Content marketing and public relations are “in the family” you might say, each a distinctive marketing tool within the broader strategy of brand communications.
However, like most family members, they have their similarities and their differences: each come to the family marketing reunion with their very distinct benefits and challenges.
Which should you use? Both, really, but the how, when, and why depends on your resources and goals.
Content Marketing: Capitalizing the “C” in Control
Content marketing (CM) delivers your message with a high degree of control, putting your expertise where you want when you want it there. Sounds good, right? It is, without a doubt. Hubspot.com statistics confirm 82 percent of marketers use CM as part of their strategy.
The Ups and the Downs
The downside is CM is a paid effort. It costs cash, and the outlay can certainly put a crimp in your marketing budget (hmmm…just like some of our more rambunctious family members – am I right?). More critically, your message is out in the marketplace, but the “sponsored content” tag can be a reminder to the reader that this is a purchased message. Really though, paid content has become so universal in our digital landscape that readers have certainly become much more accepting and receptive.
Content marketing is an important digital marketing strategy – it delivers a starting point that allows you to connect directly with your potential customers. The paid campaign is designed to get your content, your name, and your message in front of the eyes you’d most like to see it. So there are some solid upsides here, including a high degree of control over the content and placement of the message. Clearly a hard-working member of the marketing and communications “family!”
However, there is what we like to call the “family favorite” (and of course we’re biased, we’re a public relations agency!) – one which is often considered the Holy Grail of marketing: earned media coverage.
Earned Media – What’s in a Name?
First of all – what does the term “earned media” mean – and why is it important?
Earned media coverage is simply, the successful output of a public relations campaign. It is called “earned” media coverage because a journalist chooses to include your client, your client’s expertise, product, solution or milestone in their published story. There is no charge for earned media – but like most of the best “free” things in life – the cost comes in effort and excellence in that effort.]
You will absolutely pay for that coverage in your own “elbow grease” in the form of outreach, or the costs incurred in having a professional agency do the work for you).
Credibility is the Name of this Game
So why is earned media coverage, as we so humbly refer to it as the public relations Holy Grail result – so valued?
Plain and simple, the answer is credibility. The idea of having an independent journalist, writing for an established (or emerging!) media outlet, relying on the experience and expertise of your company, story, or executive in their story is a credibility no amount of money can buy. In family terms (oh yes, once again) – it’s the credibility of a disinterested third party naming your family as “amazing” – as opposed to the glowing things your mom writes in the annual holiday newsletter.
Public Relations and Media Coverage: the Great Equalizer
To take it a step further, earned media coverage by accredited journalists is a great equalizer. For example, our agency team has gotten brand new startups featured in global media stories, right along with Fortune 500 companies. If you have what it takes to help a journalist’s story, you have a fair shot of earning digital ink in publications that your budget could never buy your way into.
Because it is credible in the eyes of the marketplace, the digital work and its gatekeepers love earned media as well. Published articles index quickly across the major search engines – and can be discoverable and linked to your company for literally years.
Oh But There’s a Catch
Digital ink is an adaptation of the cautionary phrase “The Internet is Forever,” – just like those awful high school yearbook photos your family keeps on the family picture wall.
In an impermanent world, the months - even years - in which your inclusion as an expert in a feature article will live on the web is the closest thing to eternity we have in the world of marketing.
Once published, the references to your company, professional, or experience will live on the web, indexed by major search engines – to help potential customers, partners, investors, and more find their way to you. Media coverage, which can be amplified by other outlets referencing your expertise as outlined in the original article, can differentiate you from your competition, set you on a pedestal as an industry expert, and help provide a continuity of presence prospective partners value.
Despite the fact that PR is so valued and valuable, some entities do not actively pursue the strategy. There are a variety of valid reasons for their decision.
The Big Three of Earned Media
Time
First, PR takes time. It takes time for PR pros to strategically pitch your story and build media relationships. It takes time for executives and subject matter experts to speak with journalists, to provide information for articles, and to share insights and developments with their marketing team or PR agency. PR is definitely not a “set it and forget it” marketing strategy.
Money
Second, it takes money. While there are successful strategies for DIY public relations campaigns - which can be a great tool for early-stage entrepreneurs - the reality is the number of hours needed to build a public relations campaign and earn media traction often means a dedicated PR or marketing professional needs to man the helm. If time is money, then the hours needed for a campaign is an investment indeed - albeit one that can pay off handsomely.
It’s the Long Game
Third, it’s a long-range strategy. Results take time. Many companies rely on PR for selected projects, such as a new product, new leadership, or crisis control, the best use of PR is in building long-term relationships and being steadily and consistently engaged with journalists. Relationships matter. A “stop and start” approach to PR means you never get beyond the “getting to know you” stage with key media.
The other Big Benefit: Launching Prospects into the Conversion Funnel
Finally, PR and earned media coverage are the “starter kit” for your conversion funnel. Reading about a company is often the first step for a prospective partner to get acquainted with your offerings. From there, a website visit, newsletter signup, or a follow on social media may lead to a beginning of a digital relationship and a step into the conversion funnel from a trusted source.
Public relations is an extraordinarily inviting opportunity, but the process does require dues to be paid in terms of money, time, and commitment, to recoup the benefits of positive exposure, thought leadership, and engagement. We hope one day you join the “family” of enterprises and entrepreneurs leveraging the power of earned media coverage to drive your business success.
Questions? Want to know more? Feel free to email us at pam@prapublicrelations.com – or sign up for our free, information-packed 15 FREE - a 15-minute chat session where you can ask ANYTHING about pr and we’ll answer. Click here to get started.