May 1 2023
It’s no secret that the rise of social media and content marketing has made it easier to connect and engage directly with your target audience. However, as consumers become increasingly more skeptical of marketing tactics and spin, third-party validation in the form of media coverage can be the perfect complement to further amplify the reach and impact of your content.
If you’re hoping to earn brand awareness, thought leadership and lead generation, it’s the integrated strategy that ultimately determines the level of success. Through PR, businesses can pitch their content to media outlets, bloggers and influencers who can share it with their audiences, resulting in increased visibility and credibility. Additionally, PR can help create buzz around your content, generating interest and engagement among key audiences.
As public relations professionals, particularly for any of us that began as journalists, we know the ability to provide insight and value to the work a reporter does to tell a story is truly where the magic begins. In addition to utilizing earned media strategies, here are four ways PR can reinforce your content marketing efforts.
Your business likely houses some of the most passionate, intelligent and insightful representatives in your field, but your customers may rarely see the faces behind the products and services you offer. With so much competition in the industry, even a well-crafted ad conveying that your offering is the best won’t cut through the noise. Working to position yourself and your leadership team as authority figures in the field by showcasing expertise where your audience is already paying attention is a great place to start. This can be done through outlets like newspapers, podcasts, magazines or morning TV shows that can promote your brand to the right audience. This could be as simple as an insightful article in a niche publication, which often holds a more potent pool of leads than a national one because you’ve narrowed your audience to a specific group of people.
As business leaders, we know all too well that word-of-mouth can be an exceptionally impactful way to gain the attention of your audience. When people get overwhelmed with the number of options for a particular service, they often turn to friends and reviews to help them make the right decision. A strategically curated campaign that appears in all of the right places can even fall flat when word-of-mouth is lacking or negative. Keeping a pulse on how your business appears online to its potential customers by monitoring conversations and proactively engaging is the PR practice of reputation management. From connecting with micro-influencers to developing new ways for the positive voices to get louder, your online reflection goes beyond your social content calendars.
When your audience is scouring the internet to make the right decision, your reviews, your Google My Business profile page and your website will all factor into this crucial choice; ensure they portray an accurate representation of the quality of your work.
In a technological world, voices leave traces that can collectively be gathered and analyzed for greater insight into the climate surrounding a particular issue. Introducing social listening practices is another excellent way to reach your desired audience as it allows you to understand the current sentiment surrounding your brand and industry, giving you an advantage to better connect with content that resonates. Content marketing platforms like Hootsuite and Sprout Social, as well as PR platforms like Muck Rack, offer measurable data so you have a greater understanding of your competition and where your company fits in the marketplace. Compiling a competitor analysis report in addition to conducting customer surveys can provide your brand with well-rounded indicators of how to best proceed in certain areas. The data also lends itself well to better storytelling by strategically incorporating what connects customers with the more human side of your business.
PR Improves SEOOnce you’ve poured time and resources into establishing your brand’s employees as thought leaders, built up your credibility and curated stories that resonate with your audience, it all would be a waste of time if your potential leads couldn’t find you. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most vital aspects of marketing to lead to a thriving business. With a thorough evaluation of the website content, layout, organization and page speed of your business, you’ll be able to curate a user-friendly experience that showcases the best parts of your brand and improves your website’s authority with search engines.
Make a plan to consistently update your website content with keywords, media outreach and press releases. This will help you improve your brand’s online image and amplify company news with localized outreach and popular search terms to simultaneously improve your SEO and boost brand awareness.
When it comes to content marketing, a strong public relations strategy combines a multitude of tools that act as the foundational pillars required for your company’s success. By identifying and drawing out the thought leaders within your company, building credibility, leveraging data to create compelling stories and ensuring your existing online presence is well-saturated and aesthetically pleasing, you’ll have a multifaceted and winning strategy.
