that align with the overarching brand narrative;
- Browse publications for comments and identify potential leads among commenters, etc.
This collaboration works wonders. PR itself doesn’t have immediate ROI because it takes time to build a solid brand reputation and boost the SERP ratings of your web pages. However, sales managers can leverage PR’s groundwork right away in their strategies.
Related: Crafting The Best Public Relations Strategy For Your Business
Marry PR to marketing
PR and marketing have essentially the same goal – to attract and retain customers and drive business growth. That’s why it’s only natural that the two should work in tandem.
While marketing can quickly and powerfully impact sales, PR is a long-term game. Luckily, marketing managers can tap into PR to make it instantly valuable and important for sales growth. For instance, marketers can:
- Use PR insights for targeted ad and marketing campaigns. PR-generated data, such as media coverage analytics or customer feedback obtained through PR efforts, helps marketers refine and adjust their strategies. This information can help tailor marketing campaigns to cater to the audience’s preferences and trends observed in PR engagements.
- Enhance influencer collaborations. PR experts know how to find celebrities and influencers to endorse your brand and expose it to their followers and fans. Marketers can work with PR to identify the best potential collaborators, initiate contact, and score a great deal to boost your product promotion, leading to more sales.
Choose the right media outlets to generate quality leads
Don’t go random when you want to secure publications about your business in media. Selecting the appropriate outlets is crucial for generating high-quality leads through PR strategies. Choose the media that resonates with your niche and target audience — this way, your message will reach the right demographics.
For instance, if your product caters to tech-savvy consumers, collaborations with tech review websites or guest features in relevant industry online magazines can yield valuable leads. These leads can then be further nurtured through engaging content tailored to the specific audience’s interests and pain points. Tech-savvy consumers often seek in-depth information and insights, so providing them with detailed guides or informative articles that bring real value. The leads will associate this value with your brand and be more likely to turn into paying customers.
Related: How to Get Media Coverage For Your Business
Engage in industry events to communicate with your target audience directly
PR is not just about media engagement. Active participation in industry events provides a direct line of communication between a business and the target audience. This creates fruitful opportunities for lead generation and reputation building.
Have a PR specialist you work with track relevant industry events and pick those that will best align with your brand’s goals and target audience. It may be trade shows, conferences, or exhibitions that allow brands to engage with potential customers face-to-face, showcasing products or services in a personalized manner.
For instance, hosting a booth at a beauty expo enables cosmetic companies to offer live demonstrations and active engagement with attendees. This exposure translates into potential leads and increased sales prospects.
Last but not least: Don’t chase (just) numbers
Remember: PR is not directly responsible for sales. It deals with building relationships, enhancing brand perception, and shaping public opinion. While sales metrics are important, PR primarily focuses on fostering trust, credibility, and goodwill among stakeholders.
The value of PR extends beyond immediate numbers, emphasizing long-term brand reputation and loyalty, which ultimately contribute to sustained business success. Prioritizing meaningful connections and a positive brand image over solely chasing numerical metrics allows PR efforts to lay a solid foundation for future growth.
If you want to track the specific metrics pertinent to PR campaigns and their impact, pay attention to:
- Media impressions. Measure audience reach through media coverage
- Sentiment analysis. Assess public perception (positive, negative, neutral)
- Website traffic. Monitor increased visits due to PR efforts
- Lead generation. Measure leads attributed to the campaign
If all these metrics demonstrate positive trends, you can be sure that PR is working in your favor and contributing to sales growth, even if this correlation is not immediately obvious.
