Is There a Difference Between Public Relations and Content Marketing?
Marketing plans have been around for many years, even before the Internet became a method of reaching an even larger target audience. However, in the past, it wasn’t called content marketing. While there is a difference between public relations and content marketing, the two are actually similar in many ways. Hiring a marketing content writer isn’t much different than hiring someone to handle the public relations for your business. Understanding the differences and similarities will help you build your blog audience and bring in more customers to your website.
Storytelling
If you talk to any website content writers, they will explain the importance of telling a story to your audience. Not all stories are designed to entertain. Some are written with the goal of informing readers about a specific topic. When you start working with a marketing content writer, one of the first things they will do is determine what your goals are so they can build a story around your business. This story will be the foundation of your content marketing, just as storytelling has long been the cornerstone of a good public relations campaign of old.
Distribution Can Vary
One of the biggest differences between public relations and content marketing is the channels through which it is distributed. For instance, social media content writing services often use the Internet to share information with followers of the business, helping to build a network of people who are interested in what the business has to say. Public relations, on the other hand, is more likely to reach out through local news media and other print avenues. While both of these marketing tactics can use a variety of channels to get the idea across, there are clear differences in the preferred avenues.
Writers Are a Necessity
Whether you’re trying to build your blog audience or you want to share journalistic news relating to your business, you need website content writers to create it. While you may hire someone internally who is able to complete the writing, the fact remains you will need someone with writing experience. The type of experience the individual has can vary, however. Public relations typically needs people who are familiar with writing speeches or press releases, while content marketing may require someone with a vast array of writing skills. You may need website content, blog posts, press releases, white papers, eBooks and much more. Someone with the right experience will be able to handle all of these types of writing.
Leads Are an End Goal
If you look at the end goal of any marketing plan, it all boils down to attracting more prospective customers and closing on more sales. Whether you’re focused on the content marketing or public relations aspect, you are looking for ways to share critical information about your business and reach people who are likely interested in your products or services. Because the end goal is relatively the same, it’s essential to treat both types of marketing with the same dedication.
Your Website Can Serve as Public Relations
The Internet has largely changed the way businesses operate. It’s no longer necessary to reach out to the news media solely to get your name out to the general public. In most cases, the general public comes to you through searches on the Internet. This has caused a merger between content marketing and public relations. Likewise, social media content writing services have made it their work to create a public relations atmosphere on social media. This makes it much easier for your customers to contact you and for you to reply to them in a timely manner, increasing your ability to provide stellar customer service.
There is little difference between public relations and content marketing today. As technology has become useful to the business world, particularly the Internet, the lines between the two have become more blurred. For this reason, it’s important for companies to work with content writing services that are skilled in creating all types of content. This allows you to enjoy all the benefits of both a good public relations campaign and a content marketing strategy that will bring in more leads and convert more of them into sales.
If you’re looking for content writing services with the skills to create many types of content, contact us. We can help you create the exact content you need to effectively reach your target audience.
