Wendy Marx — December 27, 2016 Follow @wendymarx
Not too long ago we did a post on 10 Simple Strategies to Boost Your B2B PR Campaign. We received such tremendous feedback that we decided to give you an even greater strategic advantage that will kick some serious B2B PR butt.
Would the limelight be the answer to your B2B PR prayers? Remember, like we discussed before, PR is not all about media coverage. It’s about the audience. A mention in The New York Times, while a prestigious placement, may not mean squat if the majority of your audience is based in Texas.
Instead, focus your efforts on where you will find the most results. Do a PR deep dive before simply hitting the PR media accelerator. That means understanding who your customers are and what media outlets matter to them. Are there certain killer trade publications that are prestigious in your industry? Will general business media be important to generating more B2B leads? How about regional media and social media? Determine what PR tactics will work the best for your business, and go for it.
A good deal of effective PR is not glamorous limelight — it’s doing basic things that nudge your company’s accomplishments into the public eye. The following are simple, but effective PR tactics that will get your company more of the success you desire.
10 Simple Ways to Empower Your B2B PR Campaign
1. Tweak and Refocus an Article, and Submit It to Multiple Outlets. Don’t submit an identical article to one you’ve already published. Adjust the quotes, the headline, even the slant of the article to make it more unique. An article on 5 Ways to Improve Your Customer Service may become, 5 Deadly Customer Service Mistakes. Same article, different slant.
2. Tell A Story About Your Business. Even the most practical, unsexy business can become interesting if your messaging tells a story. Tell your audience how your product or service makes a difference. A simple headline can have a huge impact on potential B2B leads.
Take, for example, this story-telling headline from Basecamp 3. It takes a traditionally boring organizational software, and transforms it into a familiar story of office chaos — with its solution poised at the ready.
3. Use Calls to Action. Take prospects down your sales funnel with alluring calls to action that bring them to an optimized landing page.
4. Track Your PR. Want to know what works, and what doesn’t? Use a service like Google Analytics to assign tracking codes to your links. You’ll be able to tell which links are most effective, and understand where your traffic is coming from.
5. Partner With Others. Use a service like Buzzsumo to see who is tweeting about a topic similar to yours. Reach out to them. Let them know in advance what you’re up to, and offer to brief them.
6. Get Happy Customers to Talk You Up With Testimonials and Case Studies. Spin these into press releases, articles, videos and Slideshares.
7. Create Compelling Visuals. Make your story come alive with colorful infographics, eye-popping charts, or stunning images.
8. Create Synergy. Partner with someone from a better-known brand, and propel off of their celebrity.
9. Speak Plain English. However complicated your business may be, communication is about clarity, not jargon.
10. Eliminate Hype. Avoid words like amazing, unique, or one of a kind. Let the success of your product or service stand proudly on its own merits, and speak for itself.
It’s essential to define how the brand should be known among a target group of customers.–Lee Odden
A Few Key Points to Keep in Mind…
- Tell your company’s story throughout your messaging.
- Use attractive calls to action to get prospects down your sales funnel.
- Don’t forget to include compelling visuals in throughout your content.
- Skip the jargon, and use plain, everyday English.
There you have it — 10 simple methods that are proven to work. Whether your company is small or large, boring or sexy, you can give your PR campaign the boost it needs, and expand the scope of your success.
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