Even after a company has prepared a well-rounded content marketing strategy, there are always ways to make it even more efficient, for example, by using public relations.
We’re always striving to get the most out of any marketing strategy we help create for our clients.
According to Content Marketing Institute’s Paul Roetzer, streamlining content with a public relations (PR) strategy can also expand a campaign’s reach and help create even more leads.
Develop a targeted database
First, he explains, you should build a media database and integrate contacts in your customer relationship management system. What you should be looking for is media outlets that are relevant to your industry – everything from online publications and blogs to magazines and business publications. Once you identify the publications, track the journalists’ contacts via phone calls, e-mails and on their social media profiles and make a database of them.
Roetzer does advise, however, to keep in mind that journalists and bloggers alike always have their audience in mind – these people’s job is to provide content their readers find interesting. It would be a waste of both your time and theirs if you hound them with pitches and press releases on topics that are irrelevant to them.
Collaborate and build relationships
Instead, you should let them take the lead to a certain extent. Take editorial calendars, for example; almost every publication has a calendar that you can study and learn from. It might say, for example, that they plan to publish stories on a certain topic in January. If the topic is related to content you have, not only should you approach them but you should also time your communication for the period when it will be most useful.
A relationship with media outlets doesn’t only extend to them writing about you, as it can work the other way around as well. Sites and blogs have no problem publishing stories from outside contributors that are experts in their respective fields. Your executives and marketers can write guest articles on such sites, spreading awareness about your product further as well as providing a new source of traffic. Seek out opportunities for shelved articles and guest posts and make the best of them.
Seize the opportunities
Your partnerships, according to Roetzer, should stretch beyond the media. You should connect and work together with various associations and organisations in your field. When they organise events, find ways to spread your content there. Every opportunity for one of your company’s leaders to speak at an industry event should be grabbed. You’d be addressing your target audience and your content will be showcased from a position of expertise and leadership.
You also shouldn’t underestimate the importance of industry awards. There are events like the Content Marketing Awards that can be invaluable to content strategies. When a campaign is presented with an award for excellence at such a show, its life can be extended, allowing it to reach new audiences.