PRSA New Professionals

Why PR is Essential to Content Marketing

Lauren Gray 1 Comment

PR and marketing used to be separate. But now more and more of their job responsibilities are starting to overlap.

Image credit to 5wpr.com

Go to a well-known public relations or marketing blog, and you’re sure to see something about content marketing. Content marketing is kind of in the spot social media found itself in a few years ago: no one agrees on who should own it.

I won’t go into my thoughts on the topic, but I will say this: successful content marketing can’t happen without some PR. And while not every marketing team needs a designated PR pro, the team’s success depends on having strong public relations skills.

Good Content Means Nothing Without Good Distribution

Sure, it’s great that you wrote an awesome ebook. But tell me this: how is your company planning on getting people to read it?

Many content marketers say you should spend twice as long promoting a piece of content than you do creating it. That may sound daunting at first,  but think about the ongoing nature of blog promotion. One hour of that promotion may be broken up into creating several one-off shares over the course of a few months.

A rounded content distribution plan might include:

  • Sharing on social media

  • Including links in a company newsletter

  • Syndicating the content on other websites

  • Optimizing the content for shares

  • Personally emailing content to interested contacts

  • Linking to content in guest posts

  • Earning inbound links to the content

  • Getting influencers to share or endorse the content

Those last four bullet points? Yeah, they take some PR savvy.

 

Public Relations for Content Marketing

The most important reason that content marketers need a grasp on PR is the need for relationships. PR pros are experts at building relationships – it’s one foundation of PR as a whole.

Content marketing is a whole lot easier when you have strong relationships with people who can help you get your content out there. It all boils down to knowing how to write a pitch. Let’s look at those bullet points again:

Personally Emailing Contacts

You just wrote a post about something and think several of your contacts would enjoy it. Don’t leave it to chance that they’ll see your social shares of it or find it on their own. There’s nothing wrong with sending a quick email saying you wrote something on a topic they’re interested in. But if you don’t know how to write a good pitch, you may come off sounding more pushy than helpful.

Linking to Content in Guest Posts

Guest blogging can be as valuable for content promotion as it is for personal branding. You can link to content in the body of the post, provided it’s related to what you’re talking about in the post. Or you can highlight specific content in your bio instead of including a link to, say, your blog’s home page.

But once again, to secure great guest blogging gigs, you need to know how to pitch yourself and your writing to relevant outlets.

Earning Inbound Links

Have you ever seen 10+ outlets writing articles about the same company’s recent report or whitepaper? Think about how valuable those links are, especially when they’re from authoritative, high-ranking sources.

Do you think that those publications all just fell upon that data? I’m betting that in most cases, they received a great email from the original company. It probably stressed why the report would be valuable to readers. I’ll also bet that the publications receive pitches like that a lot, and only pay attention to the good ones.

Getting Influencers On Board

I love stories where one tweet boosted a company’s subscribers or conversions by crazy amounts. It may seem like exaggeration, but it happens. Influencers can drive hundreds of visits to a small company’s website. That may be twice as many visits as they usually see.

This kind of success depends on targeting the right influencers and building a relationship with them. Then you need to show them the value in your content. If you spam them, are pushy, or use any other combination of bad pitching tactics, you’re making that success next to impossible for yourself.

So while everyone debates on whether content marketing should fall under marketing or public relations, you can focus on how to combine the two for content success.

What PR tactics do you think are most important in content marketing?

 

710T3ue1Brittany Berger is currently a Digital Content Supervisor at eZanga.com. She graduated from University of Delaware in 2012 majoring in Mass Communication with a public relations focus and minoring in Interactive Media and English. Connect with her on Twitter @bberg1010.

Finding New Diversity in an Increasingly Diverse World

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

There’s a problem in this country. No, it’s not the latest in celebrity break ups. (sorry Hollywood) And it isn’t whether Johnny Football is overrated (hint: he is). No, this problem touches everything, public relations included.

That problem is working with a diverse population. But what makes a population diverse? I guarantee your first thought was race or ethnicity, followed closely by gender or sexual orientation. Yes, you are right. But it is more than just those four points.

Image credit to lvcil.org

Beyond socio-economic status and even religious and cultural viewpoints, there is a side of diversity no one talks about. That unseen and rarely discussed side is disabilities. Whether you have a disability yourself, I can also guarantee this: You know someone with a disability. So look at the issue like you look at Facebook impressions. If you gain three friends to your current 1,000 and one of those three has a disability, the impression of that person can now be relayed to your other thousand-plus friends.

