Advertising vs. Public Relations

What is the most effective way to getting the word out about your business? Advertising? Or public relations?

To answer this question we need to understand the difference between both terms – even though they are very similar – they are actually very different.

With advertising you are buying ad space and you have full control of what the ad will say. As long as your budget allows you to – you can promote your ad.

With PR your focus is on getting free publicity for your business – The options to do this are unlimited. You are not locked down to ad space. It’s your ability to create a buzz about your business via the media or by any other “third party”.

Which one is better?

Philip Cutler writes that companies, small businesses or anyone who is looking to get the word out about their business should be focusing on Public Relations.

Why is that?

Because with PR you have the option to be creative and this creativity is not limited to just writing creative words on an ad space.

This creativity is all about putting your self out there and promoting your business – people see who you are and they can see and learn more about your business then just from an ad space.

Public Relations according to Cutler is more effective because it is not limited to a budget. It’s harder work but it can produce better results in the long run.

If you are looking to build up a brand then you need to get attention. If we look at how eBay, Amazon and other companies became known it was because the media spoke about them and they were mentioned in the newspapers. This is how the masses heard about these companies.

Here are some ideas for running a Public Relations campaign:

- Publications

- Attending events

- Press releases, getting the media to promote your business

- Community affairs

- Lobbying

So how do you get the media to look at your business? The very simple and basic rule is that when you have something unique and different the media will show interest.

If they are not looking your way then you need to start picking up the phone and make some calls. There is an old saying that goes like this: “The wheel that squeaks the most – gets the most oil” - sometimes in life you need to be a little pushy to get some attention !