Many people think of public relations (PR) and marketing as the same thing.  But there is a difference.

Public relations uses outreach to print, broadcast and social media sources to place news about you, your products, services, company or events in traditional and Internet news media and on social media sites. This creates “earned” or “free” media for you, the client.  The same free media can also be used to counter bad news about you or your organization when needed. Public relations strategies and tools (such as press releases and outreach to the right reporters and editors) can be used to distribute your news locally, nationally or internationally, very quickly.

Marketing uses paid media such as advertisements to create awareness and build brand recognition of a person, product, service, company or event.  It also uses such tools as market research; product development; logo products and uniforms; slogans; email marketing and blogs; participation at events; sponsorships and networking, among other resources.  Public relations, too, can be part of an overall, comprehensive, strategic marketing plan.

Bottom line: Public relations activities are a resource for getting out important news about your company or organization, its personnel, products or services.  It can be used to create free publicity or “earned media.” Marketing is a set of activities and tools that are used to create ongoing awareness of your company/organization, its products or services. Most marketing activities and tools are not free.

Contact us when you need public relations services.  We can also help you put together a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes PR as one of the components.

Contact us for a free consultation!