PR is important for companies to gain recognition for their products and services. Other methods for increasing awareness include promotions, advertising, and publicity. Let’s explain PR while understanding the difference between each of them.
What is PR?
PR is an abbreviation of ” Public Relations,” and refers to the process of making people in society aware of a company and its products to build good relationships with each other. In Japanese, the term “public relations” is used, but PR is understood as a larger concept. For example, the main point is to facilitate smooth communication between products and consumers, and between producers and consumers. Similar terms include promotions, publicity, and advertising.
The purpose of PR is to build good relationships with interested parties and stakeholders. These include the media, consumers, employees, shareholders, government agencies, financial institutions, and business partners. The main objective of PR is to decide in advance what kind of relationship the company wants to build with its stakeholders and the kind of people they want to become fans of the company or product.
If you produce and sell a product that satisfies consumers, will it sell? Many consumers will be attracted to the products being sold by companies with a high level of recognition and reputation when they see them on the shelves. So, PR is important for companies to raise their affinity and gain recognition for their products by consumers.
PR types
Let’s talk about the types of PR.
The most common form of PR is mass media which includes television, newspapers, and radio. Many companies use this to increase their exposure because of the public nature and appealing effect of mass media. The advantage of mass media is that it can promote a wide range of products regardless of the age or gender of the consumer.
This is a traditional method that involves holding seminars and events to promote the company is persistently popular. They are highly effective since the product can be promoted to the target audience. It’s also reliable because audiences can see and touch the actual product in front of their eyes.
Web advertisements that utilize the Internet, such as SNS, to spread and promote products with the help of online users without the need for companies to actively promote themselves. They have the advantage of publicizing to the targeted customer base. In addition to this, there are some savings when posting to sites such as Instagram or Twitter compared to TV ads.
PR and promotion are two very different things. Promotion refers to developing a strategy for how to sell goods and services. Therefore, companies send information so that people can understand the characteristics of their products. This is a unidirectional activity that is similar to advertising and promotion.
On the other hand, PR is interactive and involves strategic communication to help people understand the value of a company, product, or service.
Advantages of PR
Thinking about the benefits of PR, various PR activities can be conducted depending on the size of the company and the products. Larger companies can take full advantage of PR because of their accumulated experience and know-how. However, in terms of mobility, small and medium-sized companies have an advantage.
PR is known for its high appealing effect for attracting attention. As mentioned before, mass media can be seen by many people at once. In particular, the effect of television is enormous. When consumers show interest, product inquiries may increase. The effect is even greater if a popular celebrity or influencer is used.
With the spread of the Internet, corporate PR is shifting from mass media to the Web. Unlike television, the Web can significantly reduce costs. In addition, companies can carry out PR through advertising agencies by having highly cost-effective videos.
The type of audience to which PR is directed will have a significant impact on its effectiveness. Companies want to promote and sell their products to a wide range of people, but the effect is limited. With targeted PR, the number of products sold will be different than before. It is also essential to select the right communication channels. It is important to know which audience prefers which tools and what kind of marketing is important for PR.
How do you measure the effectiveness of PR? Unlike listing ads, PR activities cannot be measured by clicking on them.
Therefore, measuring PR activities on the Web includes the number of likes, time spent on the site, number of followers, the type of articles read, and so on. For example, when an event or campaign is held, the sales before and after that can be used to measure the effect.
What is Corporate PR?
Corporate PR refers to activities to improve communication with stakeholders that are closely related to the company. Since companies are greatly affected by the market environment, the economy, politics, and other factors, it is necessary to communicate closely with stakeholders to ensure proper corporate management. These activities are also essential for transparency in corporate management.
What is product PR?
Product PR is often thought of as a sales pitch for a product, but it is communication between the product and consumers. By fostering the story of the product, it conveys the appeal of the product to consumers. So, interested consumers will connect through SNS and other means. This is called diffusion. Consumers themselves can then promote the product in a way that the company cannot do alone. The biggest advantage to this is that it leads to sales at no cost.
List of Effective PR Methods
PR as an Online Tool
With the spread of the Internet, online PR is attracting widespread attention from young people to middle-aged and older adults.
With the spread of smartphones, it has become possible for the general public to easily post videos on video-sharing sites, and PR for companies is increasing. This is popular because people can easily view videos whenever and wherever they want. This can be characterized by being visually appealing even for a short time.
SNS or social networking sites allow users to talk to each other and “like” each other’s content. This is an effective way to spread the company’s message about their products and services to a large number of followers who can share this message with their followers.
Click here the top Japanese SNS or here for how Twitter is used more than Facebook!
Web ads are also popular among users. So, companies should this as corporate PR rather than product promotion.
Corporate PR can be quite successful to connect online users to the company’s product as well as the company’s website. Always try to create an attractive corporate PR ad first.
PR as an Offline Tool
Traditional offline, such as mass media, is also important for customer acquisition. Even with the expansion of the online hemisphere, offline advertisements such as television and newspapers will catch the eyes of many consumers and evoke consumer behavior.
The advantage of TV commercials it can be publicized to a wide range of generations through the living room anywhere in the country. While this is highly recognized, a disadvantage is the expensive operating cost.
Radio is known for its low advertising costs and has the advantage of being highly appealing because of its relatively stable listener base.
Billboards or signboards are visual through where you walk or casually drive in and out of the city. Since they are usually seen every day in the place where they stand, it’s easy to see and remember them, making them a highly effective PR tool.
Flyers in newspapers are delivered every morning and are also great for PR. This feature allows for area-specific advertising which can be a great advantage for actual stores.
DM, also known as Direct Messaging, can be highly effective when sent out to a targeted audience.
Enclosing a coupon for a special offer can also increase the appeal. Since DMs are likely to be ignored, having regular special benefits services for members will attract more attention.
Events are excellent PR opportunities for companies and businesses. This is quite effective because they appeal to a certain customer base. It is also a cost-effective way to reduce costs.
Summary
Companies conduct PR through interactive communication with stakeholders. By doing so, they are perceived as socially responsible and can promote their products more attractively.
By using different communication tools, they can effectively increase their audience. As a result, the company can grow. Use a variety of media to develop marketing strategies and facilitate PR.
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