Google keeps telling us to be real, be genuine. Don't try to outsmart the engines. Let's be honest, it is really hard to sit back and wait for Google, the Press, and the bloggers to find us and tell our story to the world. Although many businesses are focusing more heavily on inbound marketing and trying to build the "Field of Dreams" of great content, natural links and rich web content, we are impatient. We want leads, ink in good pubs, blogs and lots of organic traffic, and we want it now.
Many years ago, when my entire job was launching products, we would alert the media, hold a press briefing, create a press release (written exclusively for the media) and then hope we would get some ink. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. There were no bloggers or anyone else to pick up the news. If the press didn't cover the story, it didn't get covered.As we all know, all of that has changed. Enter social media, bloggers, different forms of media, lots of influencers, and the marketplace. Even the smaller companies now have an opportunity to get their story told and more importantly shared, and commented on in the marketplace.
One important thing we must all remember--the role of the media has changed as well. It used to be that the media based many of their stories on press releases and information they received from press releases. Journalists now have the opportunity to easily follow trends, watch stories unfold in Social Media and on blogs and watch live conversations in many locations. While a typical journalist will receive thousands of press releases a week, many say that they don't review many of them and often don't use them as a source for determining which stories to write.
So, as with the change from outbound to Inbound marketing, PR has changed too. If you are looking to get some ink, or get a blogger or journalist excited about your story, be genuine, connect naturally, be real.
Following are a few specific ideas that might help.
1) Follow the bloggers and journalists that you want to feature your story
Get engaged. Check out what they are writing about, read their blog, follow them on Twitter, get to know what they are interested in, comment, start a conversation. Treat them like you would want to be treated. Be genuine, be real.
2) Bring something to the table
Imagine how many emails, pitches, or calls a good blogger gets a week. Everyone is asking for a link, a mention, or a story. However, if your story is just like the other 100 that were received that same day, it might be scanned quickly, but it will ultimately end up in the circular file. Bring something unique, different or, of value to the table. For example, if you are asking a blogger who focuses on vegan living for a mention, or a link, what about sharing your Guide of vegan restaurants in the NorthWest, with rankings and sample menus. This is something of value they can share with their audience.
3) Develop your Unique Value Proposition and share it consistently.
Do you have a unique value proposition? If you have one, does everyone in your company know it and believe in it? If you can't define and consistently convey your differentiation, anyone sharing your story won't convey it either.
Bloggers and journalists don't want to tell the same old story because no one wants to hear it. Be unique, be different, and answer your customers needs in a creative way. They will be much more interested. It is important to take time to develop your UVP and then use this UVP, that highlights your differentiation in all aspects of sales and marketing.
Typically a UVP is 4 sentences long. Here is a formula that can help you get started developing your company's UVP.
First sentence - Who is your target market? (be specific - being too broad can lead to unfocused content)
Second sentence - What is the most relevant and important benefit that your product or service offers (base this on your focused target)? Remember this benefit will likely be the solution to one of their biggest pain points. Make sure this is a huge benefit to your target not just the best feature or benefit of your product or service.
Third sentence - A brief and compelling description of your product - use colorful words, don't be too bland.
Fourth sentence - What is your unique value over the competition? Again, make sure your unique value is very important to the target.
Note - keep it real. You do not need to use fancy words or long sentences. The easier it is to read and understand, the better it will work for you.
Once you have a finalized UVP test it on several people and gather feedback. You may need to tweak it several times before you get it right. When you have a final UVP that has been heavily vetted, share it with your employees/team members and make sure EVERYONE can easily share and articulate it well.
If you need help developing your company's UVP or getting "ink" about your company, please don't hesitate to give us a call. We would be really excited to work with you.
