It often looks like a fit of starts and stops – a press release here, a byline article there, perhaps a few media interviews at a conference, all followed by…silence. This haphazard PR approach is often symptomatic of stretched-thin marketing teams who are struggling to execute on a strategy that ticks all the proverbial boxes but doesn’t result in much to show for. What’s missing? Momentum.
Collective PR Planning Critical
The best PR programs produce collective results that reflect the efforts of a combination of ongoing tactics that drive meaningful results in support of business outcomes. This can be accomplished with a proactive media and analyst relations plan, including frequent communications touchpoints among team leaders to ensure the overall PR strategy is evolving with the business. However, this doesn’t just happen overnight – marketing teams and their PR leaders/agency must collectively plan for ongoing proactive media announcements and engage SMEs ahead of time to ensure proper timing.
Extend Marketing Campaign Activities Through PR
Additionally, if a marketing campaign is planned around a particular initiative – such as a compelling industry research report – the PR team should do more than just issue a press release about the results. Rather, they should pitch contributed articles with a deeper dive and unique analysis on the findings, write a blog post with actionable takeaways, evaluate upcoming conferences for a speaking slot on the research impacts, and develop a helpful infographic for media to use alongside possible story coverage.
The trail of momentum created by cohesive PR plans and initiatives significantly helps elevate an organization’s brand, as well as creates stronger buzz around specific marketing campaigns – which ultimately help drive more sales.