Does Bill Gates know something that you don’t? If he thinks public relations is so important, isn’t it worth looking at for your own business?
Public relations is about the way in which your brand speaks with your audience. PR is about the narratives you tell, the connections you construct, and the press you obtain to enable individuals to interface with your image emphatically. It’s unique in relation to marketing, which is particularly entrusted with creating income, and it’s not the same as publicizing, which depends on paid advancement to share your messages.
PR is an important strategy for new companies and small businesses competing with large businesses. With small budgets, PR can frequently fall low on the rundown of to-dos. For new businesses that want to gain potential clients and hold a position in the market, PR can help. Kelsey Bradley, public relations associate at the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund says, “Media drives customers. It drives local knowledge and awareness and can also be a great way to out advertise competitors.” According to a 2017 article by Hubspot, on average millennials are 247% more likely to be influenced by blogs or social networking sites.
Millennials are highly likely to read third-party sources to gain knowledge on a trend or topic, so if they’re in your target audience, PR is a must. And people are tired of old tactics. Now people want to be in control of the media they want to see. Ragan Magazine of PR daily statistics reports that 86% of people skip TV advertisements; 44% of direct mail is never opened; 91% of email users have unsubscribed from a company email that they had previously opted in to.