As someone who works with companies doing content marketing, I’ve had several folks ask about the benefits of doing public relations (PR). Once we lay out the cost of traditional PR services and then explore the company’s actual goals, we usually end up deciding that a well executed content marketing program addresses most of their needs. Typically early stage companies need help telling their story in an organized and compelling way. If their audience is prospective investors, they will want to tell the story of their market opportunity, their unique approach to that market and the fabulous team they have assembled. If their focus is to generate new customers, they will want to talk about the problem(s) they help prospective customers solve and the unique features of their product or service and then allow for a transaction to occur. A great place to start is by asking yourself some basic questions:
- What do you find yourself having to explain most frequently?
- What supporting materials have helped you the most in explaining this idea?
- Who in your company lends the most credibility when speaking to this issue?
- Do you have existing customers that can help speak to the issue?
- What existing assets do you have that add value to the story? What assets should be created?
When companies typically think about doing PR, they are really looking for a new audience and the credibility that a publication can bring to an issue. The trade-off in working with a publication on doing a story means that your desired message has to align with the publications goals and timing. Often that alignment isn’t simpatico. Digital media allows you to accomplish this on your own by creating a sophisticated, informative, contextual, entertaining, search engine optimized piece of content and devising a plan for sharing it through appropriate digital channels. You have the network and now it just needs to be leveraged.
We decided to package up our expertise on content marketing and media and have recently launched a new product we are calling the 3WaysDigital PR Package. It’s not traditional PR but it gives you many of the same benefits. We help you create content, community and cultivate the right set of software tools so your message can be shared in an affordable way. The process allows you to create a lasting digital asset for your company and it serves to introduce your company to trade and local press who will become familiar with your story and more likely to “cover” you.
Contact us if you would like to find out how we can do this for you!
