Many arguments are being made as to the power and relevance of media coverage, given the rise of content marketing. Content marketing is a new communications term, born of the Internet age, which means ‘editorial generated by the company,’ rather than a third-party source, like a reporter.
With all of this conversation going on, it can be hard for a company to know where to start. Do you start by generating your own articles, through a blog or a social media site, or do you start by building your brand through news coverage?
Adding another layer of complexity are customer reviews on sites like Yelp.com and TripAdvisor.com. Durée & Company found a great article on The Huffington Post Business that mirrors our approach to this question.
1) We build great relationships with media and encourage third-party, objective coverage of our clients’ products and services. Like the article references, 85 percent of people make a sales decision after researching editorial and media coverage on a potential purchase. Think about it. When you’re in the market for a service, don’t you want to hear what a trusted reporter or reviewer has to say about it in The Miami Herald or glossy regional magazine?
2) Once we’ve secured coverage (which is at the heart of our talents), we spread the news of that article on the many social media sites that are at our disposal. Taking an article in the Business section of The Palm Beach Post or a photo spread on a social scene website and linking it our client’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and LinkedIn accounts – whew! – are key elements of our services. Our team takes the news further, longer, faster.
3) Finally, we encourage our clients to encourage their patrons to provide unbiased reviews of their experience. If it’s a good experience, share it! If it was a mediocre experience, share how you fixed it. There are no wrong ways to build good PR. Companies that acknowledge that they are working to give their clients the best build more credibility and trustworthiness online than companies that cover up their missteps.
So where to start with any content marketing, i.e. online PR? At the beginning, by garnering glowing media coverage, which is where Durée & Company excels.
