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Marketers need to connect with audiences so they can captivate potential buyers and inspire loyalty with current customers. And while an argument can be made that truly good content will be sought after and your audience will find you on your own channels, that's not always the case.
Today's customers – more than any generation of buyers before – expect to be entertained on their channels and their terms. They also trust content by influencers and experts 88% more than branded content, according to Nielsen and inPowered MediaLab.
So how can marketers gain influence in this audience-driven marketplace?
As market intelligence firm MarketResearch.com learned, press releases aren’t just for PR anymore. They can help marketers reach new influencers, guide industry conversations, and drive demand generation.
In fact, by distributing press releases that promoted their content, the company increased revenue and brand awareness and delivered 260% more website traffic than all other paid marketing sources combined – including PPC, digital, and other advertising revenues.
If you’ve never considered including press releases in your content marketing strategy, it’s time. It’s also not difficult, with the proper planning.
Follow these five steps to map out a content distribution plan that reaps rewards for your brand.
1. Determine your marketing goals.
PR professionals have long used press releases to reach the media and other influencers. Now it's marketers' turn to jump into this underutilized space.
Think about the goals you want to achieve before you develop a press release game plan. Common marketing goals that releases can help achieve include:
- Gaining influencer attention
- Driving online visibility
- Reaching new audiences through targeting
- Generating leads
- Increasing conversion rates
- Expanding brand presence in social media channels
- Engaging with multimedia
As with other marketing content and channels, the goal(s) you select will inform the rest of your press release strategy.
2. Consider your budget.
Even if you have a generous budget, it's important to use it wisely.
Marketers live and die by results, and for every dollar you spend trying to achieve website traffic, leads, influencer attention, and revenue, you expect to see something in return.
After determining which goals matter most to you, weigh your promotion decisions against them to ensure your actions align with your desired outcome.
For instance, if your performance data indicates that a particular project or piece of content is likely to drive more substantial results, consider alloting more dollars to a series of press releases and a more comprehensive, multimedia-rich distribution.
3. Identify your target persona.
Understanding whom you're targeting is just as important for press releases as it is for paid search ads, blog posts, and other marketing content.
When writing or working with a writer on a press release, identify the following information about your intended audience:
- The tone, language, and content formats that will resonate best with them.
- The geographic, demographic, and industry targeting that will reach them.
- The optimal combination of digital, social, and media channels that will align your content with your audience's preferences.
4. Track attribution to goals.
You've defined your marketing goals, now plan on how you can demonstrate success. Here are some tips to consider:
- Include a call to action tied to your press release's intended goal. This can include guiding your audience to a specific piece of content, campaign landing page, product demo, or your website.
- Use trackable links to gather as much data as you can and sync with your marketing automation program for increased efficiency and effectiveness.
- Use a lead generation form. Consider embedding a lead generation form right into your press release, like Roka Bioscience did to capture webinar registrants.
- Capitalize on built-in reporting. Most press release distribution providers offer complimentary and valuable reporting tools.
5. Make your content go viral.
Maximize your content’s chances by creating a compelling, emotionally inspiring message that meshes well with your brand's image.
You can start by looking at your previous campaigns, identifying what worked well in the past, and emulating it where appropriate. And if you need help on press release specifics, this SlideShare offers best practices for writing releases that get seen in search engines and shared on social.
Never before has there been a greater opportunity to share messages with both established audiences and potential customers.
Press releases can help drive revenue, and that's top of mind for most of us. Your brand has an amazing story to tell – now get out there and let your voice be heard!
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