While PR has the reputation of being tricky to measure, marketers have made significant progress in solidifying the traditionally dotted line between PR and revenue. Executed strategically and measured thoughtfully, PR programs accelerate your progress toward achieving business goals. Here are five reasons for investing in an education PR campaign.
PR makes your brand relevant
The word “awareness” gets tossed around a lot in relation to PR. As an education marketing agency, we focus more on “relevance.” Gaining exposure for your products or services is pointless if the audience you’re reaching has no need for what you’re selling. Truly effective PR puts your brand in front of interested prospects, making you relevant to their lives.
PR transforms customers into evangelists
You have enthusiastic customers who rave about your products or services. PR can turn them into an army of evangelists who wield far-reaching influence. Consumers trust recommendations from peers far more than any education marketing communication you can throw at them. Often, prospects need only to hear the success stories of others to cement their decision to work with you.
PR helps you keep the customers you already have
Customer retention is important for profitability. PR draws your customers closer, forging a bond that turns into loyalty. Not only will your customers stick around, they’ll be more likely to recommend your brand. It’s easier to grow your revenue when you have a reliable customer base.
PR validates the sales team
Winning a key account is a big deal internally. PR can make it a big deal externally, too. Prospects like to see a record of success, and talking about your wins publicly via PR reassures them that you’re a credible partner. In this way, one sale can lead to the next.
PR is more trackable than ever
Media intelligence platforms, website analytics, CRMs. More business being conducted online means that it’s easier to see the effects of PR. Website traffic isn’t the only measure of your education PR campaign – you can affect consumers’ attitudes and preferences without them ever landing on your site – but it’s a helpful proxy to see if what you’re doing is working.
The process of connecting PR to the bottom line is different for every organization. It takes cooperation, creativity and experimentation. But the reward is worth the effort. PR can be a major force in your education marketing strategy when it comes to delivering leads, closing sales and retaining customers.
Let’s start a conversation about how PR can work for your education, special needs or workforce development organization.
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