Why PR Should Be Part of Your Brand Strategy

Why PR Should Be Part of Your Brand Strategy

02.28.2022

We’re here to let you in on what PR is really like. Building relationships between a brand and media outlets is essential to a company’s success.

If you’ve succumbed to the hype and watched a few episodes (or all two seasons, no judgment here) of Netflix’s Emily in Paris, you know how important public relations or PR can be to a brand. But — believe it or not — media relations and marketing are about more than wearing avant-garde outfits and strolling through the streets of Paris with a trusty smartphone and a fashionable friend. (I know, we’re bummed, too!)

We’re here to let you in on what PR is really like. In real life, building relationships between a brand and media outlets is essential to a company’s success. PR firms bridge the gap between brands and media outlets, helping them work together to create meaningful marketing campaigns that benefit both parties.

Here is everything you need to know about developing a successful brand strategy outside of the fictional world of a TV show and how media relations and PR can help your business succeed.

What is a Brand Strategy?

There’s a lot that goes into PR and media relations work for a brand. One of the most vital parts of marketing a brand is developing a brand strategy. While the term ‘brand strategy’ sounds simple enough, what does it really mean? Brand strategy encompasses what a brand stands for, how it looks and how customers perceive it.

A well-thought-out brand strategy is developed by first coming up with a personality for the brand and then applying it consistently to all aspects of the business.

Whether a customer is viewing your logo on a coffee cup or browsing through descriptions of different coffee blends, there should be a clear unifying theme in all brand materials that makes them feel distinctly like a part of your brand. It could be an emphasis on sustainability or a feeling of relaxation, but whatever it is, the customer should be able to feel it.

Benefits of Brand Strategy

Brand strategy is vital for brands of any size. Here are a few of the benefits of having a solid brand strategy:

Brand Recognition

A brand strategy promotes brand recognition. Applying a unified aesthetic across your entire brand means that customers will know what to expect from your business. When they see it featured in magazines and on news sites, they’ll instantly recognize your products. New customers will see your brand as established and trustworthy if it has a clear and professional identity.

Scaling Potential

A brand strategy leaves the door open to scaling your business. New additions to your brand are likely to be more successful when a brand strategy is in place, and less effort has to go into marketing them because similar campaigns can be used for all of your brand’s products.

Clear Messaging

A brand strategy clearly defines your company’s goals and relays the message you want to communicate to every person who views your brand materials. This makes marketing efforts easier to develop and carry out according to your brand’s predetermined guidelines.

Potential for Long-term Success

A great brand strategy can solidify your presence as a business and set you up for long-term success. Customers respond to consistency and authenticity, so a lasting brand strategy helps keep long-term customers and attract new ones. A brand strategy that gives your business its own unique identity also makes it stand out in the market to be distinguished from competitors and has a better chance of being featured in gift guides or on talk shows.

Why Should Public Relations Be Part of Brand Strategy?

PR is vital for brand strategy when it comes to media relations. Media relations is what happens when PR professionals and media outlets interact. For example, if a wellness brand wanted to be featured in a ‘Top Lifestyle Brands in 2022’ popular magazine, a PR firm would handle all of the logistics to make it happen. A PR professional doesn’t just help arrange features or interview spots and then leave you to fend for yourself. PR firms are actively involved in the process of media exposure from beginning to end.

For example, in the wellness brand scenario, the PR professionals on your team would reach out to the magazine and secure a spot in the feature. They would then help prepare your brand for an interview, whether via Zoom, email, or phone, and optimize your website for media coverage. Your job as a brand is to dream big and set marketing goals, and our job as PR companies is to help make them happen. Media relations and PR can help promote brand strategy and work synergistically to achieve a common goal.

How PR Benefits Brand Strategy

PR and media relations can also help you with each of the benefits of brand strategy described above. Here’s how PR can benefit:

Brand Recognition

PR professionals can help you develop a clearly defined brand identity that customers will recognize and respond positively to. Part of that is being listed in significant publications — and our savvy publicists are experts at landing these features.

Scaling Your Brand

Media relations experts can offer valuable advice if you need assistance with an advertising campaign to market a new product and grow your brand.

Clear Messaging

The goal of PR is to facilitate a great relationship between a brand and its audience (including the media!), so making sure brand messaging is developed, distributed and received successfully is all part of PR.

Long-Term Success

Media relations is useful in executing not only short-term goals such as individual marketing campaigns but in nurturing a strong long-term relationship with customers and the public to promote lasting brand growth and longevity.

Make PR a Part of Your Brand Strategy with LaRue

At LaRue, we enjoy helping guide brands through marketing and digital media campaigns. From working together to create a strong marketing plan to make sure it reaches customers and the public favorably, we can help guide your brand strategy and media relations journey.

Reach out to us