Social Media is today’s marketing buzz-word. Everyone is so pre-occupied with this media that sometimes all other media channels get forgotten. The more traditional forms of advertising, PR and email marketing to name a few still have a very important role to play in supporting your business. It all comes down to what you want to achieve, your budget and who you want to speak to. 

PR is definitely one of those more traditional promotional channels. In “Brilliant PR”, Cathy Bussey defines PR or Public Relations as:

...the art of presenting a company or person to the public, usually via the media, ideally in a positive manner that improves the reputation of that company or person.

If you have a strong positive presence and awareness within your key networks, then people will naturally think of you when they need help. If you are an accountant and have demonstrated yourself to be knowledgable and an 'Accountancy Guru' then this will put you at the top of someone’s list to speak to when they need help. 

So how do you build your presence and awareness within a given area? There are lots of things that will help e.g. joining Linked In or Facebook groups, commenting and offering free guidance (to a point), presenting to the local community, running workshops or writing a blog (like this one). 

The key difference between advertising and PR is that with advertising you are in complete control of what is written and how it is printed. Compare this with PR, where it's up to the discretion of the editor or journalist to take the information given and communicate it within the story or article they're writing.

Top 5 things to think about for building your PR strategy:

1. When planning your PR strategy, it is key to decide in advance what you or your brand stands for, and what key messages and values you wish to convey to your audience. Once you are clear on this it makes it much easier.
2. You cannot control what is written about you (outside of the press release). This is the key difference between PR and advertising. Think of the key figures in the public eye who you clearly know what they stand for e.g. Tony Blair, Richard Branson, etc.
3. Identify your key media contacts and build relationships with them. This is undoubtedly the most important element of your PR work, so it is key not to be a nuisance, but helpful and supportive. It is also key to provide a hook to grab attention - this could be as an offer or launching something new.
4. The real work will come in with the follow up on any communication to get this through to going to print, but key to note not to be a nuisance.
5. Enjoy! As with all areas of marketing, it is a fun and creative discipline. Have a play around with what does and does not work for your business. 

If you need help in building your PR strategy, please email: sophie@rimumarketing.co.uk to arrange your free 60-minute consultation.

Sources: Chartered Institute of Marketing and “Brilliant PR” by Cathy Bussey