6 Ways PR Agencies Help Marketers

By Scott Signore

A number of marketing professionals view public relations firms as a team of people who can pitch the media and get interviews. But a top PR agency can do so much more than that. Here are six ways that PR and social media agencies can help marketers succeed in their gigs:

  1. Increased PR exposure can lead to more “at bats” for the company, and any sales team loves a marketing department that feeds it leads. Having a high-profile presence in key media and on priority social channels will generate opportunities to do more business, the ultimate goal of virtually every marketing team.
  2. A good PR firm can package and artfully explain quarterly results in a format that is “board ready,” saving the marketing executive time and making him or her look smart when reviewing successes with the C-Suite.
  3. Once trust is established between a marketer and the PR firm, the agency can spearhead the customer references program, saving time and streamlining the difficult process of securing client commentary. And, the success of those programs will directly contribute to bullet #1 above!
  4. Competitive intelligence: a solid PR firm constantly scours the online universe for data and news that can be used as competitive advantages for clients, and this information is likely applicable to all departments within the organization, increasing operational excellence.
  5. Professional, on-camera media training is so valuable and appropriate for departments beyond PR. Helping the senior executives refine their interviewing skills results in a more impactful and cohesive PR program, but also prepares for a broad number of situations where they will be asked to deliver key messages to key audiences.
  6. PR and social media agencies with in-house creative service groups can “manufacture” news by creating and pitching data-rich infographics and other content marketing materials. This resource allows marketing professionals the opportunity to develop and deliver important resources while experiencing a number of cost and operating efficiencies.

The above is just scratching the surface. I’d love to hear your list of ways PR agencies help marketers achieve their goals.