We’ve all seen it. Trade publications are getting thinner and thinner; media outlets are shutting down every day; readership is down; there’s even a Twitter feed dedicated to documenting media layoffs and closures. So, how are B2B marketers supposed to reach their target audiences effectively?
Leverage the media’s online presence. Since more and more business professionals are going to the web, blogs and online news sites for information, it is a good idea to shift ad dollars and PR efforts toward the online versions of trade publications.
Can you say value-add? Advertisers are in a great position to negotiate value-added extras that include e-mail distributions, banner ads, special insert sections and, best of all, magazine subscriber lists.
Do it yourself. B2B companies that offer multiple products and services can position themselves as thought leaders and subject matter experts by publishing their own media in the form of print and e-newsletters, online resource libraries, blogs and more. This is a great way to reach your customers directly and build an ongoing, one-to-one relationship.
Have you cut your advertising budget, or shifted your funds elsewhere? What do you think of the trade publications getting thinner and thinner? What strategies have you used to maximize your B2B marketing budget?
Today is a very special day—it’s 09/09/09, which is the last set of repeating single-digit dates that we will see for almost a century. It’s all over the Internet and consumer marketers are taking full advantage of this play on numbers.
Consumer marketers are always looking for reasons to celebrate and generate sales. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; in fact it’s quite ingenious. Often times in B2B marketing we are so focused on the customer’s needs that we don’t take advantage of opportunities to get them excited about our products and services the way consumer marketers do.
We’d love to hear about great B2B marketing tactics that really made a splash with their customers and their bottom line. Have you seen a B2B campaign that took advantage of a fun date, seasons or holiday and really knocked your socks off?
I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard “PR is changing,” this week. But, as much as things change, they remain the same—every PR pro still needs strong writing skills. And, I’m not talking the 140-character skill set.
As media outlets trim editorial staff, editors will increasingly turn to you for that 1,500-word contributed article. And, you need to meet their high expectations.
So, here are three tried-and-true resources that every PR pro should keep around and refer to often. Drum roll, please…
AP Stylebook. These are still the rules, people! No matter how others bend and shape them to fit their needs, stick to your guns in your communications with the press. (side note: it’s Web site, not website)
Dictionary. If you don’t have a dictionary on your bookshelf, get one NOW. Once you do, look up “complement” and “compliment”—it will change your world, I promise.
Thesaurus. Please, please, please don’t rely on MS Word’s (in case you haven’t realized, it sucks). You’ll find so much more in a bound, hard copy version.
In the midst of “redefining” PR, too many PR peeps have forgotten the importance of great writing; please don’t be one of them.
Another PR pro that I follow recently tweeted a YouTube video of TrendHunterTV’s Top 10 Publicity Stunts (thanks @PublicityGuru). So, I gave it a look.
Some are just for the sake of doing a stunt and they’re worth a chuckle. But, others actually delivered results.
You may hear people argue that the publicity stunt is dead—that the public is no longer “fooled.” But, in my mind, that’s not the point.
Sure people are drawn to the wacky and unusual and most are smart enough to figure out when there’s a marketing component, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t hear your message.
Publicity stunts are about delivering a message. They step up awareness by speeding communication of the message, not just the stunt. Preserving the message is the hard part. The marketers behind the Christina Aguilera perfume stunt in Israel certainly pulled this off.
When they work, publicity stunts payoff in positive media and buzz about your message, whether it’s measurable media or word of mouth. And, a good publicity stunt will go viral.
For b2b, tradeshows are a great forum for publicity stunts. Break out of your booth, get on the surrounding streets and do something different—your audience is tired of the same old routine.
The airport is a great place to people watch. Yesterday, while returning from a trip, I overhead two young girls chatting about PR. Of course, my ears tuned into the conversation. As I listened to their far-fetched theories about the “glamorous world of PR,” it made me think, “Is this what the general public thinks of PR?”
As I sat there, I concluded that the public has a tainted view of PR—because Hollywood paints an inaccurate picture of the profession.
Characters like Samantha on Sex and the City portray PR as the most glamorous job in the world and one that involves attending parties and mingling with cocktails. I can’t remember the last time I attended a party on behalf of my job—especially one that came complete with party dresses and martinis.
PR is more than socializing; you have to be more than a “people person” to make it in the business, especially in B2B public relations. It takes hard work, dedication and many late nights, early mornings and weekends to meet deadlines or staff events (again, the non-martini kind). And, in B2B, you better be a good writer also.
I came across this post on the Bad Pitch Blog which discusses becoming a “PR superstar” and scoring “VIP passes.” It lists common mishaps that give PR people a bad name. And, it clears up some misconceptions about the profession.
What are your thoughts on the perception of PR among the general population?
