Is your PR agency losing accounts to digital consultancies? Are your retainers shrinking? Are clients asking you to ‘go digital’?
If so, you’re not alone. Most PR agencies are in the same boat.
If you work at such an agency, don’t cry just yet. Instead, listen to your clients and find out the 5 ways you can survive the PR apocalypse.
1. Dominate SEO to Rank #1
Why learn SEO?
“Many of the owned press that we put out (e.g. press releases) are incredibly important for SEO. Along with the organic PR pickup we get, they can be used to achieve higher SEO rankings, helping our clients and companies get the recognition they want.”
- Adam Dalezman, Senior Communications Manager at Synthesio
What’s worked for me?
Optimizing website meta data with target keywords
Google only understands your site’s code. By adding your target keywords in your website’s meta titles and description, you’re telling Google to relate those keywords to that website.
Example: here’s a #1 ranking guest blog post we wrote about “mobile marketing in the education industry.” Noticed how we placed our keywords in the meta title?
Best resources to learn SEO:
Search Engine Land - daily search engine industry news & trends
Moz - tips, tricks, and advice for improving websites and doing better search
FutureMarketer - customized corporate SEO training
2. Conquer Social Media Marketing to Get Press Coverage
Why does social media marketing matter? “Fluency in social media marketing is a must for any PR pro who helps manage a brand or company’s reputation. You don’t have to be a Snapchat guru, but you do need to understand the nuances of the various channels in order to make informed decisions about where killer, “thumb stopping” content best resides. And most importantly, you need to be part of the customer conversation and be able to respond quickly.”
- Trevor Hale, global communications executive based in Hong Kong
What’s worked at my company?
Using live video to publish instant, authentic content
Instead of hosting press conferences, we host #HappyHour Facebook Live sessions where our Managing Partners share their insights on breaking news in the digital world. This approach helps us secure media coverage without inviting a single journalist.
Why take this approach?
It allows us to tell our stories in real time. Plus, it’s much easier and faster than organizing a press conference.
Best resources to learn social media marketing:
Social Media Examiner - helps businesses master social media marketing
Buffer blog - latest social media tools, analytics and strategies
3. Vanquish Content Marketing to Get 200k Views
Why learn content marketing? “As a storyteller, you need to first think about your messaging before you decide on tools or platforms. A lot of times when we tell a story as a brand, there’s a KPI to meet. Content marketing helps us meet those KPIs by focusing on content that connects, engages, and speaks to the target audience. Hopefully they can relate it to their life experiences. That’s when “content” really works. And that’s when you decide which outlets to use to amplify your content.”
- Ann Chen, PR Manager at New Balance
What’s worked for my company?
Leveraging in-house experts to create a knowledge database
Last year, we implemented an internal marketing initiative called #SlideWars. Our team members create SlideShares based on their individual expertise. We then run internal contests for the SlideShare that performs the best.
The results?
We’ve raked in over 200,000 views on SlideShare, which has led to speaking and press opportunities.
How do we take it one step further?
We repackage our best performing SlideShares into blogs, infographics and other formats then re-distribute.
Best resources to learn content marketing:
CoSchedule blog - the ultimate content marketing blog
BuzzSumo - a platform to discover engaging content and outreach opportunities
4. Master Persona-based Marketing to Increase Leads by 200%
Why learn persona-based marketing? “With the proliferation of marketing messages, generic, one-style-fits-all messages will head straight to the trash box. This would present a huge obstacle for comms professionals in engaging one of their most important stakeholders, making persona-based marketing a vital skill.
The good news is, comms professionals are already experts at this, without realizing it. For instance, when helping C-suite executives with their speeches, comms professionals tailor them to what would resonate most with the audience.”
- Chia-Peck Wong, a senior communications professional based in Singapore
What’s worked for me?
Creating detailed “buyer personas”
Using HubSpot’s Buyer Persona template, my team created content focused on our buyer personas’ pain points.
Did it work?
Since implementing this strategy, our top-of-the-funnel leads have increased by 200%, mainly through social media and organic search.
Best resources to learn persona-based marketing:
5. Leverage Google Analytics to Double Your Leads
Why does analytics matter? “Your job is to measurably drive business success, revenue and sales. Short: you need to prove the ROI of PR.
Use Google Analytics (GA) to show the impact of referral traffic that came from a publication’s website. Deploy customized GA backlinks in your bylines, press releases, social media and blog. Ask your executives about their business objectives and work towards them. Then, use GA to set goals and measure outcomes and quality, not just clips.”
- Jock Breitwieser, Director of Corporate Communications at TriNet
What’s worked for me?
Defining metrics and tracking progress with Google Analytics
Every week my team and I check our Google Analytics reports and discuss ways to optimize our efforts based on data. For example, my designer monitors our websites’ bounce rates and visitors’ time on page, while my marketing manager tracks our leads and their relevant sources. As a result, our sales qualified inbound leads have doubled compared to the previous year.
Best resources to learn Google Analytics
Google Analytics certification - free Google Analytics resources + a snazzy certification
FutureMarketer - customized corporate Google Analytics training
Need help getting started?
Drop me a line. Or forward this piece to your friends and colleagues if you want them to survive the PR apocalypse.
This piece was co-authored by Khyathi Nirmal Kumar.