Qasim Raza

PR has a New Role in the Marketing Funnel TORONTO, June 7, 2016 /CNW/ - Every marketing and communications plan will discuss the marketing funnel and although it can differ in size and shape, the fundamental stages of every funnel are the same; awareness, consideration, conversion and loyalty/advocacy. Traditionally, PR activities were credited with only sitting at the top stage of the marketing funnel. But with advances in technology and digital tools, PR's role has evolved and now plays a much bigger role throughout the entire marketing funnel. The ways in which audiences consume information has shifted and as a result, PR professionals have had to adapt to this new age customer. This whitepaper from CNW looks at the evolution of PR's role in the marketing funnel and examines how you can use PR strategies and metrics throughout each stage of the marketing funnel and the buyer's journey. The paper examines each of four stages of the marketing funnel,...

Content is King When it comes to growing a business, many organizations look to either a marketing or  public relations strategy  to help reach the right audience. The overall goal of both efforts is to increase brand awareness that  results in quickly growing your business . More often than not, when companies do both and take the  integrated communications approach , it yields the best results. Marketing & PR – A Match Made in Content Heaven At the basic level, marketing is responsible for planning the company’s promotion, from pinpointing a product’s target customer, to researching the market and setting a budget for product launches. When identifying tactics, companies can use several  marketing communications strategies , such as making sure your brand message is consistent, distributing newsletters, designing and creating content calendars and producing white papers and case studies. These tactics, when used correctly, can help increase ...

In-Demand PR Careers Here is a short sample of in-demand PR careers. All job outlook and salary information comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 1.      Public Relations Specialists PR specialists help create and maintain a favorable public image for organizations they represent. That goal is accomplished through tasks like crafting press releases, developing social media programs and helping clients communicate effectively with the public. PR specialists also build relationships with people in the media to influence opinion about a client or company. Public Relations Specialist-PR Careers Job Outlook: Employment of PR specialists is projected to increase 9 percent by 2026. Key factors include how organizations will continue to rely on these professionals for community outreach, as well as the growing use of social media. Salary: The median annual wage for PR specialists is $59,300. 2.      Copywriters Copywr...

Marketing Vs. Corporate Communication TCI does both marketing and corporate communication however, I find that our clients sometimes confuse the two service lines particularly our healthcare clients. Here is a simple way to distinguish the two areas of expertise and as a consumer decide which service could help you and at what times. Both disciplines have important roles to play to grow and strengthen organizations. There is some overlap but the mindset and skills of these two disciplines are different. Someone once said that if you only have a hammer everything looks like a nail. It’s up to the leader to determine the roles of these professionals and employ them at the appropriate times. Most organizations need more than hammers, they need the whole tool kit to reach their goals. A Good Rule of Thumb is… If you want to grow your clients, customers and/or patients, choose the MARKETING TOOL. If you need messaging to build/repair your brand and reputation to your constit...

How communication and marketing roles must change Social media and economic pressures mean PROs and marketing teams cannot continue working in traditional ways. A recent white paper by research firm Kantar suggests that to meet today’s challenges, PR and marketing industries need to introduce new roles, and better ways of measuring effectiveness: The new director of communications and content must understand both traditional public relations and online and social media – and how to connect the two. The new director of marketing and sales will shift away from engaging consumers with content, towards converting them into sales. The new directors must work together to measure the cumulative impact of their collective activities, from end to end. This will drive media monitors to develop new ways to address the evolving data needs. It wasn’t that long ago that the main role of public relations was simply to create awareness among consumers and encourage them to seek...

Content Marketing vs Public Relations (Infographic) Effective communication with customers and audience is a crucial element in order to attract and retain their attention towards your brand at the right time. Since the early days of marketing, one of the primary focus of the business arena is to discover new medium in order to send their message across their wide pool of audience. And as such, T.V, radio and print ads have thrived, and a decade before the turn of the century, dot-coms have also flourished. n terms of usage, content marketing is put to use on  regular basis ; PR often takes place d uring a special event  which can be initiated by the company itself or other parties as well, such as national conventions, fair, etc. In terms of focus, content marketing focuses on creating interesting, entertaining and useful  content that will help its target market  to create a more sound purchase decision. PR on the other h...

The Path to Content Marketing