Ericka Lewis
The inbound marketing revolution has changed the game of public relations. Gone are the days when publicists were condemned to make that unwanted cold call or write that not-so-newsworthy press release. Thanks to inbound marketing, PR is now more sophisticated and powerful.
Inbound marketing is all about creating items of value to be found and wanted as opposed to blatantly selling, annoying, and harassing your leads and prospects with unwanted marketing. But any items of value, no matter how remarkable, are created in vain without the right channels to reach the target audience. PR is exactly the tool for this.
If you don't have a PR component to your inbound marketing strategy, you're missing out on:
1. Increasing Brand Recognition
Great content from your everyday inbound marketing pursuits can bolster your PR efforts. Consistently releasing valuable content and appearing on credible outlets can lead to greater brand recognition. Adding a PR component to your inbound marketing plan is a fast track to becoming the trusted familiar face and becoming closely associated to the goings on and the who's who in your industry.
Publishing your content on credible channels will also boost your brand image. As you become closely associated with trusted names, you will also be building your own credibility and trustworthiness.
2. Building Relationships
Inbound marketing gives PR the perfect tools for establishing credibility and reaching the appropriate audience. According to research, 82% of consumers like reading content from brands when it's relevant to them. This makes producing high-quality content key to establishing rapport with your target audience, as well as nurturing your relationship with them.
However, producing great content is only half the battle; you also have to find relevant quality channels with the right audience for distribution. A solid PR strategy is your compass and bridge to these channels.
3. Opening New Channels and Reaching New Audiences
PR can open new channels for your content and discover new audiences that would've otherwise been complete strangers to your brand and work. Expanding the reach of your content by opening new outlets for your content takes dedication when it comes to the creation of compelling content. After all, the web is saturated with a plethora of both good and bad content -- the last thing a good publishing outlet needs is just another lackluster piece of content to publish.
By opening up new channels for your content, you're multiplying your lead generation possibilities, and introducing your brand to a whole new set of prospects.
4. Reporting and Analysis
With traditional PR, it was almost impossible to track campaign success. This also meant that it was difficult to re-evaluate strategies and implement necessary changes. PR coupled with inbound marketing, however, tells a completely different story. Because analytics, social metrics, and lead tracking are all big components of inbound marketing strategies, you can track the success of your PR campaigns.
For instance, you can use keyword tracking to check the success of your published content. At the same time, clicks to your website are measurable and you are able to track which outlets they came from. Similarly, you can track mentions and viewership, as well as email open rates and social engagement. More importantly, you have an intimate view of the attitude of your audience towards your campaigns, and get a valuable insight on their perception of your brand and campaigns.
With online PR integrated in your inbound marketing strategy, you can now give your clients exposure in a variety of different outlets and easily track the process and success of your PR campaigns. Ensuring that the content you publish is of value and interest to your audience is a great asset to building the type of client/audience relationships that lasts.
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