Inbound Marketing and Public Relations

Inbound Marketing and Public Relations Go Hand-in Hand.

You may have heard the terms inbound marketing and publication relations used interchangeably. Truthfully, there are a number of differences between marketing and PR, and they can all work to your advantage.

But first, the basics! PR is defined as "a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Marketing is the process of promoting specific products or services through advertising and other forms of outreach. Inbound marketing is all about getting found on the web through the right online content and platforms.

As you can see, PR and inbound marketing are mutually beneficial. We recommend small businesses build a PR strategy alongside their inbound marketing strategy. Here are three ways inbound marketing and public relations tend to overlap. All three offer ways to grow your brand.

Social Media

As you know, a strong social media marketing strategy will help boost your following. Don't forget to include your PR specialists into your social media strategy. Many professionals first make contact through social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook Messaging, and Instagram Direct Messaging. Emails can be hard to come by, and most PR specialists are comfortable communicating via social media.
When your marketing and PR team are on the same page about contacts, hashtags, video/image content, etc., your company will look consistent and professional. What better way to build new contacts!

SEO

Yes, even Public Relations is impacted by the search engines. Top Search Engine Optimization strategies help your business get found on the web. Repurposing content is an excellent way to improve your SEO and rankings.

How does this relate to inbound marketing and public relations? Easy! The secret is to stay in communication with one another. Consider turning a press release or news article into a blog post! The blog post could then be shared on social media and/or used for video marketing. 

Content

A Public Relations specialist knows how to stay current. News topics, current events, networking, and more are their forte. PR can influence the type of content your marketing team creates. For example, PR specialists stay up-to-date on industry news, controversies, media trends, and more. Their insights can help your small business's content stay consistent and relevant.

As you can see, there are many benefits to inbound marketing and public relations. You just need to use your resources to your advantage. The power of collaboration goes a long way.