All over the world, the impact of PR on business growth cannot be neglected. As a matter of fact, PR is unique and often tricky terrain to navigate, that, if applied strategically and correctly, can be an excellent way to drive business growth and increase brand awareness.
Analysts are of the view that, bad publicity is often harder and more costly to repair, so it’s worth time, money and effort to strategize on your businesses approach to PR.
For these Analysts, PR is often the least understood of business marketing tools. Trends suggest that PR is becoming more and more vital to the credibility and amplification of most brands. A report from Influence & Co released las year indicates that thought leadership in particular is set to become a critical marketing tool in the year ahead and one of the most important aspects of good business PR.
According to world-renowned African PR firm, Magna Carta, South Africa is considered to have a mature PR market whose services are considered the best on the African continent. According to Vincent Magwenya, CEO of Magna Carta, “Public relations, although still in its infancy in many African countries, is assuming new significance as international investors and South African companies expand operations on the continent.”
Speaking on this issue to CONSUMERS ASSEMBLY, a PR Expert, Samuel Ubani said; “public relations (PR) is an essential factor that influences the growth of every business. It can affect your business positively or negatively. Public relations is about using the information carefully for communication between an organization and the public.”
According to him, “public relations differs from marketing because it focuses more on communication with the public, rather than promotions. PR creates a positive public image and also builds a relationship between the target audience and media. PR can psychologically influence customers’ purchase decisions on products and services. Public relations can create a need or hunger in the client’s mind, even though it wasn’t there previously.”
“being published in a newspaper or magazine, being seen on TV or heard on radio creates integrity around your brand. It tells the world you have a message or story that is important enough to be made public by media opinion-makers, who often come with their own unique brand and following.” He noted.
Continuing, he pointed out that, “once the brand has established itself with one or two key journalists or editors, it will open up further doors for other publications that are keen to use your expertise and knowledge. The key is consistency – a once off opinion piece or article will not establish your brand in the media – it needs to be done on message and in volume over time.”
He also disclosed that, “people always want the best, and they believe what is being talked about the most is the best. To compete with more prominent brands and win peoples’ trust, you should find a way to become well known. That often happens if you send a message through consumers’ favorite magazine, their favorite public figure or generally through media.”
On his part, a public relations consultant,Omowole Agbolade said; ” public relations if directed correctly can establish brand awareness in a certain sector very successfully. It’s not just about getting into the Sunday publication or the 08:00 pm news on TV; there are dedicated and specialized media platforms that really allow businesses to drill down into their own unique offering. Whether your business is IT, Finance, HR, digital, art or socially driven, there are PR spaces for all sectors.
According to him, “the emergence of online publication has opened up extensive opportunities for businesses to include a PR angle to their marketing. In a world of instant news and a demanding public, media platforms have to turn around information at an extremely fast rate and are always looking for news. It’s an opportunity for free publicity that just can’t be missed.”
In fact, he continued, “according to the Content Marketing Institute, eighty percent of business decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement. The personal weight of a published article reaches people in a stronger manner than traditional advertising.”
“In 2015, Internet Live Stats released a report that indicates that South Africa ranks among the fastest growing internet markets in the world with around 24 million users. With a yearly growth rate of around 14% and only a 47% penetration rate, online platforms remain a key sector for current and potential PR opportunities.” He said.
For him, there is a story to be found in almost everything and PR is simply the channel to tell everyone else why this story matters. By establishing your brand in the PR world, further opportunities for publicity will open up. In particular, becoming a go-to opinion maker for the media to rely on for comment on topical matters is often a powerful offshoot to establishing your PR credibility.
“if interested potential clients or even other media search for your business online, having positive and quality content published and available establishes your credibility with your audience immediately. Your brand’s story is the personality behind your business and a means for people to connect with and learn about you through the messaging and content that you put out there.” He added.
