Generation of leads is a topic that is often at the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to investing in PR. It’s a perfectly reasonable question. In business, we’re regularly taught to look at the return on investment for our expenditure in the form of cold, hard cash.
Well, buckle up, because you might not like what we’re about to tell you. But you (hopefully) know us by now and know that we’re all about transparency, trust and offering genuinely helpful advice. Whether or not that goes down like a lead balloon is another thing entirely.
Here’s the truth. PR isn’t intended to be lead generating. We know… We know. On the surface, it just doesn’t seem to make sense, does it? Why would you go to all that trouble, the time, the research, the investment… if the phone isn’t going to start ringing off the hook when your brand appears in a newspaper or on the radio? What was the point of it all? What will happen then? Granted, that’s a lot of questions. Luckily, there’s one answer for all of them.
Trust, credibility and expert setting.
Allow us to explain. The agenda for public relations activity – whether you are a B2B or a B2C brand, should be to build and maintain a positive image for your franchise, your product and/or services and your teams. This is achieved by connecting on an emotional level with your audiences and – shock, horror – not trying to sell them anything.
Ask yourself this:
- Will people buy your product/service if they don’t know you? Perhaps – albeit with a hefty amount of scepticism and caution
- Will people buy from you if they don’t like you? There’s a possibility, yes, but only if your product or service is absolutely essential to their businesses or lives
- Will people buy from you if they don’t trust you? Not a chance.
Know. Like. Trust. Three magic words.
The way to cultivate all three is by telling your story, solving problems, adding value and letting your audiences into the heart of the business.
Who are you? What do you stand for? What do you hope to achieve and how are you going to do it? What problems or annoyances can you help people to solve before they’ve even bought from you? What advice can you share that will prevent people from making either the same mistakes you once did or completely avoidable ones with just a nugget of your knowledge and experience? What do you do for fun, for charity, for your people and for your communities?
These are the things that people can, and will, pin their loyalties to.
Uncomfortable reading for generation of leads?
So, no, PR isn’t intended to be lead generating. But it will sure as hell set you apart from the competition. It will build trust and credibility for you and you franchise, setting you as the expert in a sea of possibilities. And whether it’s the choice between two oven cleaners, two dog walkers or even to franchise opportunities, you can bet your bottom dollar that ‘know, like, trust’ will be the defining factors in the decision to buy.
And, even more excitingly, once people do (know, like and trust you), they are infinitely more likely to become either long-term or repeat customers, top refers and vocal ambassadors for your brand. That’s something money can’t buy.
How many leads will PR generate? None, probably. How many customer and franchisee conversions will it support and expedite? All of them, probably.
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And, if this has piqued your interest and you fancy a chat about your own PR activity in more detail then get in touch – we absolutely LOVE chatting about this kind of thing. Email lucy@revpr.co.uk or call 07921 572554.