Why hire a PR agency?
Many businesses may not recognise that their day-to-day activities are actually newsworthy. And those that do often don’t have the time or skill sets to get their story out in the world. This is where hiring a PR agency could offer some great benefits.
Not only will they be able to help you identify interesting stories, they will also be able to craft compelling copy that engages your target audience. In addition, a good PR agency will have established relationships with local, regional and national media, which will help you gain the right coverage.
Here at Ketchup Marketing, we understand the importance of PR. We work in partnership with our clients to help them identify the types of activity they can use to gain media interest. Our copywriters are experienced journalists and understand perfectly what makes a news story.
So whether you are launching a new product, moving premises, hiring new people or organising a charity event, don’t overlook these opportunities of letting the world know more about your business. If you are not sure where to start, in terms of writing a press release, just give our friendly PR team a call and they’ll do everything for you; from carefully crafting a newsworthy press release, to organising a distribution list and liaising with the appropriate media outlets.
PR is just one string in our heavily strung bow! As a marketing consultancy, we use our expertise to help our clients implement marketing strategies that draw in a variety of marketing approaches which all work in unison to strengthen their business.
What does a digital PR agency do?
A PR agency acts as a communication tool for your business. They promote your business via editorial coverage. Known as earned or free media, this coverage is typical across digital publications, TV, newspapers and magazines.
PR with Ketchup
At Ketchup, we often remind our clients that the projects we are working on with them have a newsworthy angle. In the past few months, we have successfully gained media coverage of new product launches, charity events, showroom openings, new starters and national industry awards. As a retained client, we will always advise you of any ‘story’ we deem to be newsworthy, whether or not you are using our PR services.
PR differs from paid media such as adverts. Both share the same goal of raising awareness but coverage in respected publications can help add authority to your message.
Building trust
Beyond raising awareness, PR can help change negative perceptions about your business. It can also be used to reinforce your key messages, demonstrate your relationships with charities or your commitment to social responsibility. And it can help you improve your reputation and build trust.
The types of content created for PR varies from press releases to articles and white papers to interviews. Your PR partner will be able to guide you on the different types of content that will work well and also the publications you should target.
Stories about your people or the ways you support the local community are great for humanising your business and helping your target audience relate to you. The key to successful PR is timing, knowing when to pitch a story or understanding the big events happening in your sector and how to use them as part of your PR approach.
B2B PR agency
In addition to traditional PR, an agency can also help you with B2B PR. This form of PR is focused on communicating with decision-makers within other businesses to sell your products or services to them, rather than the general public.
B2B PR requires a different approach. It’s a long game that hinges on establishing your business or yourself as a leader in your industry. Followed by securing the media coverage to back it up and building and maintaining long-term relationships with prospects and customers.
There is more to consider with B2B PR, firstly they will do a lot more research than consumers so the more coverage they see about you the better. Secondly, they will take longer to make a decision and will often need to get stakeholder approval.