You may think that PR and advertising are pretty much the same thing.

Yes, they look the same in many ways and cater within the same industry, however, they couldn’t be more different from one another.

If you think of advertising as a means to further get-the-word-out about your business, consider PR as what strengthens the bond between your business and its consumers.

Consider how advertising is more of a one-way stream of communication from business to consumer, whilst PR opens the door to a free-flow of a brand listening and responding to the public.

But why do I need to build a rapport with consumers I might not ever personally meet?

Well, it’s all about what was mentioned in our last BPR blog; building Trust and Credibility. Without this, it is likely that the public won’t want to engage with your business!

Advertising is something you can buy, whilst PR is something that has to be earned. Sure, you are guaranteed that when you pay some big bucks for a flashy advert to be aired on a primetime television timeslot, it will be placed and is likely to draw the viewers’ attention to your brand’s products/services. That said, you can’t guarantee that the audience is going to believe the claims made. This is where PR comes in.

Having the media give third-party validation, for example, a magazine writing a glowing review on your amazing product, or a radio show endorsing your service, runs miles for reaching consumers’ interest.

That said, there is no guarantee that media is going to pick up your story. That is why PR agencies can assist in ensuring the story is engagingly pitched to the most suitable outlets, for the highest chance of getting published.

At the end of the day, it depends what service you’re looking for. This means you might have to ask yourself some question like… do I want more exposure? Do I need to build more trust with my consumers? Or the classic I don’t know what I want!

Feel free to give us a call, we are more than happy to have chat (preferably over coffee) and discuss if PR is what your business needs!