Despite the rise of social media, which maintains a key part of a brands marketing offer, public relations still plays a key role and is something all businesses should take into consideration. In some way or another, all organisations rely on reputation and awareness for success. From small start-ups to large international corporations, a robust public relations strategy remains a crucial tool for brands of all sizes to increase public perception, build positive brand sentiment and grow a strong industry presence.

If you need a little more convincing, here we’ve listed five key reasons why public relations is important for brands, and how a successful PR strategy can help elevate both your brand and return on investment.

1. Public Relations builds trust and credibility

A brands credibility has a direct influence on their target audiences perception of their product or service. Therefore, having your brands name and messaging communicated positively through earned media coverage in reputable online, print, or broadcast outlets can significantly boost credibility. This is because high quality coverage in legitimate news sources directly assists with developing trust and creating valuable consumer relationships. Whether it’s product placement or a case study, getting your brand in key media is a great way positively boost your credibility.

2. Positive PR generates consumer interest

PR helps to tell the story of your brand and communicate its key messaging to your target audience – which means it plays a key role in generating consumer interest. This is particularly true for new start-ups, as public relations can help execute your brands narrative, generate noise around your product or service, and create a loyal brand following – all are key to a successful business. Ultimately, PR is an essential component for brands to help generate the interest of both current and potential customers, and crucially, drive them towards a sale – PR holds the key to this!

3. Have a PR strategy can help with crisis Management

Sometimes a crisis simply can’t be avoided. However, having a strong PR strategy can help ensure this is managed effectively to prevent further reputation damage. Should your brand be subject to an occurrence that generates unwanted news or social media attention, a solid PR strategy can help minimise any potential damage. In the event of a crisis, timely and considered communication is critical to help switch around the narrative and protect your brands image. This is where working with a PR agency comes in – by collaborating with PR professionals to create a robust crisis plan, your company will be well equipped to respond quickly and effectively to any situation or event that may negatively impact your brands reputation.

4. SEO can be improved through PR

Public Relations can play a key part of any Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy. As your brand is mentioned online more frequently through earned media coverage, it becomes more visible, meaning potential customers become more likely to visit your website. Your SEO ranking will also improve when other high authority sites include links directly back to your brands website – such as a key national news outlet. This is because links to your brands site from other reputable, high authority websites act as recommendations that your page is trustworthy, therefore placing it higher in the search engine ranking and making it more discoverable to potential consumers.

5. PR can lead to lead generation

Although PR is primarily used to raise brand awareness and build positive sentiment towards your product or service, PR is also now considered a key lead-generation tool. The traditional medium of using PR for earned media coverage is still highly relevant, however as markets become more saturated, businesses are having to work harder to cut through the noise and differentiate themselves from their competition. Whether its earning links through coverage in target media titles or simply communicating your brands messaging, products or services to new potential customers, PR can directly assist with reaching existing and potential customers in impactful ways – often leading to lead generation and conversion.

At Prohibition, we work with a range of brands across all sectors, B2B and B2C, to create innovative PR campaigns that deliver real ROI and help meet business goals. Get in touch with us today to find out how we could support you with your Public Relations.

Drop us an email: hello@prohibitionpr.co.uk or give us a bell on  0113 430 4160.

For more interesting articles from us check out these posts:

  1. Why it’s important to secure coverage for your product
  2. How to pitch to journalists 
  3. Top Food and Drink PR Campaigns from 2022 so far

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