I recently had the opportunity to spend time with the PRSA Hoosier chapter as a panelist at their January event, “It’s Complicated – The Evolving Relationship Between PR and Marketing.” We had a lively discussion with the sold-out audience of PR and communications pros. What did we learn?

How to Increase Relevance for Marketing, PR and Communications Roles

Our audience was interested in learning how to increase relevance for marketing, PR and communications pros. The first step for anyone, I explained – regardless of department or job title – is to develop a strong understanding of the business outcomes that your client or organization wants.

For most marketing agencies, to increase our role and our relevance, we work to understand how our clients seek growth – how are they planning to align resources to get the best possible outcome? So, for example, are they looking to grow through referrals from a certain type of source? Or are they launching a new service line? Or growing through acquisition?

As we discussed on the panel, once you understand the business direction, you can start doing work to support it.

PR and Marketing Pros Can Help Each Other Create Better Business Outcomes

Our clients expect that we will take their business to the next level. Whether that means recruiting higher caliber candidates or building relationships that drive revenue (or both), we need content to get the job done.

As I shared with the panel, we pursue earned media opportunities, but we don’t limit ourselves to third-party publishers. Self-publishing on a blog or through a guide carries a hefty amount of authoritative weight and absolutely helps us create better business outcomes for our clients.

Here are a few points I shared about the benefits of content for the bottom line:

• The Content Marketing Institute reported that 70% of people would rather learn about a company through articles than an advertisement.

• A study from the Economist Group found that 75% of executives have become selective about the thought leadership they consume.

• After consuming compelling thought leadership, 76% of executives are influenced in their purchasing decisions and 67% of executives would be willing to advocate for that brand.

Reporting on Our Work Helps Everyone See the Big Picture

As an agency, we are accustomed to keeping our clients updated on our work. But for the audience members who work in-house, reporting can be a challenge. This is especially true for those who have a full plate of production work already. Taking time to report on your efforts can feel like another full-time job. But reporting is vital to helping everyone in your organization understand what your team is doing to generate better business outcomes.

Questions? Feel free to reach out directly, katie@ksgilmore.com.