People often get confused about Public Relations and marketing. If you are looking for any of these strategies, it is important to know the basic difference between both them. Although both techniques are used for the growth and success of any business, they are not the same.
Let us understand how Public Relations provides by a PR firm differs from marketing.
1. Potential Customers: The PR strategies target different audiences when compared to marketing. While making marketing strategies, the target audiences that are focused on are the ones who are likely to buy the product. Targeting the right audiences who are going to purchase the products helps in achieving the company’s economic goals.
PR looks for broader strategies that focus on maintaining the image of the brand or services for much longer as compared to marketing. To achieve such goals, the professionals of a PR agency create contact with media outlets, influencers, publishers, and stakeholders.
For better results in both strategies, the target audiences are analyzed first by understanding their queries, requirements, and expectations of the product. This helps in moving towards the right decision-making process and creating a perfect communication plan for achieving the goal.
2. Functional Areas: Usually, marketing strategies revolve around the current requirement of the market. It requires sincere market research and after that, all the budgeting, planning, and lead management are decided. All the strategies that are used for advertising the product are completely dependent on the data collected in the market research. These strategies result in direct lead generation and sales for the organization.
PR strategies revolve around the activities of the company that they perform inside and outside of it. The activities of the company are very important in keeping the trust of the stakeholders. Marketing strategies are incomplete without Public Relations and the major aim behind them is to maintain a positive image of the brand in front of the target audiences.
3. Goals to Accomplish: Marketers understand the need of the customers and explain to the client to build the product that matches the requirement. Also, they create requirements among the potential customers and encourage them to buy the products using their marketing campaigns. Such campaigns help in generating sales and revenue for the client and this is the final goal of every marketer.
The major goal achieved by using PR campaigns is to build a positive image and shape positive perceptions about the brands and products among the potential customers. This is not a direct procedure to increase sales although it aims towards this only. In marketing the results are fast, but public relations strategies take time in generating revenues and profit for the organization but it is long-lasting.
- Duration: During the marketing campaign the goal is to provide the result as soon as possible. The strategies and performances are tracked regularly so that if the changes are required in meeting the goal, they can be done on the spot.
But a lot of patience is required in PR. Public Relations is a long-term investment that requires patience for the result when the strategies are followed properly.
