Good news! A recent AdAge article lauds 2016 as the year public relations moves beyond its supported role in the marketing mix and is poised to take center stage. The driving point behind this shift? The more integrated marketing campaigns become, the more important public relations becomes. Here’s how an ongoing public relations program can boost your marketing ROI in 2016 and beyond:
Enhance your expert positioning
An ongoing public relations program can help your company’s or cause’s spokespersons become a go-to source for media and increase your share of voice. Ensuring your PR program includes a mix of bylined/expert articles, statements on timely topics and trends, and press releases highlighting new products, services and enhancements, can also demonstrate to clients and prospects that your company is a frontrunner in the industry.
Feed the content beast
An ongoing public relations program can also play a lead role in helping to feed the content beast. Press releases can often be repurposed into an optimized blog post and a bylined article that shares “10 Tips” can serve as fodder for 10 individual tweets that link back to the full article in your online newsroom. You do have an online newsroom, right? If not, now is the time to add a newsroom to your website because…
Public relations is good for your organic SEO
A key component of an effective PR program is online distribution. In addition to securing feature articles in traditional print and broadcast media, it is important to make sure your news can be found by web surfing prospective clients. Distributing your news releases via the web is also good for your organic SEO. And, it gives you an additional page of content to add to the newsroom on your website. With 55 percent of journalists visiting online newsrooms each week, and 45 percent each month, online news distribution should play an integral role in your overall PR program.
Staying on the radars of clients and prospects
Beyond sharing your news with local, regional, national and trade media, it is important to keep both existing and prospective clients up-to-date about your company or cause. In addition to sharing your news on social media, seek opportunities to weave this content into your email marketing. When possible, provide opportunities for subscribers to share your news via their own social networks to increase your reach. Further, your development or sales teams can use the content from your public relations to enhance personalized follow-up emails and drive traffic back to your website by including links to your online newsroom.
Establishing an ongoing public relations program allows companies and causes to maintain a consistent media presence and enhance their expert positioning. It also provides a consistent stream of content to support social media marketing and though leadership assets to share during the sales cycle. Whether you are looking to expand your existing public relations program or launch your first proactive media relations program, Co-Communications can help. Contact us today.
