How networking is the key to understanding PR

Written by Cheryl Morris, PR specialist at Creative Word PR

PR is often misunderstood and oversimplified to press releases and media coverage as businesses try to understand how it fits in. However, there are many comparisons that can be drawn between networking and PR. Both centre on building relationships, trust and credibility to create opportunities for businesses to grow.

Visibility and connection are key, and as any good networker will know you cannot expect to walk into an event and come away with sales straight away. It takes time and consistency but with the right approach it can be a huge boost for a business.

Statistics show that companies grow twice as fast with support from strong professional networks with 78 per cent of entrepreneurs attributing business success to networking.

Here is why PR should be thought of in the same way.

Brand building

Just like with networking PR is about telling people about your brand, explaining what you do and raising awareness. In networking you are talking to the people in the room with your pitch.

With PR you are reaching a much wider audience through TV, radio or publications. It is about helping to tell your story and raise the profile of your brand. People can’t buy from you if they haven’t heard from you, so networking helps to tell people within the room what you are about just as PR helps to tell your story to wider audiences in your target market.

Creating trust

People buy from people they like and trust. This is why activities like networking and PR are so essential when growing a business. Unlike other forms of marketing such as websites and social media which are self-promoted, they rely on third party validation.

It isn’t just about what you say about your product or service, but what others think. Networkers will form an impression about you from what you say and do. They will decide whether they like and trust you as you build connections through ongoing attendance and events.

This will then build referral opportunities and in turn could see people talking positively about your brand. This is no different with PR.

Getting featured in publications and broadcast opportunities shows that others are recognising your successes. Unlike advertising the articles will be independently written by journalists making the content an endorsement rather than a sales pitch.

All this activity helps to create a buzz about your brand and build credibility and trust.

It isn’t just about what you know…

Networking is never about just the people in the room. Good networking builds connections, earns trust and understands that a group can also connect you to other opportunities. You don’t know who people you are talking to will know and as you build connections it may throw up multiple opportunities you hadn’t realised were available.

The same power of connection is true for PR. Many journalists are now freelance or work with multiple publications. Building connections with a journalist for one business site could easily open the door for further opportunities.

Many regional publications are connected to national outlets and some with multiple platforms like the BBC which has TV, radio and online news outlets that often share diaries. A story featured in one place could easily get requested to be used elsewhere.

I have often worked with clients who have received further requests from journalists after being featured in one publication or who go on to be requested for additional interviews building a reputation as the go to business for comment on a certain topic.

Adding depth to your touchpoints

Touch points are known in marketing as the points of contact that an organisation has with customers or prospective customers. These could be online, in person, through sales or word of mouth. They build up a picture about a brand, with people rarely buying from a business after hearing about them for the first time. Most people say someone needs to see your product seven times, or have seven touch points, before you convert a prospect into a customer.

PR helps to get people talking about your business and should be seen as one of those touchpoints within a wider marketing strategy.

However, one article can also create many more touch points. It can be used to create content on your website, in your social media or customer newsletter. You can display it in your business for customers to see or form the basis of your networking pitch at events.

Many clients mention a peak in social media engagement when coverage is shared, and I often hear it becomes a topic of conversation for customers or prospects visiting a business.

Just as networking is about more than just what is going on in the room so too is PR with one campaign providing multiple opportunities to create interactions and touch points across your marketing.

Goal orientated

Networking for networking’s sake is like PR without purpose. You will only see results for either activity if you approach them with clear goals in mind. Be clear on what you want to achieve and make sure that your activity is working for you.

With networking it doesn’t always need to be about finding new clients. It could be about making connections with other businesses, meeting people in a new area, advice or support.

For PR, there can also be many aims so make sure you know what you want to achieve so that activity has purpose. It could be about recruitment or increasing your authority in a certain area but being focused and targeted helps to direct your activity so that you are seen in the right place with the right message.

When networking and PR collide

Finally, don’t forget that the two methods also work very well together. Many networking groups, like the Chamber, have their own publications. They offer opportunities to create editorial content which can be shared to widen your network and share your successes.

Featuring in the magazine, newsletters or writing blogs can help to create an icebreaker or conversation starter at events and can also raise your profile before you even entre the room.

People will already know a bit about your business and that content can help to build connections. It means when people are networking if they are asked if they know someone in a particular industry it is your business that is thought of first.

PR is a powerful tool and just like networking is essential in building trust and credibility which can maximise business growth. With many other marketing techniques purely focusing on sales and internal voices it is important to create a network of activity which focuses on building connections and third-party validation.