Blog

What startups need to know about public relations


As a hub for all kinds of investors and entrepreneurs, the UAE is home to businesses of all types, industries and sizes capitalizing on numerous expansion opportunities in the local market and the Middle East region. Particularly, the number of startups in the country, the new testbed for entrepreneurs, is steadily increasing, leading to more innovations and implementation of advanced technologies in the market.

Amid the high competition, startups seek to outpace their rivals while carving a niche and establishing their footprint in the industry where they operate. One of the many ways to do this is to include marketing, advertising and public relations (PR) strategies in their business plans.

With that said, however, it is important to know how one differentiates from the other, specifically, between advertising and PR that tend to be easily mixed up. While they both have similar objectives, PR and advertising operate differently.

PR focuses on building your brand by highlighting its unique identity that your target market can easily relate to, enabling them to make informed decisions why they should choose you over your competitors. As it seeks to establish meaningful and long-lasting relationships with your customers to boost your brand profile, PR operates differently from the pay-and-market scenario that is typical in advertising. Its focus is to build long-lasting customer-brand relationships sustained by trust and confidence which comes from knowing or better understanding of your brand, which are crucial to your success. By getting the attention and winning the loyalty of the right audience, your business is on track to steady growth and development.

In pursuing PR campaigns, be it traditional or digital or both, partnering with a professional agency with a proven record and expertise is vital. The agency works on identifying the proper channels, including the right media partners, with the highest impact, as well as deploying creative and innovative strategies that are both unique and exceptional in the business market. It seeks to make your company stand out from the crowd. For example, to let your target market know about your offerings and why you are the go-to company in your field, your partner agency may deploy digital campaigns and search engine optimization plans to increase your brand presence and reputation online along with consistent and systematic PR campaigns.

PR is vital to creating a lasting brand image. Through the help of a PR expert, startups will benefit immensely by embarking on memorable and engaging PR strategies.