Leverage public relations and social media to get and keep more clients

Leave no customer behind

For people to give you their business, first they have to know who you are. They will then have to decide if they trust you and, if all goes well, you can even get them to like you.

In business, your only goal is to get and keep clients. Companies don’t always think of public relations as a tool that can help them accomplish this and, as a result, they don’t use PR to its maximum potential. Using public relations strategies and managing social media can help you achieve both goals.

The difference between public relations and advertising

In order to become well-known, many companies turn directly to advertising and other forms of paid media as their only source for name recognition. However, today’s savvy consumer may quickly dismiss paid advertising for what it is: attempts to purchase their loyalty by paying to have something nice said about the company on television or in print. Consequently, the customer doesn’t always believe what advertisements claim.

On the other hand, more people will see a favorable article or review written by a journalist (a phenomenon known as “earned media”) and they will view it as genuine because it’s like getting confirmation from an outside source. In fact, research has shown that more than 85 percent of Americans view news coverage as more credible than advertising.

People are more likely to purchase a product when it’s recommended by someone they trust. Word-of-mouth referrals and positive discussions about a company are more likely to result from news coverage than advertising. More than 80 percent of CEOs believe that a media interview is the most successful method of getting the company’s message to the public.

Public relations strategies that can help your company

Entrepreneur and visionary Bill Gates once said that if he were down to two dollars, he would spend one of those dollars on public relations. Inc. magazine published a study that supports that assertion, having found that more than 70 percent of business owners agree that marketing dollars are best spent on public relations strategies. The study also discovered that public relations assistance is most effective when it comes to product launches and building awareness.

Getting people to know who you are requires numerous components. One way to get your name out there is by being a thought-leader in your field. You can demonstrate your thought leadership through speaking engagements, media coverage, blogs and social media.

Having a blog is an ideal approach for sharing expertise and providing additional value to customers. Recent research has proven that companies that blog get 55 percent more visitors to their sites and 70 percent more leads than companies that don’t.

Using social media is another technique successful companies employ to reach and attract clients. With almost 300 million members on LinkedIn alone, it’s worth utilizing and capitalizing on social media platforms.

The right public relations firm can make all the difference

Approximately 1,800 business executives know that public relations efforts can be much more valuable than dollars spent on advertising. Are you one of them? Learn the true worth of public relations and find out how it can help you earn and retain customers.

We at Axia Public Relations can show you how to leverage these tools and get the highest yield for your public relations and marketing dollars. Download our e-book Maximizing Your Public Relations Investment or contact us today.