We tell clients all the time that a single media placement is not enough, even a great one. That’s because you don’t know when a prospective client will be ready to look for your product or service. So, it’s important to build and maintain visibility consistently.
The value of staying “frontal lobe” cannot be overstated.
Whether that means showing up in your contacts’ LinkedIn feeds, publishing a bylined article in a trade publication that reaches industry decision-makers, or landing a speaking opportunity at an industry conference, visibility along a continuum plays a critical role in your business development efforts. Over the years, I’ve had some clients ask for PR assistance to work on a major announcement, and then after they spend their marketing budget on this one activity, they “go dark.”
I would much rather have a client spend less on one event and amortize their budget over a longer period of time to sustain their visibility within the press, on social media, and before their target audience more generally.
Good PR Takes Time
Developing good press coverage takes time. A press release should not be the only (or even primary) tool in your marketing tool kit to garner meaningful visibility. Unless you are meeting disclosure requirements as a publicly traded company or are announcing new hires or similar company news, press releases are best leveraged for SEO purposes if you distribute them over an electronic distribution service.
There is also the matter of generating thoughtful, meaningful media coverage, which takes more time. It means serving as an authoritative and responsive resource for reporters to help them with their planned coverage and editorial priorities and bringing them solid story ideas for consideration. To develop good media coverage:
Timing matters. Even if a reporter doesn’t greenlight a story idea right away, it could happen in, say, two months’ time. Therefore, it’s important to have your resources in place to ensure that pitching and strategic follow-up can occur beyond the press release
Keep in mind that it is cumulative. By committing to a longer-term game plan, prospective clients and centers of influence will take notice of your coverage in the media (from mentions in an article to appearances on a news program) and think of you when they need you most.
It comes down to what you know. Awards, honors, and other forms of recognition provide a
valuable third-party endorsement. But sharing your knowledge and industry expertise in some form of thought leadership – bylined article, commenting on social media, or offering context to a reporter covering breaking news, for example – is what will get people to really stop and read and take notice.
As you plan your strategy for media coverage in 2024, think about how to maximize that budget you have allocated to PR and discuss with your PR firm the most strategic way you can build and sustain visibility—and stay frontal lobe with your clients, prospects, and referral sources—over the longer term.