The B2B public relations landscape has changed dramatically in the last 10 years — primarily driven by social media, blogging, and internet connectivity.
Of course, you know this already.
But before dismissing this, please consider an important question raised by these points:
Are you taking full advantage of this new PR world?
In our experience, a lot of companies are still doing things the traditional way. Sure they may be blogging, but their blogs are stuffed with repurposed press releases. Sure they may be on social media, but their Twitter feed is all about the company, not about the audience.
Want to take your online B2B public relations to the next level?
Here are five ways to do just that:
- Social Monitoring – Social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter have had a disruptive effect on “old world” public relations companies. The good news is that they open a window to your competitors, customers, and the media. Like a nosy neighbor, closely observe these three sectors’ online activity and determine how you can best act. Social media tools can make monitoring a lot easier. A few good ones are Hootsuite, Social Mention, and Twitter Analytics. In addition, take an opportunity to cozy up to influencers — people who have the potential to impact your brand by talking you up. A useful tool to help you identify influencers on Twitter is Followerwonk.
- Blogging – The rate at which valuable content is being created has sped up exponentially. In the PR world gone by, you had monthly and quarterly editorial calendars. And while there is still a place for them, you also need to monitor online activity 24/7. Influential bloggers now get content up within an hour. When content is created that quickly, you need to be sure you are part of the story. Monitor key bloggers and reporters online so you can get a jump on any unfolding story. Or write your own take on the breaking news.
World of Openness – The internet has democratized everything we can think of, even down to the relationships that we generate. In the old days, it could take years to generate a relationship with a thought leader. However, with today’s technology, you can follow your favorite writers and industry experts on Twitter, comment on their blog, or friend them on Facebook. It is much easier to establish relationships with these folks than it once was.
World of Openness – The internet has democratized everything we can think of, even down to the relationships that we generate. In the old days, it could take years to generate a relationship with a thought leader. However, with today’s technology, you can follow your favorite writers and industry experts on Twitter, comment on their blog, or friend them on Facebook. It is much easier to establish relationships with these folks than it once was.- SEO – Today, even a small company can potentially be on the front page — of Google that is. Although Google has changed its search algorithms so that it is no longer possible to hoodwink it with search-laden, worthless copy, keywords still do matter — as does quality. That means issuing press releases that are optimized for the search engines. A distribution tool like PR Web or Business Wire can help in that regard.
- Great Content. As the marketing world moves toward a “content-centric” marketing approach, create brief articles, blog posts, presentations, podcasts, videos, newsletters…any type of content that will establish your bona fides and provide value to your clients and prospects. Don’t have the time to do that? Consider hiring an agency to do this for you.
“Hire people who create content by nature, not arm-twisting. You don’t want content creation to be a chore.” ~Mike Volpe, former CMO at Hubspot
Technology advancement has completely reshaped the public relations and media landscape. With the use of blogging, social media, and search engine optimization even small start-up firms can garner significant visibility.
You need to think about which activities you can reasonably do in-house, and which activities can be outsourced to a B2B public relations firm. This division of labor will ensure that you are focusing on your core competencies while the PR firm is focusing on expanding your company’s visibility and reach.
Speaking of visibility… Have you yet to craft your LinkedIn Company Page? As you likely already know, LinkedIn is an incredibly powerful tool for visibility and lead generation, particularly for those of us in the B2B world.
If you’re not sure how to get started, or you just want to beef up your current company page, check out my latest guide, A Visual Guide to Creating the Perfect LinkedIn Company Page. Inside, you’ll receive practical tips from the pros on how to craft killer descriptions, eye-catching images, and pages that generate viable leads.
Grab your FREE copy and get started!
