[New Post] Content We Love: Esurance Scores Social and Earned Media Win During Big Game

 

Blogs

Content We Love: Esurance Scores Social and Earned Media Win During Big Game Priscilla Ramirez Last weekend, more than 110 million viewers — football fans and non-fans alike — tuned into the NFL Championship Game, the most-watched sporting event of the year and the third most-watched television broadcast in U.S. history. Whether you were among those who celebrated their team's victory, grieved at defeat or didn't even know who competed, you likely stuck around for the commercials, which are among the most anticipated of the year. For some, watching the commercials is a bigger tradition than the big game itself. These commercials aren’t just a paid media opportunity, though. With so much attention placed on the game, companies can also score big on social and earned media channels. For days after the game, media outlets and influencers (advertising, entertainment and general media alike) discuss which ads worked, which didn’t, and the results they generated for their brands. Previously featured on Content We Love for their #EqualDreams campaign, Esurance once again lands in the spotlight with how they took the multichannel promotion of their Pass It On Sweepstakes to a whole new level before, during and after the big game. Esurance’s pre- and post-game commercials featured various scenarios where people unexpectedly stopped what they were doing to catch a football made of money. The commercials were a tribute to the Esurance Pass It On Sweepstakes, a clever incentive to persuade people to retweet messages from the Esurance Twitter handle using #EsuranceSweepstakes. The sweepstakes, which kicked off Feb. 4, had already selected 16 winners of $50,000. Esurance then surprised viewers with a post-game commercial featuring the hilarious anti-hero of the newly released comic book movie, Deadpool, along with the announcement that they would be giving away a grand prize of $250,000 to one lucky winner, pushing the sweepstakes into overtime. However, Esurance didn’t just limit their post-game promotion to social and television channels. To drive additional online engagement and deliver everything the media would need to cover their story, Esurance packaged images, a dynamic call to action to enter the sweepstakes, and links to their video within this multimedia news release. "Bookending the big game gave us the flexibility to develop a real-time integrated experience and be a part of the conversation before, during and after the game, while also driving awareness of our brand and experience," said Nancy Abraham, Vice President of Integrated Marketing Communications at Esurance. "This event is the biggest media stage of the year and it offers us the opportunity to efficiently reach a very large audience while making them aware that, because of our innovative tools and the experts you can talk with 24/7, Esurance is the smarter choice for insurance in today's modern world." Esurance garnered major recognition by tapping not only into the big game’s media opportunities, but also the Deadpool movie’s all-out marketing blitz. In the end, Esurance’s sweepstakes strategy drove huge engagement and social presence numbers, generating more than 9,000 Tweets per minute at its peak and trending nationally on Twitter. The third quarter saw the most entries with nearly 350,000 people retweeting for chances to win, which helped to bring total mentions of the branded hashtag #EsuranceSweepstakes to nearly 2 million. It also landed Esurance coverage on media outlets, like this CNBC article featuring Esurance as the most talked about big game brand, even though their commercial didn’t run during the game. As we see with this and Esurance’s previously featured content, such success stories demonstrate the company’s ability to leverage a variety of events and news stories to maximize media coverage, brand awareness, and audience action. You too can create content your audience will love. Download our guide Driving Credibility & Success for Your Brand: How to Earn More Media for more tips on crafting a winning PR and marketing strategy. Author Priscilla Ramirez is a customer success representative for channel and advocacy marketing at PR Newswire.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, click on the following link: Unsubscribe

[New Post] 5 Marketing Tips for Quick, Easy, and Effective Content Distribution

what is content distribution

content distribution strategy

blog distribution sites

content distribution channels

content distribution platform

content marketing distribution strategy

content distribution system

content distribution salesforce

Blogs

5 Marketing Tips for Quick, Easy, and Effective Content Distribution Annemaria Nicholson 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!