A new survey reveals something else that sales and marketing can argue about -- the ability of public relations to generate sales leads.
The survey of 100 sales and marketing professionals was conducted by Launch Pad, an analytical marketing consulting firm on behalf of SHIFT Communications, a PR firm.
Here's a few survey highlights:
37 percent of survey respondents who are in Sales believe “lead generation” is an essential function of PR. However, only 16 percent of Marketing professionals – fewer than half of the respondents from Sales – believe a primary goal of PR is to directly generate leads.
74 percent of respondents believe PR and "word of mouth" are more effective than advertising at generating sales leads.
Only 30 percent of all respondents believe lead generation is a function of PR, yet 49 percent of survey takers said the best measure of Public Relations success is the generation of more or better sales leads. This clear disconnect means sales leads from PR are highly valued – and yet not expected by the majority of survey takers.
More data on their blog PR Squared
Do you agree with these findings?
Should PR play a role in lead generation? Why or Why not?
When it Comes to PR, a “Perception Gap” Exists Between Marketing & Sales Executives
On 1/21/2005 MarketingSherpa covered the study too
Startling Survey Results: Sales Execs Rate PR's Importance Much Higher Than Marketing Execs Do
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