Building a successful business takes a massive amount of energy and capital - chances are, this isn’t a big surprise. But scaling up your business really depends on how well you connect with your audience.
Many companies fall into the trap of just "checking boxes" when it comes to their marketing efforts. While it can be safe to use tried and proven methods for engaging with audiences, it’s often not enough to really move the needle. To grow effectively, you’ll want to move past these basic tactics and focus on building a foundation of trust and authority for your brand.
This is where public relations and social media marketing come in. While they are both different tools with their own unique purpose, they still work toward the same goal and are highly effective when combined.
The overall benefit of your public relations efforts is to help shape and share your brand's story. PR messages are a great way to connect with your customers, partners, and even your own team. They can be used to let people know where your company is headed and share any important business or industry news that impacts or benefits that direction.
PR is usually more formal than other types of marketing. It’s designed to help build and sustain a reputation for reliability and trustworthiness in the industry you represent. It’s also a great way to show people how you are meeting your goals and where you’re positioned when compared with your competitors.
Unlike social media, PR projects are usually planned out using a wide range of sources and require specific input from several leaders in your company. This ensures that the timing and the message align with your main business goals.
Think of social media as the engine that gets your brand in front of more people. While PR builds your reputation, social media marketing helps you share that reputation to a much larger audience.
Most businesses already leverage social media to some degree when supporting their marketing initiatives. Social platforms like X, Facebook, and Instagram are popular for quickly spreading messages to a wide audience. They are also great places to share recent blog posts, updates, and product or service information in different media formats.
For businesses that maintain a local presence, social media is a great place to stay connected with their customer base and connect directly with community members.
Both PR and social media are valuable on their own. However, by combining them together, you can see much more return on the efforts you put in. Below are a few use cases where this can be applied:
When you align your PR and social media efforts, you can gain better insights into your audience. You're able to see what type of content or messages your followers actually engage with and then use that data to improve your topic focus or make your content more interesting.
You’re also able to make your official PR announcements more engaging by adding visuals like charts, short videos, or eye-catching photos. This makes important brand information much easier for people to understand and share.
Most people spend a lot of time on their social media channels every day. This makes it the perfect place to share your company's big updates or industry news.
When you bring social interaction into your PR strategy, your message feels more real and authentic. It helps you build stronger trust with your audience by engaging them directly rather than just simply spamming them with information.
Blending your PR and social media marketing efforts helps you manage your brand image across the entire internet. It keeps your message consistent on every channel you use, adding to your credibility.
For example, when you share a press release directly on your social channels, you’re able get instant feedback from your audience. You can also answer questions or address any concerns right away, instead of wondering what kind of response this message is getting. This makes your brand feel much more authentic and approachable to your customers.
By intentionally connecting your PR and social media marketing initiatives, you’re able to get the most out of the effort you put in. This not only helps you reach a wider audience but also makes your brand's core message much stronger as you grow.