Media Relations 2.0
Category: Blog - August 10, 2010
We all know that digital and social media are dramatically changing the way businesses communicate. These channels provide new opportunities, new expectations and new challenges for brands. So what does this mean for media relations? Does it still fit into the evolving PR landscape?
Here at Beehive, classic media relations is still a core element in nearly every client strategy we develop. But now, it is part of an integrated approach that is designed to drive search, lead conversations and engage stakeholders.
Competing online is essential for today’s brands – it’s the number one place consumers and businesses go to find information and make decisions. Smart content generation and optimization can significantly raise a brand’s search visibility. News coverage, which is often syndicated, shared and re-published, can be a key source to feed digital channels and improve a brand’s online presence. In addition, editorial coverage can be re-purposed in social media commentary (Twitter, Facebook, blogs) and published on a company’s website to further amplify its online impact.
On the flip side, having a strong online presence can also lead to additional media coverage for your brand. A 2008 study found that 91 percent of journalists use search engines to do their job (64 percent use social networks). In other words, there is a significant opportunity to enhance your media relations efforts by making it easy for journalists to find you when they are searching for subject matter experts.
In a recent post, blogger Lee Odden points out that “there are many intersections between earned media and organic search rankings, so it makes sense that they would work well together.” Among the seven benefits of partnering search engine optimization and PR, he includes:
- Reaching journalists where they’re looking
- Increasing unsolicited media placement
- Facilitating marketing goals by optimizing PR
So, clearly, there is still incredible value in media relations as part of an integrated PR strategy, and in fact, the potential for news coverage to drive meaningful results has never been greater. How is your brand integrating classic and digital channels to meet your business goals?
Group Director
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