3 residual benefits of PR

Your PR efforts keep working, even after your campaign ends

Some clients want to see results from a public relations campaign immediately or within a few short weeks. Or, they opt to invest in a short-term PR project instead of a full campaign. It’s important to understand that the value of PR is mostly long term. PR provides consistent benefits that are cumulative, resulting in the steady growth of your business far into the future.

The power of PR lies in the residual benefits your campaign gains for you. Many of those benefits you may not even recognize stem from PR. Stopping or pausing your PR efforts because you haven’t seen immediate results is unwise.

The top three residual benefits your company may receive post-PR campaign

Awards.
Some award entries take months to complete. It may be long after you entered that you receive recognition and reap the benefits. For example, a prospective employee may apply for a job because you were ranked one of the best companies to work for. Or perhaps a company does business with you because your PR firm nominated you for an award, drafting the entry and promoting it on your behalf.

Media coverage.
Many people don’t realize how far in advance print publications work. Often, editorial deadlines are several months ahead of the publish date, which means magazine editors are working on their holiday issues in July. Remember that PR efforts take time to publish. Even online outlets may wait to publish a story for a couple of months after an interview because they’re working on other deadlines or your story is part of a series. It may take time, but one key piece of media coverage can change your company’s path.

Future opportunities.
Without PR experts pitching your story to reporters, your company could remain in obscurity. When we pitch reporters, we plant a seed – perhaps they have time and interest to cover it right away and perhaps they don’t. However, that seed may provide future opportunities, and we follow up with reporters throughout the campaign. We’ve even had media outlets reach out to us long after a PR campaign ended to notify us that they nominated our former client for an award. Our PR efforts ensure that you receive exposure for the long term.

Far too often, we see companies pause or end their PR efforts too early because they aren’t seeing immediate results. PR isn’t a one-time thing like an advertisement. PR is about the relationships it builds. Don’t let your company be one that ends its PR efforts before you begin to see the positive impact. Contact Axia Public Relations today or download our guide Maximizing Your Public Relations Investment to learn how to optimize your media coverage.

Marjorie Comer is an award-winning PR professional. She graduated from Rockhurst University with a Bachelor of Arts in communication and loves to cheer for her hometown Kansas City Royals. Marjorie has worked for Axia Public Relations since October 2011. Follow her on Twitter @Marjorie_Comer. Learn more about Marjorie Comer.