Daniel Kennedy: The power of public relations

If you believe everything you read, the dark art of PR is well and truly dead – replaced instead by a young, trendy mix of digital PR, link building, pay per click advertising and search engine optimisation.

Daniel Kennedy, director of one of the north of England’s leading PR and marketing agencies begs to differ – and, paraphrasing the always eloquent, Malcolm Tucker wants to tell PR doubters to “*^&$£ right off!”

“The media landscape has changed dramatically since Source first opened its doors back in 2001. Back then PR was well and truly the monarch of the marketing mix and coverage generated on behalf of clients was worth its weight in gold – whether it be a piece in the daily paper you picked up on your way to work or an article in one of the many trade magazines that landed on your office doormat with comforting regularity.

These days, print circulations of magazines and newspapers have dropped off significantly, but the adaptability of the great British media has never been called into question. There are apps, websites and digital editions of what used to be only available in print. And when you throw social media streams into the mix then it’s fair to say more readers than ever before are being reached on a daily basis.

What’s important to recognise about the digital marketing landscape – in particular PPC and SEO – is that it doesn’t build or define a brand, it is simply advertising dressed up for the 21^st century.

Social media also leans heavily towards the advertising ethos, with self-written claims littering the feed of the majority of business pushing their wares on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

And if you’re looking to generate leads for the those searching specifically for a company, its products or services then that’s the way forward. But it’s not the way reputation is born and sealed.

PR has always done that, but today it’s done in a way that gives it a shelf-life of virtually magical proportions.

Online versions of print publications ensure PR stories don’t end up as fish and chip wrappers that are forgotten within hours of being printed. Instead, they stay accessible on the internet for ever more – providing layer upon layer of brand authentication for any business.

And PR doesn’t stop there.

The news stories and articles written and the press coverage achieved provide a rich source of content that can be adapted for social media, Google Ads and, when added to company websites, can provide a massive SEO boost.

Of course, as a PR director, I could just be saying this in the hope that the story I spin will win BuildingTalk readers over and get them to pick up the phone or drop me an email. So, you’ll be pleased to hear I come armed with proof.

Over the years, Sourced has delivered PR, social media, SEO and PPC campaigns for a host of clients in the building sector including, but not limited to – Swifts of Scarborough, Wiremold, Legrand, Electrak, Havells Sylvania, Ellis Patents, Highlife Bathrooms, Bellway Homes, Barratt Homes, Avocet Hardware… the list really does go on and on.”

Of course, the secret of a good PR story is to back up the claims made with a strong, believable quote from an industry expert. Well, here’s what some clients have said about us.

Mark Evans, Legrand: “The quantity and quality of coverage secured by Source’s campaign was vital in raising awareness of our Salamandre trunking. The coverage resulted in a significant number of direct sales leads, which when combined with work done by our cable management sales team, led to sales that have exceeded budget expectations.”

Richard Shaw, Ellis Patents: “Source Marketing is a professional and resourceful team, which has achieved unprecedented levels of coverage for us in relevant technical journals and our local and regional press. This has played a significant part in building the worldwide reputation of our business to the extent that we are now recognised as the world leader in our field. Put simply, Source is a cost-effective way of promoting your business while removing the stress from media relations.”

To find out more about Source visit www.sourcemc.co.uk, call 0113 380 1644 or get in touch with director, Daniel Kennedy directly by sending an e-mail to [email protected]