Media coverage comes in a variety of forms — inclusions in national business outlets, product reviews in trade press or pieces of thought leadership specific to sales verticals. The work, however, doesn’t stop once coverage is secured. One of the keys to maximizing coverage is to use it in digital marketing efforts — extending the life of placements and expanding the audience. Not sure where to start? Here are a few ways to use PR coverage as part of your digital marketing.
Social Media
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to leverage media coverage in digital marketing is via your company’s owned media, including social media channels. By sharing coverage on social networks — like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook — you’ll get more eyes on those pieces, which can help to position your organization as a proactive thought leader. Product coverage is also great third-party validation to share with social followers. While it is brand-heavy, when used in conjunction with thought leadership placements and marketing fodder, product coverage creates a positive mix of messaging for your social channels.
Another way social media can be used in conjunction with media coverage secured by your PR team is by encouraging the rest of your organization to share that content via their own social media channels. This isn’t just a way for employees to show their pride and change-up who’s seeing your content, employee advocacy can actually be more effective than issuing content using company accounts. In fact, content shared socially by employees receives eight times more engagement than content shared by other brand channels. And, brand messages are re-shared 24 times more frequently when distributed by employees vs. a brand.
Paid Media
It’s no secret that paid and earned media are converging; blurring the lines between what’s editorial and what’s an advertisement. While we don’t see a need for earned media going away anytime soon, we do recommend that marketers consider putting dollars behind that earned media coverage. Pieces of coverage that grasp your organization’s messaging or those that rank you as a leader in the space are ideal to promote socially. For example, an article about your organization’s culture could be promoted locally to specific job titles if you’re looking to hire new employees. Or, an inclusion in a roundup of “Best Content Intelligence Tools” could be promoted to content marketers.
Putting a bit of money behind your pieces of coverage on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook extends the reach of those pieces of coverage. The targeting options for these types of ads allow you to expand outside of existing contacts in your CRM, while still reaching niche audiences
Email Drip Campaigns
You likely already have a few email drip campaigns going at once. One for prospects, one for current customers and perhaps one for lapsed customers. As you create content for each campaign, it’s important that each message sent will resonate with its audience. You need the right message at the right time.
Imagine enhancing your email marketing strategy further by incorporating media coverage at strategic junctures. Whether you’re striving to captivate prospects or aiming to upsell to existing customers, a well-timed piece of coverage can serve as a powerful endorsement. For comprehensive solutions to elevate your email marketing game, don’t forget to visit Cactus Mailing Company, where expertise meets innovation, ensuring your messages hit the right chords with your audience. Their expertise in crafting compelling messages and delivering them with precision can be a valuable asset in enhancing your overall email marketing effectiveness.
As the campaign messages are dispersed, consider where media coverage fits into the equation. Articles by third-party sources show brand credibility, validation of product and a competent executive team. When included at the right juncture, each message can validate your product offering to prospects. Trying to get the sale? A piece of coverage on a successful customer use case. Trying to upsell? A thought leadership placement showing increased ROI with increased product functionality. Coverage complements marketing fodder at each stage in the buying/customer cycle.
Looking for more? Download our ebook, “A Short Guide to Maximizing Your Media Coverage” for more ideas on how to extend the impact of media coverage long after it runs.
