"Social media is a powerful tool for small businesses in building an audience of passionate, loyal fans."
Welcome to another installment of our Local PR Strategy Series, where we get to learn directly from top industry experts about how you can leverage media attention to grow your local business. I’m your host, Kage Spatz — here to help Local Business Owners, Consultants, & Service Providers extract max value from every hour and marketing dollar invested to serve more customers in 2022.
When or if you’re ready to invest time or money into growing your business this year, you’ll notice right away that hitting your goals will involve several different marketing strategies working together. Today we are here to discuss one of those strategies: Public Relations. Before jumping to the conclusion that this strategy is too expensive, what if you could learn how to earn some local media attention for free? Would you invest a little time to gain some valuable exposure for your business?
That’s where our guest comes in: Today I had the pleasure of talking with Heather Kelly.
Heather Kelly is the CEO and sole owner of Next PR with over 20 years of experience as a PR strategist. With a passion for masterful storytelling, customized campaigns, and efficiently maximizing resources, Kelly has led smart, effective strategies and campaigns for hundreds of companies across dozens of industries. Today’s PR Strategy Series article includes some yet-to-be-published insights from a previous conversation between Heather Kelly & Kage Spatz.
Thank you so much for joining us, let’s dive right in! Before a local business invests time or money in earning publicity, should their PR strategy be based on what they sell and who they sell to? For example, would your PR strategy change much if a client is selling a physical product or has a service-based solution? B2C versus B2B?
Whether you’re selling a physical product or a service isn’t as important as demonstrating how your solution solves your customers’ problems. But when it comes to B2C vs. B2B, there are significant differences in the target audiences and publications, as well as the language you should use.
For example, an HR software provider might want to see its product featured in The New York Times, but if its actual target buyer is reading Workforce Magazine, that’s where our coverage efforts should be spent.
There’s a lot of overlap in the way B2B and B2C buyers shop and purchase; the B2B buying experience has become much more consumerized as business buyers now expect consumer-style ease and convenience. But, the language you’d use for each audience should change.
For B2C, the messaging should be much more personal — like you’re talking to a friend about what the product or service can do for them individually. B2B buyers want a bit more technical information as it raises your credibility. They want to see you’re an expert who understands customer needs.
If you had a business that serves local customers, what 3 media strategies would you use to grow your customer base and why?
Social media is a powerful tool for small businesses in building an audience of passionate, loyal fans. Not only does it allow you to assemble a large audience quickly and reach them in real-time, but it also allows you to have authentic conversations in public view so everyone can see your emphasis on the customer experience or commitment to local causes.
One way local businesses can leverage social media is by running paid ad campaigns on Instagram or Facebook. They can promote new deals, products, or events to target customers in their specific location, and because social media posts are easily sharable, it’s a great way to turn your followers into advocates.
Local publications are also valuable in media outreach. Because coverage is localized, it helps you reach a targeted audience of potential customers who are reading these publications, both online and in print. Local media gives you a unique opportunity to be a voice in trending conversations in your neighborhood.
Finally, broadcast TV/radio provides a huge opportunity for local businesses to reach new customers. In the same way local publications have a targeted captive audience, so does local TV and radio. Plus, it allows you to highlight your brand’s personality and put a face to your company name, allowing local communities to connect with your message on a more personal level.
Great advice! Let’s explore what the next steps would be after a local business has been covered by the media.
What are your “5 Ways To Leverage that Media Coverage To Dramatically Grow Your Business”?
This is exactly where an integrated approach to PR and marketing is key. Media moves so fast today that while you might have hustled to secure a placement, it can disappear quickly if you don’t leverage it to extend its lifecycle. Here are five ways to do that:
- Share it on social media. Post the story to your social channels, tag the reporter and use appropriate hashtags on Twitter and LinkedIn. Encourage employees to share it on their own channels. This extends the reach and gives it life beyond the publishing date. You can even purchase a social ad to promote the article to a specific target audience.
- Post it to your website. Putting the placement in your online pressroom gives the article a much longer shelf life. By leveraging a virtual press room, you can showcase your wins all in one place, making them easily accessible to potential business prospects and future reporters. To garner even more attention, add major coverage to a homepage callout with a logo, banner or even a pop-up, putting your news front and center and linking visitors to the full story.
- Repurpose the content. Start by adding run items to your sales decks and other materials. Showing you have coverage in trusted publications validates your product or service. You can also take the theme of previous coverage and use it as a basis for a blog post, video or other content. Just remember that “repurpose” does not mean “duplicate.” You’ll want to craft an original copy or you’ll find yourself on the wrong side with the reporter, SEO, and copyright law.
- Cross-promote. Major placements can carry major weight with customers. Add links with the outlet’s logo to your email signatures and place it on your social profiles, especially on Twitter and LinkedIn for B2B, and Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for B2C.
- Send your media placement directly to internal and external stakeholders. Don’t let great coverage go unnoticed within your own circles! Email it directly to your board, investors, business partners, and any other external stakeholders, including some metrics around the article like readership and its equivalent advertising value. Send it internally to employees as well through email, your internal newsletter, Slack or Yammer. Include suggested social copy and ask them to share it on their own social channels. Especially for smaller companies, media coverage is exciting for employees and can be a point of pride, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to have your employees share the good news.
Wonderful. Thank you for sharing your insights with our audience!
This article was originally published on Authority Magazine by Kage Spatz. Read more from Authority Magazine.Â
Have you ever implemented any of the strategies mentioned in the article to gain free publicity for your local business? If so, what were the results, and do you have any additional tips to share?
What other creative methods or tactics have you used successfully to generate free publicity for your local business, beyond the ones discussed in the article?
Do you have any specific challenges or obstacles you've encountered when trying to leverage free publicity for your local business? How did you overcome them, and do you have any advice for others facing similar hurdles?
Share your stories, questions, and thoughts in the comment section below!