TIGER Talk Recap: No News? No Problem — Get Creative to Build PR Momentum

Written by Innovate New Albany@InnovateNA8 years ago

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Every business wants ongoing positive media exposure, but to get it, you must take an integrative approach that combines both public relations and social media strategies.

Heather Whaling, founder and president of Geben Communication, presented “No News? No Problem — Get Creative to Build PR Momentum” at Innovate New Albany’s March 3 TIGER Talk. TIGER Talks are offered free of charge each month to educate business owners on technology, innovation, growth, entrepreneurship and responsibility.

Heather explained that the public relations (PR) toolbox traditionally included media relations, community relations, internal communications, public affairs, event management, and crisis communication. Social media and content marketing are new PR tools, and are a natural extension since both are grounded in storytelling and media.

No matter the size of your company or the industry, every business gets into a peak and valley cycle of PR. A product launch generates a burst in coverage, but quickly falls off after the hype is over. The challenge is maintaining a steady PR campaign that continues to generate awareness for your company, so you don’t have to start from scratch every time you have a new product or announcement.

Using case studies and examples from her own company’s experience, Heather shared the following suggestions:

Think outside the box.

Think beyond your own product or service, and find the human-interest story that people will connect with. The media won’t promote your business, but they will be interested in content their readers want to hear about.

Expand your event invite list.

If you typically plan a yearly event, expand the invite list to industry influencers and the media so they can better understand what you do, and then share it with the public.

Promote your content.

Don’t just develop content and push it through your own media channels. Develop a promotional plan for each piece to ensure people are going to see it. Have content you can pitch to the media during your “valleys” so there is always something to promote.

Repurpose your content.

If you create a white paper, use it in different ways. Divide it into individual blogs, send it to trade magazines, and pitch it to the media.

Tie your PR efforts to sales.

If you can align your PR efforts with company sales goals, it will be better accepted internally and help the company grow faster. Be conscious of your pipeline, and know how much you need to put through your sales funnel to get the conversion your company wants.

Use social media and PR for social listening.

Develop Twitter lists composed of reporters you want to talk to and keywords you want to monitor. This makes it easier to catch trends and nurture your relationship with media contacts by giving them what they are asking for.

Measure your results.

Some types of campaigns are easier to measure than others, but monitor metrics like referral traffic, website hits, bounce rates, and social media insights to determine if what you are doing is working.

PR and social media are most effective when you can create ongoing awareness of your business. For more information about Geben Communication or creating news for your business, visit their website or contact Heather at heather@gebencommunication.com.

Innovate New Albany, the city’s incubator for technology startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses, features 16,000 square feet of space within the New Albany Business Park’s Signature Office Building, 8000 Walton Parkway.