The Payoff for Patience in PR

March 31, 2023 | Amanda Green
Written by Cynthia Guiang, CMO, Orca Communications

In a world where we have become accustomed to immediate payoffs, where we measure response times in seconds…some have little patience for the pace of public relations (PR). However, companies continue to invest in PR because they are playing the long game. If you’re hoping to build a brand with staying power and think you do not have the time or resources to accommodate the pace of PR – read on and you might want to reconsider this decision.

First, ask yourself what gives a brand staying power. 

The answer: a meaningful relationship with their consumer. Whether the brand solves a problem or makes them happy or makes them look good…the consumer will return if they trust the brand to keep to this promise.

Yes, a great product that delivers is essential. Maybe that’s how you hooked them. They saw an ad on Instagram and they bought it…that is the instant gratification that we all love with digital advertising. You run the ad, people buy, and you have immediate ROI you can track and hopefully celebrate. Perhaps they return for more if satisfied. However, here is where PR comes in and the patience pays off.

When the ad alone doesn’t build enough trust in the brand to buy: 

Many consumers are leery. They don’t trust ads. They understand you are trying to sell them something and you might say all the right things, but will you deliver? They will look to sources they trust for recommendations. Third-party endorsements are always more credible than a brand’s ads. One of the primary functions of PR is to secure product reviews and other coverage of your products by the media and other trusted sources. These placements are often the trust builders that point them to your brand. In fact, the brand awareness PR has established may have influenced the consumer’s decision to click on your ad to buy…almost impossible to track and measure but we know it’s happening.

When the product alone doesn’t solidify the relationship: 

Consumers are busy and easily distracted. Maybe they bought the product, loved it…and now it is collecting dust in a corner. Or they are using it but it’s become a routine and lacking its initial wow. You’d like them to buy more – maybe as a gift or upgrade to a newer version or additional products from your line. Perhaps you’re emailing them offers that they ignore or opt out of your campaign because they have grown tired of your outreach. Your relationship is waning. If you opted for PR, they might read a review about your new product or an updated version or simply see it in a recommended gifts list which reminds them about how much they love the product. It might trigger them to buy the new product or gift it to a friend. If nothing else, it reinforces how smart they were to buy this product. Through PR, that relationship is continuing to blossom.

When the ad stops running:

What we love about ads is the good ones are written and timed to drive a sale, to buy now. So unlike PR, it’s easy to measure the success of your advertising investment because you can control and track when and who sees your ads and measure what they buy as a direct result of the campaign. However, those ads are one-and-done. In other words, the ad pops up as contracted but then it goes away forever. No traces are left behind. Conversely, many PR placements live on in perpetuity. They keep building awareness and credibility long after their initial publication date. They also help boost SEO which can significantly contribute to your brand-building efforts. They are the gift that keeps on giving and the ROI, while hard to measure, continues to deliver over time. 

When you want to establish a relationship beyond simply selling a product:

Because relationships are stronger when there is a deep emotional connection. PR can help position the brand beyond just the product benefits by sharing the founder’s story, establishing the company as a thought leader in a specific area of importance to the target audience, sharing how the product has positively impacted users’ lives, etc. Again, all of this has greater impact and credibility when coming from an outside source. A company touting itself can often fall on deaf ears or have the opposite of the desired effect. However, customers can feel pride and connection when they read about a company they have done business with…reinforcing their decision to purchase and building a deeper connection to the brand.

Since you aren’t paying for the control over timing and messaging with PR placements, it can take time before there is an editorial fit with the outlets you feel best to reach your target audience. Patience. And even when your product is featured, it isn’t always with a “buy now” message which means it may not immediately convert into sales like those finely tuned ads you’re running. Patience. We know those PR features are building awareness and credibility with your target audience and often contributing to those decisions to buy…we just can’t track and measure that influence.  And perhaps most importantly, those PR features can help you move up the ranks of search engines and continue working to build up your brand’s awareness and credibility for weeks, months, and years to come. Patience. Furthermore, you can use PR to establish deeper connections with your customers over time. Patience. Are you solely focused on the sales you can make today? Or are you playing the long game? If you’re building a brand, you’ll want to make sure you have the time, resources, and patience for PR.