.st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}

Public Relations

Why building industry companies should work with a public relations agency

 November 22, 2022

By  Madelyn Young

Subscribe

Join our community to get our leading building insights, tips, and strategies delivered right to your inbox!

Should you hire a PR agency, or handle public relations in-house? There are many aspects to consider, so we’d like to share four reasons why building industry companies should work with a public relations agency.

However, before we dive into those reasons, let’s refresh our memories on what precisely public relations involves and what PR agencies do.

What is public relations?

According to PRSA, public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. At its core, public relations is about influencing, engaging and building a relationship with key stakeholders across numerous platforms in order to shape and frame the public perception of an organization.

There are many disciplines or functions within PR, such as Corporate, Crisis, Executive, Internal, Marketing Communications, Media Relations, Content Creation, Events, Social Media, Multimedia, Reputation Management, Speechwriting, and Brand Journalism.

What does a public relations agency do?

PR agency teams help communications and marketing managers build and maintain their company’s reputation through owned, earned, and paid communications.

PR agencies drive brand awareness, interest, preference and, ultimately, sales through sustained engagement, education, and a blend of earned and paid content. Our agency serves as the client’s PR representative to national and regional trade and consumer media, print and digital.

We implement many PR tactics on behalf of, and in partnership with, our building industry clients. These activities or actions help shape the public perception of your brand to build a loyal relationship with your customer base.

 PR tactics might include any combination of the following:

  • Targeted Media Relations: Target, pitch, and build relationships with relevant editors, writers, and influencers.
  • Proactive Media Pitching: Proactively pitch relevant, monthly editorial-calendar opportunities with ongoing, substantive communications with editors.
  • Press Releases: Write and distribute press releases to targeted media outlets.
  • Content Marketing: Write and distribute product, trend, thought-leadership content to relevant print and online media and influencers, both trade and consumer. Other content tactics include Case Studies, Syndicated Feature Articles, Whitepapers, and Speech Writing.
  • Trade Show Media Relations: Arrange appointments for editors and influencers to tour your booth, see new products first-hand, and speak with your product experts. This tactic might also encompass a special media program during the show, such as a press conference, an off-site tour, or a hospitality event.
  • Virtual and In-person Product Launches/Events: From planning to event execution, a PR agency provides the support to ensure your media event runs successfully.
  • Reporting: Detailed reports on all print and online mentions of the brand, its people, or its products. Then execute the most effective opportunities based on those results.

Now that you have a better understanding of what public relations is and what public relations agencies do, let’s look at the four reasons why you should work with a PR agency:

4 Reasons Why You Should Work with a Public Relations Agency

1. You need a partner with a team of specialists to manage PR campaigns successfully

Public Relations is an umbrella term and entails many functions that contribute to a successful outcome; i.e., creating awareness and visibility, as well as driving customers to your door. To implement all the tactics involved in public relations, you need a team with a diverse skill set. A successful PR team would include strategists, content writers, media relations specialists, data analysts, and more. The truth is many building industry companies struggle or don’t have the budget to attract and retain a complete team of specialists to execute all the tactics involved in a PR campaign.

If you have the resources and expertise to attract multiple specialists, you can do so in-house and supplement where needed. But if you are relying on one or two people to execute everything, you are setting up them, and yourself, to fail. If that is the case, consider working with a PR agency.

2. PR agencies have more (and long-standing) media relationships.

PR agencies have a proven track record. For example, GreenHouse has long-standing relationships with the editors and writers of the top trade and consumer publications in the design and construction industry. These relationships have spurred coverage for our clients through the years, resulting in thousands of print and online placements.

3. PR agencies are more in touch with trends and the media landscape.

A PR agency can recommend the most relevant and effective brand awareness opportunities — both earned and paid — to drive interest through a blend of proven publicity tactics and calls to action. A PR firm will not only be able to use its expertise to develop various new ideas, but will also tailor your content to the special requirements of each platform and publication.

Even better, when working with a PR agency specializing in your industry, they already know — and probably have written about — your industry’s key trends, as well as its most important trade shows, events, and award opportunities. 

4. Access to senior talent that you’re unlikely to have on an in-house team

Many talented communications pros are working on in-house teams. But a PR agency gives you access to entire departments full of talent, including highly experienced senior professionals with the know-how and the contacts to bring your campaigns to life and deliver an excellent return on your PR investment.

Interested in working with a PR agency in 2023? Our team provides award-winning public relations services to our B2B customers. Contact us and book a discovery call to learn more about how we can help.

Subscribe

Join our community to get our leading building insights, tips, and strategies delivered right to your inbox!