Friends with benefits: How public relations puts your pals on a pedestal

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Our recent media success shows that your positive news helps your clients, colleagues and suppliers feel great

With public relations your business anjoys many  benefits as doo your trusted business friend and partnersSOMETIMES in business it pays to have friends with benefits.

Now, now. Please drag your mind out of the gutter because we’re not talking about those kinds of benefits made famous in the romcom starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis.

Nope, we’re talking about genuine business advantages passed along by similar-minded business people who know, like and trust each other.

The old saying insists it’s better to give than to receive and the whole pay it forward movement is built on the premise that those who give selflessly without seeking reward are actually pretty likely to reap benefits in the longer term.

The good news about using public relations for your business is the ability to pass on some of the good stuff to your most trusted friends, partners and suppliers.

How does that work? We like to think of it as  Collateral PR success –  when the media coverage we achieve for your business also shines a very favourable light on one or more of your clients, colleagues or others you do business with.

How your business can pay it forward with public relations

PR coverage by Scottish Agency in Edinburgh Evening NewsWe have countless of examples where PR success for our clients has delivered a welcome boost to others too. We don’t have to dig too deep into our archive of PR success stories to come up with examples.

In the past month we achieved great coverage for Surgeons’ Hall in Edinburgh, revealing that it is to open a new, three-storey events venue in a former language school building which is undergoing a £1.5m refurbishment.

Among the stories we helped tell was how Edinburgh-born Megan Crofts – now a hospital doctor in Bristol – will become the first bride to tie the knot in the new venue, just days after workmen complete the project

The story about her impending nuptials with American fiancé Eric Hewlett caught the imagination of the media, including page three coverage in the Edinburgh Evening News and an extensive spread on the wildly popular Mail Online. It also appeared in various wedding news sites.

PR success for Surgeons Hall also extended to supplier Thomas Johnstone LtdSo delighted was Megan – who was quoted extensively and fully supportive of the news release – that she has now framed the coverage and given it pride of place in her Bristol home, enjoying a keepsake she’ll cherish for years even before her big day.

The coverage has made a client of our client very happy – something which can only serve to improve Megan’s experience with the Royal College of Surgeons.

Yet the paying it forward didn’t stop there. The Royal College were also happy to promote a story about the lead contractors undertaking the refurbishment of the building.

That meant hugely positive coverage for Glasgow fit out specialists Thomas Johnstone Ltd, which featured in influential media, including the business pages of The Herald, The National as well as the Edinburgh Evening News and sector news site, Construction Now.

Bank on more business

Public relations helps businesses deliver benefits to friends 20 APR Banks FriendsNeed another example? We’re happy to oblige. A key aspect of the work we undertake for Banks Group focuses on the businesses which support the developers proposed projects.

Quotes from the owners of these businesses then feature prominently in the media releases and subsequent coverage, often alongside a professional image.

In a recent example, the owner of a Borders based construction firm, Rodger Builders voiced his support for the nearby Banks Renewables development at Birneyknowe.

Not only did this gain positive coverage for Rodger Builders in local Scottish Borders newspapers, but also featured extensively on trade websites – putting the green energy expertise of the construction firm in the shop window for other developers studying the area.

Why you should care about using a public relations agency to pay forward the good stuff

The happier your clients, colleagues and supplier,  the better it is for business, plain and simple.

Good PR in Scotland can help you pass on the benefits of success, while giving your own profile the boost it needs and a huge return on investment, boosting your bottom line.

To find out how the expert public relations team at Holyrood PR in Edinburgh can help your business, phone us on 0131 561 2244 or fill out the simple form below and we’ll get straight back to you.