Let’s first clear up what a disability is. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, “an individual with a disability is a person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; OR (2) has a record of such an impairment; OR (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.” [1]

What exactly does this mean for you and the public relations profession? Four things:

1)    There is a vast market that isn’t even considered. According to a report by Christina Ng of ABC World News, one in five Americans have a disability with spending power for this group estimated to range between $200 billion to $500 billion. [2] Quite a hefty purse that isn’t being sought by your client or employer.

2)    Don’t offend one fifth of the American population. This includes those with mental illness, which is included under ADA regulations. Let’s just say Burger King wasn’t up for any awards with the “The King Gone Crazy” campaign. Take a look at their campaign.

3)    People with disabilities have families too. And that is only now in the last couple of years starting to spark some light in the public relations and marketing industry. Carol Cone, then Edelman’s Managing Director for brand and corporate citizenship (now Edelman’s Global Practice Chair, business + social purpose) stated in an Andrew Adam Newman New York Times article from October 2013 regarding a mental illness PSA, “Instead of focusing on a person with the issue, [the PSA] focusing on family members has a lot of resonance because the whole issue of mental illness is about, not just the person who is affected, but rather the whole ecosystem. They’re riveting.” [3] So, you aren’t just targeting and affecting those with disabilities, but their friends and family too.

4)    Finally, and this loops back to number one, commercials dealing and pitching to the disabled can be more than just your average PSA. But most companies just don’t go there. Apart from a few campaigns, such as Guinness’s wheelchair basketball commercial, advocates say the disabled are being left in the marketing dark. For a $200 billion to $500 billion populace, this is astounding.

But it still isn’t exactly perfect yet. In the same World News article, Nadine Vogel, president of Springboard Consulting, a company that consults on how to market to people with disabilities, stated, “In general, nobody is really doing a great job. We could go through every single industry and we could pinpoint where the opportunities are in each and every one and that’s just being ignored.” [2]

I’ve identified the problem turned into an opportunity. Now what are you going to do?

 

Twitter PicWes Trainum is the IT and Social Media Specialist at Bob Ross Auto Group in Centerville, Ohio. Wes graduated from University of Dayton, where he was an active member or PRSSA, and now PRSA. Though dealing with mental illness, Wes still enjoys time spent working in his field and travelling. Continue the conversation with Wes over on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.

New Professionals Week is Just Around the Corner!

Jess Noonan Leave a comment

New Professionals WeekThere’s still time to join in on the New Professional Week festivities. On behalf of the PRSA New Professionals Executive Committee, we’d like to invite you to be a part of our New Professionals Week, November 10-14, 2014.

 

What’s On Tap

#NPPRSA Twitter Chat: Navigating the Future of PR & Marketing
Thursday, November 6, 9-10 p.m. ET

Read more about the event & RSVP here

PRSA Webinar: How Polarizing Scotch Brand, Laphroaig, Built a Social-Centric Global Campaign
Tuesday, November 11, 2:30-4 p.m. ET

Matt Day, social and content strategist for Beam Products, will discuss tips for how to build a global social campaign. Click here to register for the webinar.

Host a Local Chapter Event for New Pros Host a New Pros Happy Hour: 
There’s still time for you and your Chapter to submit an event for New Professionals Week. Some ideas include…

  • Host a New Pros Happy Hour: Invite new pros in your area to a set location for networking, socializing and learning about the resources available and member benefits from PRSA. Allow members to receive a discount on drink tickets (optional). 
  • Host an Educational Panel:  Using a panel of local experts, allow new pros to gain insights into the burgeoning PR industry in your city or help them in launching their early careers. Offer catered breakfast/lunch/drinks (optional) as part of networking before/after the panel.
  • Host a Career Connection:  Connect employers looking for talent in your area with new professionals eager for experience in PR. Hosting a mini-job fair for Chapter members adds great benefit to their membership, enables networking and helps develop new pros to be future leaders within the organization.
  • Host a private showing of a New Pros webinar. During New Pros Week, we feature a national webinar on a topic of interest for new pros. We anticipate the webinar will be held in the afternoon on Monday, Nov. 11. To host a private showing – invite local new pros to an office, bring a bag lunch and have a discussion after the presentation. The playback will also be available through PRSA’s on-demand service, and our guest speaker can be reached throughout the week for questions via Twitter. 

 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact New Professional Programming chairs Hilary or Janelle.  

