PR and Marketing are two separate fields but they really do work together for the benefit of the business.

There are PR practitioners who do not like to consider what they do as marketing and there are marketing practitioners that will deny the connection between what they do with PR.  But as the economy changes, as communication channels change and as developments occur in both fields, it is almost inevitable that the two fields will continue to become even more intertwined.

Public relations involve creating positive image and relations between the business and other entities.  It involves the communication of business values and getting smooth relationships between the business, the media and the public.  But PR, just like marketing has one ultimate goal- the success of the business.  PR is evolving into a practice that really pushes the interest of the business forward, much like what marketing does.  Ultimately the goal is to ensure that the business is profitable.  The methods of achieving this and the process involved in PR and marketing may differ but they share the common goal. 

There is an increasing blur in the line between PR and marketing.  One almost always encroaches in the field of the other and instead of declaring each field exclusive, practitioners of the fields should see that collaboration is the key to both the fields’ success.  Of course there are cases where functions remain exclusive to one field such as market research and consumer studies being exclusive to marketing.  But data gathered from these functions can still be helpful for PR practitioners.  PR holds the exclusive functions to crisis management.  But being there every step of the way, trying to understand what the PR practitioners are doing during crisis situations can also help the marketing team create better marketing plans and campaigns in the future.

At this point, it is important for businesses to really have a common goal for its business communication.  It is also important to experiment and to experience different channels for both marketing and PR.  Social media have become big parts of business communications.  Try them out and see what really works.

As for both the fields of PR and marketing, if you are a small business with no budget for specialists, you can have DIY departments for them.  Do your own marketing and PR is not a new thing, as small businesses really practice them.  To ensure that you have time for all of the tasks, you have the option of hiring a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants can help you implement your PR and marketing plans for your business.  They can help you achieve your goals without going over your budget.

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