If you’ve ever thought that the line between marketing and PR was blurred, you’re not alone. According to new research, 45% of PR, communications, and marketing professionals believe their departments are indistinguishable. 54% believe they will have merged within five years.
In this blog, we’ll provide a quick overview of the key findings of the recent study entitled ‘The Future of PR and Marketing are changing‘. Plus, as we edge closer to 2022, we’ll discuss the ways in which marketing and PR can work together to form the complete communications package.
A blended future
As the statistics above show, many of the study’s 300 respondents sense that public relations and marketing are changing from separate functions to an integrated force.
At the same time, 32% felt that their board/leadership team didn’t understand their function and the value their team brings, which suggests marketing and PR are often regarded as a blended solution.
There was also some crossover in the ways in which each department measures its performance, with reach and impressions being the most popular choice for both.
With all the signs showing that Marketing and PR are converging, let’s take a look at how they can best work together in a coordinated manner to bring about the best results for a business in the new year and beyond.
Work together
It might sound obvious, but one of the easiest ways to have a united voice is to have a united approach. If marketing and PR work as independent entities the fear is you’ll miss out on business opportunities.
For this reason, a great approach is to have PR representatives attend marketing meetings and vice versa. Not only can they feedback about upcoming goals and campaigns to their teams, but they can also help influence them too.
In other words, it will result in collaborative communication campaigns that make the most of every PR and marketing tool available.
Have shared goals
In the same way that a business’s branding should be consistent across all stakeholder touchpoints, so too should the messaging be unified across all communication strategies.
To achieve this, PR and marketing teams should work together to ensure their key messaging is aligned across every conversation and communication.
This collaborative approach should be consistent throughout the year so both departments have shared goals to focus on. This should result in better outcomes for PR initiatives, marketing campaigns, and business-wide goals.
Don’t forget sales
As well as focusing on bringing marketing and PR departments closer together in 2022, don’t forget to also include sales in your goals and strategies for the year ahead. After all, the three departments have the same end goals: boosting revenue and growing the business.
Sales are often closest to the target audience so their feedback on product launches or communication strategies could prove invaluable when planning the next campaign.
Gaining a better understanding of the sales funnel can also help your PR and marketing teams factor in content and campaigns designed to persuade prospects into becoming customers.
Need help shaping your marketing and PR strategy for 2022? A fresh perspective can give you a competitive edge. So, get in touch today for a free marketing consultation.
