In the fast-paced world of SaaS, PR has long been pigeonholed as a brand awareness function under marketing. However, savvy PR leaders know our role extends far beyond securing media hits — we’re strategic partners that can impact marketing, sales and customer success (CX) motions.
As companies navigate economic shifts and evolving buyer behaviors, PR professionals find themselves at the forefront of shaping narratives that resonate across the entire customer journey. No longer siloed, PR should sit at the intersection of multiple business units, driving value through thoughtful, integrated campaigns.
PR Creates Synergy Between Marketing, Sales and CX
We’re all too familiar with SaaS companies’ struggle to achieve “go-to-market alignment.” Traditionally, it has been viewed as a transactional process.
Marketing generates a high volume of leads through various tactics and campaigns. Those leads are then handed off to the sales team, whose performance is evaluated based on the number of deals they can close. Once a customer is acquired, the baton passes to the CX team, which must nurture loyalty and identify potential upsell opportunities. I told you it’d sound familiar.
So, where does PR fit in? PR should integrate with marketing, sales and CX objectives, as well as develop shared goals and data integration.
Think of your company’s ABM strategy, for example. You likely already have one, and if you don’t, you have a list of top target accounts. By aligning your ABM targets with thought leadership campaigns, you can increase the number of touchpoints with key decision-makers within the accounts your sales team is pursuing. After securing the customer, PR efforts can assist your CX team’s retention goals by securing media coverage that showcases their achievements or spotlights new products and services. Then, they can leverage the coverage as a tool for upsell opportunities.
This integrated approach fosters synergy across the entire go-to-market team, maximizing the value of your PR investment.
Use PR Wins as Your Go-To-Market Ammo
We’ve usually viewed marketing and PR as top-of-funnel activities, but modern PR has become pivotal as prospects progress throughout the buyer’s journey. When properly leveraged, your PR efforts can be a potent sales enablement tool. Third-party validation from features, customer case studies, or industry awards can accelerate sales cycles.
Moreover, if you’re integrating your PR program into your ABM efforts, as you should be, you can attract the attention of key accounts by highlighting them in contributed content placements, podcast interviews or ghostwritten LinkedIn posts.
But your efforts shouldn’t stop at placements. PR professionals should arm their client’s sales team with compelling emails that use media coverage to initiate conversations with target accounts. These storylines foster credibility, and if the coverage focuses on how your client is addressing a critical problem in the market, give customers a sneak peek into the value they can deliver.
For SaaS companies, few assets are as powerful as customer stories. By skillfully capturing customer successes in media coverage, PR teams equip CX managers with tools to nurture relationships and identify upsell opportunities.
Imagine a customer featured in a target vertical publication, speaking to the measurable impact your solution has driven. An example is Cordial’s case study with Bob’s Discount Furniture on how the furniture retailer used Cordial’s omnichannel orchestration to reduce ‘frankenstacks’ and increase automation. Our team’s pitching efforts resulted in a standout piece of coverage in Furniture World.
Once the coverage is live, draft a LinkedIn post tagging the customer, highlighting their successes and thanking them for being a customer. Or craft an email for your client’s CX manager to reach out to the customer or a BDR to engage a prospect in a similar industry.
As the lines between departments continue to blur, PR’s influence will only grow. By bridging silos and elevating customer voices, PR can become an indispensable part of a company’s go-to-market efforts spanning the entire customer lifecycle.
The most successful SaaS leaders will recognize this shift, empowering PR to guide cross-functional collaboration and shape meaningful connections that ultimately boost the bottom line. Want to learn more about how PR can become a strategic partner to your business? Let’s chat.