By Fran Prince – Public Relations Account Director
PR or public relations spans many functions and a variety of sectors. Primarily, it works to improve the communications and relations between brands or organisations and their audiences through different media channels. PR agencies improve brand awareness and work within their clients’ KPIs or key performance indicators to achieve their goals, whether that’s to drive sales, reach new audiences or become leaders in their field.
In the modern business market, PR agencies often span across marketing, digital services such as digital PR and SEO, social media, event management and branding as well as a more traditional offering of in print, online and broadcast media placement.
Read our guide on how to work effectively with a PR agency and get the best results for insider tips on working with a dedicated PR team.
What do PR agencies do?
Below we have outlined specific services PR agencies offer and the tactics they use in order to improve brand awareness and drive revenue. Learn more about our services and how they can help to build your brand.
PR
PR services may include a wide range of communications services, including a detailed strategy to ensure ROI (return on investment). A PR strategy will include media relations with key journalists and media contacts, which may also include crisis comms to deal with any potentially damaging situations. Events management, creative campaigns, content creation and awards submissions would also come under the umbrella of PR.
Branding & marketing
Whether you’re launching a new brand or redefining your position in the market, brand development is an essential part of increasing visibility and reputation. An agency with marketing expertise can help with brand development workshops, brand messaging and visual identity creation to deliver maximum impact. They will also see to it that your brand growth strategy is set in motion, the necessary marketing collateral is created, and your web design and development is implemented.
Social media
Having an agency with social media expertise means the ability to develop a cohesive social media message and visual presence across the platforms that really matter to your audience. A social audit would be the first step in your social media strategy, encompassing both organic audience engagement and paid ads. Your team can help with unique content creation, competitor analysis and connecting you to influencers that can make a difference to your company.
Content marketing
Content is king when it comes to establishing trust and authority with your audience. Whether in print or online, an in-depth feature, market-leading white paper or a thought leadership piece packed with insight can cement your position in your field. Slick website content, SEO blog posts that boost your organic ranking for certain search terms, and engaging press releases crafted by professional writers can open doors for your business and place you in authoritative third-party media titles.
Digital marketing
A strong online presence will ensure your brand is visible to the right people and establishes a trustworthy reputation with users. Get expert advice on SEO, paid ads, web development and digital content creation. Digital-native PR specialists will be able to design a cost-effective, data-driven approach to get you to the top of search engine results pages, bring in the traffic and serve up useful content that adds real value.
Events management
Make the right impression with a PR and marketing-led industry event. A full-service team can help their clients to pitch to industry experts, deliver eye-catching products and get the right influencers to their launches. It’s not just consumer brands that need events management advice. Businesses hosting networking events, exhibiting at showcases or construction companies hosting stakeholder engagement events can all benefit from PR expertise.
Video
Professional video content can get you noticed in all the right circles. From internal training to virtual events or producing a webisode series for a dedicated following online, a full-service PR agency will help to write scripts, film and edit footage.
How do companies work with PR and communications agencies?
After an agreement to work together either for a period of time or on a retained basis, your dedicated PR team will establish your main goals and put metrics in place to measure the success of their projects and campaigns.
Your team will research competitors and the wider market, the right media outlets and journalists to target and how your audience should be reached. They will then outline a strategic plan for working with your brand and align themselves with any internal campaigns and marketing teams. The next step would then be to carry out the agreed plans and report back to your business on KPIs. Along the way they may suggest reactive campaign ideas in line with seasonal or reactive points of interest. It’s important to maintain open lines of communication with your dedicated PR correspondents throughout the process.
Who do PR agencies work with?
PR agencies work with any organisation or company that requires their services in brand awareness, crisis management, content creation or rebranding and expert marketing. This might be a consumer brand, a government organisation, a charity, a public sector service or a nationwide construction company.
Sectors we work with:
- Construction
- Food & Drink
- Property
- Building Products
- Professional Services
- Healthcare
- Homes & Interiors
- Retail & Leisure
- Health and Wellness
How do PR agencies measure success?
This very much depends on what you want to achieve as a brand. We can track everything from circulation of the publications you feature within, backlinks and domain authority of the sites you are placed on, revenue and click-through rates and so much more. Your goals might range from publications in gold tier media titles, to a percentage of increased traffic to your site or data gathering from your audience. Your PR team will be led by you in terms of key metrics and measures of success for your brand.
Get in touch for help from our PR experts
Do you need a PR agency in Nottingham? Contact us today and our social media and marketing team will conduct a free consultation and put together a tailored strategy specifically crafted for your brand.
