Let’s face it, right now budgets are tight, yet the pressure is on to consistently connect with your target audience. PR is a great way to stretch your budget and get results. Public relations activities support marketing efforts by focusing on generating “free” media. PR is always an important success factor in any marketing program. One media story about your product can increase sales dramatically. A well-integrated publicity campaign uses many approaches to reach your target audiences.
The majority of PR content should not be promotional. Instead, make it informational to help your targeted audience solve a relevant problem or issue. So, what are the best tools to use in your PR Strategy? Before kicking off your next campaign, think about combining the following elements:
A feature story in Digital or Print
Though securing a feature story in a publication is challenging to secure, there is great value when you’re able to solidify that spot. The secret to landing that top spot? Give the publication a reason to care! Develop a compelling story that readers will care about. From a marketing and content, the opportunity to reuse that material is endless! This makes it worthwhile to put a little extra effort into a front-page piece. Have you got something new and interesting to share with their readers?
Bloggers and Social Media
Your social media presence matters! Promote your message across all platforms. This is a good way to target your specific audience. And unless you want to pay to promote your posts, it is completely free. The key here is to tell a series of good short stories to build an engaged social media audience. Now might also be a good time to simply post about “doing good” to build a positive brand association.
A good old press release
Develop a list of media partners and build a relationship with them. Keep them informed and asking for more. Pro tip: Research current topics they are interested in covering and tie your product announcement to it. This will not only get the attention of your media partners but also their readers!
Direct Email
The key here is to offer a powerful call to action. Present valuable information with your audience that they didn’t even realize they were looking for. It’s important to regularly share relevant, informative content with your audience such as white papers, tips, and articles. Leveraging email marketing
A TV or Radio interview
Have a regional story to tell? Local news is all you need. Think about how your product would be relevant news that editors would be interested in covering for their audience. Turn it into a good story.
In summary, when planned well, public relations can be a valuable tool to establish credibility, enhance reputation, build awareness, and find new customers. Public relations brings a strong return on investment not merely for brand identity, but also for sales. Talk to Nowspeed to find out how we can help you leverage PR strategies to elevate your current lead generation program. Get started by viewing our Digital Advertising Services.
