We have a mix of businesses across all our channels and email database.

So, we want to make sure that we’re supporting all of you with the content that we share. There are a lot of resources and experts out there, we’re grateful that you’re here and engage with us. We aren’t experts, but we’ve been doing this a while for global brands, so we do know a thing or two.

We get that so many experts will tell you to focus on social media/ content and yes, that is part of it, but you should really have a full marketing strategy that covers all marketing touch points;

Marketing comms

Social media content

Advertising

PR 

and depending on what your business is, you should also consider things like;

Creator marketing, creative comms like CGI and VR.

These aren’t strictly for the big brands with massive budgets - remember that!

So, here is a breakdown of the crucial role marketing and PR plays, and the benefits of initially handling in house, before outsourcing.§

Maximise reach and engagement:

• Diverse channels: Utilising multiple marketing channels (social media, email, SEO, content marketing and PPC) ensures that you reach a broader audience. Different customers prefer different channels, so a multi-channel approach maximises engagement.

• Consistent messaging: A unified message across all channels reinforces your brand, making it more recognisable and trustworthy.

Enhances customer experience:

• Seamless integration: Cross-marketing ensures that customers have a consistent and seamless experience across all touch points, enhancing their overall experience and satisfaction.

• Personalised marketing: By integrating data from various channels, you can create a more personalised and targeted marketing campaigns.

Improves ROI:

• Cost-effectiveness: Yes, it can be believe it or not! Leveraging multiple channels can be more cost-effective than relying on a single method. It allows for optimisation based on performance data and customer segments. This is proven and facts. Brands who only focus on social channels limit reach and customers who aren’t on there - because yes, not everyone is on social media.

• Data-driven decisions: Cross-marketing provides comprehensive data that can be analysed to refine strategies, leading to better decision-making and improved ROI.

Builds stronger brand identity:

• Unified Branding: Consistent cross-channel marketing builds a strong, unified brand identity, making your business more recognisable and memorable to consumers.

• Storytelling: Cross-marketing allows for storytelling across different formats and platforms, making your brand's narrative more compelling.

Now, the role of PR…

Enhancing credibility and trust:

• Expert commentary: Contributing expert opinions and insights to media outlets positions your business as a thought leader, enhancing credibility and also your personal brand and reputation.

• Media coverage: Positive media coverage builds trust and authority, which is essential for service-based businesses.

Driving brand awareness:

• Press releases: Announcing new services, partnerships or milestones through press releases can generate buzz and attract attention. Just look at the success of TALA created by Grace Beverly. She may have had a string social media presence, but the brand understand marketing and brand building!

• Media relations: Building relationships with journalists and influencers helps in gaining regular media coverage, keeping your brand in the public eye. Don’t believe us, Rochelle is a ‘go to expert’ for Brand, PR moves, Popular Culture and more. Give her name a Google and see just some of the articles she’s been featured in.

Content marketing synergy:

• Owned media: Using PR content on your own channels amplifies your message and ensures consistent branding.

• Earned media: PR efforts can lead to earned media, providing additional validation and reach beyond paid and owned channels. Plus, you engaged customers will think - wow, the media is talking about them - instant credibility!

Investing time in in-House PR

Understanding the Process:

• Experience: Handling PR in-house helps you understand the time, effort and patience required to develop effective PR strategies. This is where we come in and help.

• Skill development: It allows for the development of skills such as writing press releases, pitching stories, and managing media relations. We always recommend putting at least 4 hours aside a week, but if you have someone to help you in the business, work with them to support on PR. The pay off is worth it in the long term - trust us!

Better outsourcing decisions:

• Knowledgeable hiring: With a solid understanding of marketing and PR, you can make better decisions when hiring freelancers or agencies, knowing what skills and experience to look for.

• Clear expectations: It sets realistic expectations and enables better communication with outsourced to professionals.

Cost-effectiveness:

• Budget Management: Initially handling marketing and PR in-house can be more cost-effective, allowing you to allocate budget more efficiently when you eventually outsource.

Building relationships with journalists and publications

Trust and reliability:

• Consistent interaction: Regularly interacting with journalists and publications builds trust and makes them more likely to cover your stories, as well as you becoming a ‘go to’.

• Reliability: Being a reliable source of information ensures that journalists will reach out to you for expert opinions.

Tailored pitches:

• Understanding needs: Building relationships helps in understanding what journalists and publications are looking for, allowing for more tailored and successful pitches.

• Long-term benefits: Strong relationships lead to long-term benefits, including ongoing media coverage and collaborations.

We can’t stress this point enough. Journalist don’t like mass emails, Bcc’ed or anything like that, trust us when we say, they will know. Also, with PR Sauce we help you understand who to pitch to at publications - there is nothing worse than pitching to the wrong journalist.

Process for effective in-house PR

Research and planning:

• Identify goals: Define clear PR goals aligned with your overall business objectives.

• Target audience: Understand your target audience and what media they consume. As if it’s online or they get News updates via TikTok - that is a big thing). Think video content and pitch with video content.

• Media kits: Create a good media kit with information about your business, high res images, products and services. Make sure your files are clearly labelled and images have/ are named.

Media outreach:

• Pitching: Develop personalised pitches for different media outlets and journalists.

• Follow-up: Follow up on pitches to build relationships and ensure coverage. Don’t be weird or pushy. Unless you have/ know a deadline follow up in a timely manner. Don’t just leave it and don’t just assume they didn't pick you/ your product.

Monitoring and analysis:

• Track coverage: Monitor media coverage and analyse the impact of your PR efforts. So, make sure you track (in whatever way is easiest for you), so that you have reference and also start to be a timeline of topics and features. Could help with PR planning for the future.

• Adjust strategies: Use insights to adjust and improve your PR strategies over time.

By focusing on a full cross-marketing approach and integrating PR into your strategy it leads to better success for building awareness and brand. 100% try and handling marketing PR in-house initially as it provides valuable insights and skills, and makes it easier to outsource effectively when the time comes.

Plus, unless you have a really healthy budget for at 12 month commitment - then don’t do it. Only invest in retainers if you can commit to that and not pause, freeze or leave after 3 or 6 months! You won’t really experience the benefits or see the results you’re after.

Be clear on your business objectives and the role that marketing and PR will pay in that, so that you can track the success and also be able to see if it has an impact.

If you stick at this and be consistent, it leads to increased credibility, brand awareness, and business growth.

Join PR Sauce today to get started and learn more.