What is product public relations in marketing?

When a potential customer recognizes an issue and starts considering the use of a product or service, it is extremely important that the name of your company, product or service comes up in the mind of the person in charge. Also, if the person in charge and the person making the decision knows about it, you can expect the approval process to proceed smoothly.

In public relations, the dissemination of information that focuses on the products and services provided by a company is called product public relations. In marketing, this is an effective measure to expand awareness of products and services and foster a sense of trust.

This time, we will introduce specific initiatives regarding product public relations.

What is product public relations?

Public relations is different from advertising and sales promotion activities, which are corporate-based information transmission. Public relations is carried out for the purpose of increasing awareness of the company, products, and services and building relationships with stakeholders.

The target audience is primarily the media rather than customers, and information is disseminated from the perspective of media readers. Through communication from third-party media, we aim to raise the target’s awareness and change their attitude.

There are three main types of public relations. There are three types of public relations: company public relations to promote the company as a whole, recruitment public relations for the purpose of recruiting, and product public relations for the purpose of customer expansion. Corporate public relations involves promoting the company to all stakeholders related to the company, including shareholders, job seekers, and customers.

Recruitment information disseminates information to job seekers (mid-career and new graduates) about the working conditions of employees, welfare benefits, and personnel systems. Click here for information on recruitment announcements.

Product public relations disseminates information about products and services provided by a company to potential customers. Specifically, examples include the number of companies that have introduced the service, introductions of those companies, new feature releases, service collaboration, and awards received.

In recent years, with the spread of SNS, it has become possible for users and customers to send out information themselves, and communication from users and customers from sources other than the media has also become more influential. Some companies are creating communities, activating interaction and communication between users and customers, and conducting public relations activities with a stronger communication power.

Product public relations in marketing

Gaining the awareness of potential customers is a very important element in marketing. However, it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of recognition, and it is also difficult to judge the cost-effectiveness of the initiative itself, so it is often separated from advertising and sales promotion activities.

In marketing, product public relations can be expected to increase the awareness of potential customers and change their behavior (actions in response to inquiries) by building a sense of trust. Additionally, in the marketing funnel, you can reach a wide range of people, from latent to actual.

Although it is difficult to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of this approach, there are some companies that have successfully approached it strategically. There is no doubt that a strategic approach to product public relations can be a factor in the success of subsequent marketing activities.

Product public relations efforts

Product public relations efforts can be broadly divided into two types.

① Clarification of objectives, KPI/target setting

First, clarify the purpose of product public relations, set KPI goals, and targets. The purpose is to increase awareness and build trust among prospective customers.

At the beginning of the initiative, it is best to set KPIs based on the number of actions such as the number of contacts with media personnel, the number of contacts acquired, and the number of press releases issued. First, we build relationships with media personnel and secure information for press releases.

In addition, once we have established relationships with media personnel and are able to regularly distribute press releases, we can ensure quality by changing to qualitative evaluations based on the number of media publications and the content published. Masu.

Organize your targets based on product/service personas and customers based on transaction history, list the media your targets are reading, and conduct media research.

Specifically, we read media articles, request media materials, and check user attributes. If it’s a magazine, check the covers of back issues from the past year or two to see which special features have been featured. We will use it for subsequent press release distribution.

② Practice of individual tasks/PDCA

Based on the objectives, KPIs, and targets set in ①, incorporate them into tasks. After that, we will practice the task, manage progress, and measure effectiveness. We will analyze the obtained effects and reflect them in the next action, while implementing the PDCA cycle.

・Building relationships with media personnel We

will have contact with the media personnel listed in ① and aim to build relationships.

Contact media editors and reporters by sending emails to the media. We then ask media representatives what kind of information they are looking for, and we regularly send emails with industry information to build relationships.

・Search for press release information

<br/> We actively communicate with departments related to products and services, such as development and sales, and search for press release information. For development, the information in the press release is new features and collaboration with external services, and for sales, the number of companies that have introduced it and case studies of companies that have introduced it are the information in the press release.

In addition, in marketing, if a survey is published or an event is held, this information becomes press release information.

・Creating a press release

<br/> It is important to create a press release in a way that is easy for media personnel to understand and want to cover it, not only for product public relations but also for public relations.

Prepare material images in anticipation of posting on web media and disseminating on SNS.

・Approaching the media

<br/> After creating a press release, we will contact the media. In this case, we will use different contact methods depending on the importance of the press release. If the information is important to the company, we will directly email or call the person in charge of the media to encourage them to cover it. If the information is not too important for a company, we will post it to the media’s press release desk.

product public relations hack

① Pattern press release

As the amount of press release content increases, you can create a pattern of the content and stock up on the base text.

When it comes time to send a press release, it can be prepared in a short time, reducing man-hours and allowing you to send out a press release efficiently.

If it is a SaaS service, you can create patterns such as the number of companies that have introduced it, case studies of companies that have introduced it, releases of new features, service collaboration, awards, etc.

② Utilize published content as content

If your work is covered by the media, we will actively use it as content. We will post it on our company homepage, service site, and on SNS. We will also send house lists via e-mail newsletter.

Furthermore, it can be introduced as a media record in sales materials and pamphlets, and can also be used for internal public relations activities.

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