This is a summary of a post more fully explored at Public relations and managing reputation.
Public relations can learn a lot from marketers, who are often much better at getting a range of direct, unmediated communications tactics ‘right’, as well as utilising market research to inform their strategies and measure their work’s impact.
So, public relations advocate that I am, here are some thoughts on where I think PR people should take a leaf out of marketers’ books.
Business relevance
Too much public relations is activity without a driver. You won’t find much marketing that is not implemented without a very specific business-relevance. Marketing is a tighter, tougher and more disciplined game than public relations.
Evaluation
Marketers are great at crunching numbers and providing a transparent reason why a particular communication or stakeholder engagement approach should be taken. They get creative, then undertake research to determine if this is the best approach to take, both in the creation of products and services and the communication that is used to sell them. A similar mindset informs their brand-focused communication.
Measuring ROI is a critically important issue for them, whilst public relations is still agonising over how best to evaluate its effectiveness. This is despite market research experts like Adrian Goldsmith purporting that reputation can be evaluated and measured.
Sure, they use it to test ideas/products/services and to measure their success, but they also use it to come up with target audience insights that help the business relevance of their activities and to stimulate and profitably direct creativity.
Database and direct communication
One of my favourite areas. There is much to be said for 3rd party endorsement (i.e. through media editorial placement and strategic alliances) and the credibility/brand enhancement it generates, but surely it is a no brainer that any half-decent communication strategy will feature means of communicating with target audiences that are unmediated.
Unmediated communication allows an organisation to frame its communication in the precise terms that it wants its target audiences to hear:
- Customised to target audience needs, wants, culture and point of view
- No compromise in articulating the information an organisation wants its target audiences to hear, which might otherwise occur if there are the delicate sensibilities of the media, for instance, to be considered.
KPIs/objectives
You’re flat out finding a public relations practitioner that understands that objectives are KPIs (i.e. set, measure, go!), let alone one that is willing to actually set meaningful, business-relevant ones before implementing communication strategies/activities.
Marketing lives and dies by the KPIs it sets. Whether it’s a clear linkage to sales generation, brand awareness, hits to websites etc.
Integrated communication
Dare I posit that marketers are better multi-taskers than PR folk? Well, considering marketers often design and implement integrated marketing campaigns that might use an array of tools simultaneously in concert with each other, it is tempting to think so. Examples of tactics include:
- Advertising (through multiple mediums)
- Competitions (as above)
- Media relations
- Digital communication (social media, website, e-newsletter)
- Database and direct communication
- Point of sale
- Sponsorship.
Of more import is that public relations professionals can learn a lot from the way marketers employ a diversity of tools to achieve a singular outcome.
So, what are your thoughts on information in this post? Are marketers the bees knees? How can marketing and public relations/corporate communication best work together?