PRSA 2014 International Conference Highlights

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

This year, the PRSA International Conference was in Washington, D.C. and a few members of the PRSA New Professionals Section executive committee and members of the Section overall were in attendance to give a recap and highlights.

Here are a few key insights shared to #PRSAIcon throughout the conference:


What was your favorite part of this year’s PRSA International Conference?

Why Training for a Half Marathon Will Make You Better at Your Job

Lauren Gray Leave a comment
Image via Thorpe Triathlon

Image via Thorpe Triathlon

I was skeptical at first, too. Running for anything besides the mall during a scarf sale wasn’t something I previously enjoyed, let alone dedicated my precious free time to. But when someone made a bet that I couldn’t run the entire Great Wall of China Half Marathon, I accepted the challenge and got my butt into gear. And after successfully running two half marathons this year, this is what I’ve found:

Image via Thorpe Triathlon

1)   Distance running improves your time management.

When you work at an agency, you learn very quickly that you only have 18 waking hours in the day (give or take a few). Then, as you attempt to squeeze in time for a 9+ mile run, you begin playing a mental game of “The Price Is Right” and become an expert at estimating how long something will take you, to the minute. Need I explain how useful this will be at work?

2)   It forces you to get creative.

Speaking of time; what do you think you think about when you’re running for 60 minutes? Once you get past the torturous part of training, your breathing regulates and your mind is free to wander towards ideas you may have never pondered before. While I am a big advocate in preserving a life outside of work, this is a time when I say just let your thoughts flow. Maybe a song on your playlist or a billboard you jog past sparks a great idea for a client. Or perhaps during this time away from outside pressures you finally unlock a solution to a problem you’ve been having. Either way, you will discover a way to entertain yourself, and it usually isn’t counting pavement squares.

3)   Patience is a muscle that strengthens with use.

It is widely agreed by experts that you shouldn’t increase your mileage by more than half of a mile per week as to avoid injury. With that in mind, when creating your training schedule you must be deliberate, strategic and realistic in setting your goals. Sound anything like creating a PR plan?

You’ll learn that baby-steps, though small, meaningful steps forward. You’ll more easily acknowledge and accept your limits and find ways to work with them rather than try to hide them. Patience is a virtue that is essentially a public relations job requirement. Because we all know, PR is a marathon not a sprint.

4)   Stress (and desserts) are no longer an issue.

Stress is a simple word that for most people causes a lot of anxiety. However, I find that having pre-designated training times throughout the week lets me easily pour out my frustrations on the pavement, helping transform my anger into focused energy (a great skill for the workplace). In fact, I recommend running angry! You’ll run harder, faster and with more determination. And by the end of it, you will be too exhausted to carry that extra baggage all of the way back home, or to the office.

5)   The rule of inertia.

The rule of inertia: every object in a state of uniform motion will remain in that state of motion UNLESS an external force is applied.

Newton was spot on with this one. Get up and get moving! Life isn’t a spectator sport. The more active you become outside of work, the more energy you’ll have during work. It sounds crazy, but it’s true. An active free time will be the external force to propel your career to the next level.

6)   It’ll toughen you up.

Everyone almost brags about how PR is “the most stressful” job, but not a lot of discussion is devoted to the emotional toll PR can have on its greener members. You will face rejection. A lot. Rejection during the application process, rejection from the media, rejection from the client… It’s everywhere, and you’ll need to have a strong sense of self in order to thrive in this business. Distance running will both literally and figuratively thicken your skin and force you to develop a mental toughness that will help the no’s in life just roll off of your shoulder.

7)   The importance of quality time with me, myself and I.

During your training you will spend a lot of time by yourself. Sure you might have a running buddy keep you company every so often, but unless you are one of those fitness freaks of nature (you know the ones, having a full conversation while running uphill in 90 degree heat), the majority of the time will be spent silent with only the sound of your thoughts. You will, by mere force and repetition, truly get to know yourself. And as your run farther and faster, succeeding in your goals, you will learn to trust yourself. This is important. When you trust yourself, you believe in yourself, and we all know how essential confidence is in this profession. You won’t be afraid to share that “stupid idea” or second-guess your writing. You have confidence and trust that what you’re doing is your best. And THAT, is everything.

 

Megan Nicole O'Neal headshotMegan O’Neal graduated from UCLA in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, emphasizing in mass communications. She is currently the PR Coordinator at Marketing Design Group and volunteers with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, freelancing for the public relations department. Connect with her on Twitter @megannenicole.