In the past, marketing professionals would call on the art of media relations when they wanted to create a buzz about something. Today, it’s different as social media allows for marketing professionals to create their own buzz. A blog, a viral campaign and carefully placed posts are just as easy. Therefore, the power has shifted and PR firms no longer need to rely on the media as much. This doesn’t mean that the relationship is redundant, however. Marketing strategists still need to consider media relations for their toolkit for the following reasons:
- Trust
People are still most influenced by those they trust and this includes journalists, bloggers and even influencers. No matter how amazing your blog posts are or how beautifully crafted your Instagram images are, a customer will still trust a third-party opinion over what the brand itself is saying. Therefore, continuing to use media placements by pitching to news publishers, journalists, influencers and press releases will mean that the buzz surrounding a brand won’t be coming just from the brand itself.
- Audience
Media relations has always been used to put a brand before more eyes than it would otherwise have had access to. This hasn’t changed, even in a world now dominated by social media. Now there are more paths to follow than ever before for reaching customers and expanding that customer base and media relations still remains one of the most reliable. For help identifying your audience, ask a Cheltenham PR Agency like targetgroup.co.uk/
- Growth
For a business just starting out, building an online following is a slow and laborious process. Getting some attention, whether paper or digital is often the first significant push that can boost follower numbers, push up website traffic and see an increase in subscriptions. For a great many small businesses, media placement can stimulate growth much faster than if their toolkit had not contained media relations.
- Authority
When a business invests in media relations in their industry area, it makes itself a reputable source and increases its credibility at the same time. Brand awareness rises and potential customers begin to see you as an authority in your field, leading to increased profitability. Over time, as the brand further establishes itself in the sector through being a valuable contributor, journalists are more likely to approach the company when they need reaction to a news story or commentary on industry issues.
- Content struggles
No matter how much time and energy are invested into an ongoing marketing and PR campaign, there will be times when a strategy didn’t work out or content creation and scheduling is delayed, for example. Implementing such a long campaign is time-consuming. This is where media relations come in handy. For businesses with established relations with reporters, industry outlets or influencers, content gaps can be filled with media placements. The business could be included as a source if an upcoming story is a good fit for the brand, for example.
