Marketing and Public Relations (PR) may sound synonymous to many people. Especially with the advent of social media, their lines have become even more blurred. However, there are still differences to expect from the two and understanding what they are can be helpful. This will make creating customer relationships and employing professionals in these fields much easier. Something to keep in mind, though, is that some of the things that separate the two might also be interchangeable between them.

What is Marketing?

Simply put, marketing is about promoting, selling and advocating a business’s goods and services. A marketing team will study the businesses existing customer base and try to expand that to new
demographics. Hence, their goal is to understand the desires of their customers. They design and execute appropriate content, logos, social media posts and website designs that reflect their businesses goals.   

What is Public Relations (PR)?

Public Relation employees work in support of the company’s image.  According to The Muse, PR is by definition, “The professional maintenance of a favorable public image by a company, other organization or famous person.”  The job of the PR team is to maintain a favorable public image that has been achieved through thoughtful marketing and exceptional business practices. In addition to growing new relationships, PR professionals take care to ensure that current positive relationships are maintained.

Marketing vs PR

 Where the Lines Cross

It’s no wonder that with the advent of social media, websites, online review sites and search engines that the lines have blurred between marketing and PR. As a result, many marketing companies focus solely on online marketing outlets. It is especially confusing since both marketing and PR departments use social media as a platform to accomplish their goals. 

“Both marketing and PR play substantive roles in accomplishing corporate goals and objectives. Savvy leaders should learn – and appropriately integrate – marketing and PR into their corporate strategies to better achieve organizational success.” – Linkedin 

Which One is Right for You?

Taking the steps to learn the differences between marketing and PR will help you make informed decisions about your businesses image. Ultimately, though the end result should be the same, producing quality products and services. How you choose to inform consumers about your business may vary depending on the size and need.  A small company may be able to employ someone who can perform both tasks. Whereas a larger company should make sure they have a clearly defined Marketing Team and PR Team.