How #PR Can Subvert The Traditional "Marketing Funnel" [Abbott Media Group]

Public Relations is not Marketing, nor is it Advertising. It's actually better. The traditional "Marketing Funnel" consists of leading people to an Awareness of a brand, then to their Interest in it, followed by Conversion (a Purchase) then Brand Loyalty, which leads to Advocacy of your brand by the loyal customers.

Which is all good, and it tends to drag customers through the process effectively, when implemented correctly. But it can be time-consuming and every step in the process must be followed with the next step in order for it to be effective.

Advertising is also different from Public Relations, and from Marketing. For example, advertisers often want to go from Awareness directly to a quick sale, which can lead to crass, high-pressure appeals.

Note that I'm not saying there's anything WRONG with Marketing or Advertising as concepts or business practices. Both are critical to understanding consumer behavior and directing them towards becoming happy and loyal customers.

But with Public Relations, we have a way in which we can "short circuit" this process, and possibly make it more effective. If such a system existed, wouldn't businesses want to employ it, alongside traditional methods?

Here's how:

In PR, awareness of your brand's Good Deeds and/or its commitment to its Mission and Core Values can lead directly to people becoming brand Advocates, especially online, leading to them become Loyal customers.

We've seen this over and over again online, in which a poster on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram reacts to a positive action by a company, and says, "Great move! I want to do business with a company like this!" When the poster is a known figure, you have achieved a degree of social proof - an Influencer who directs others to buy and support a brand. This is priceless, and can do more for a brand than a thousand TV or radio ads.

Consider letting Abbott Media Group use social media and PR communications tools to build positive awareness of your brand!