You’ve done it. Take a big breath. You’ve pitched your story, and they chose you. You earned that B2B press coverage, and now your article is published for the world to see. It’s the end of the road…or is it?
Many pack up their PR bags and simply pat themselves on the back when they receive B2B press coverage. But publication isn’t the zenith of your B2B media relations glory. You can take it further, and gain triple the results of your original press coverage.
How?
There are easy ways you can amplify your press coverage, and use it fuel even greater success going forward. Let’s look at 15 simple but effective techniques that can take you from one-hit-wonder to a smashing PR success story.
Maximize Your B2B Press Coverage and Kick Some Major PR Butt
1. Share It on Social Media — Multiple Times
This may be the fastest and simplest way to amplify your coverage. Yet, once is not going to cut it (you don’t want this success to be buried in your followers’ feeds). Share it several times throughout the first weeks of your coverage. Package it differently sometimes so you’re not spamming. Use different copy, hashtags, and even images to keep it fresh for your audience.
Give credit where credit is due. Tag and mention the publication and the author as well as any other companies who were mentioned in the piece. This may prompt them to reshare your post to their audiences, and create even greater brand awareness for your company.
2. Send It to Your Clients
Who are your top clients? Send the article to them with a note about how you consider them to be part of your success. This will remind them that they chose to do business with an expert in the industry — and strengthen their bond with your company.
3. Use It with Your Prospects
This coverage is considered to be a virtual nod of approval from a noteworthy third party. Make it a part of your sales team’s toolkit to use with B2B leads. The message is loud and clear: You are an expert, and your company is worth watching. The best part? You don’t have to say a word. Your coverage says it all.
4. Leverage a Paid Campaign
While you may hesitate to pay for added attention, digital ads have the power to reach a much larger audience than you can on your own. Plus, the options available on paid ad platforms gives you the precision to reach the right people with your message. This may even help your article to become a top trending piece on social media.
Social networks like Facebook or LinkedIn can be the prime place to give the article that extra boost it needs. Give it a attention-worthy title that will inspire curiosity and get people clicking. For example, if the article is about your innovative internet security software, you could use a title like…
How Safe Is Your Company’s Sensitive Info? Learn About Today’s Leading Security Software Solutions
Once you’ve chosen a title that hits customer pain points, your paid campaign can successfully get your authoritative B2B press coverage into the right hands. In addition to reaching a wider audience, paid campaigns can boost your Google search results.
5. Work with Your Email List
According to one study, a message is five times more likely to be seen via email than on Facebook. Have you tapped into this valuable resource? If not, here is a prime time to do so. Ensure that your email list receives the news about your press coverage. It will boost your credibility and and may prompt leads to become customers.
You not only want a lot of email addresses, you want a lot of email addresses that are relevant to your business and your goals. –David Fowler
6. Write a Press Release
You may be thinking, “Didn’t I already do this to get the press coverage in the first place?” That may be so, but let’s think more local for a moment. A press mention in a prestigious publication is a big deal — especially if you are a local business. Local press outlets may jump at the opportunity to highlight the advancement of one of their own. It could be leveraged as, “Local Company Highlighted in [national publication] As a Leading Brand.”
7. Feature the Coverage in Your Blog
This is a perfect — and free — way of broadcasting your success. It’s also a prime opportunity to add key information that might have been left out of publication. You might wish to delve a little deeper into a certain angle of the piece, or mention more background information. Provide a link to the original article, and invite readers to check it out.
We don’t need more content marketing. We need more relevant content. –Juntae Dulane
8. Mention It in Your Signature Line
Make it part of each email as a small line after your name. It could be as simple as, “Check out this article.” This may seem like a simple step, but imagine how many emails you send out in the course of a business day. Each is an opportunity to spread the word (without being pushy) about your recent success.
9. Add It to Your Company’s Bio Page
Does your company have an “About Us” page? This can be the perfect home for your coverage — it lets prospects who check you out know that you are an authority in the field. It not only pushes your company in the limelight, but assures B2B leads that you are an expert.
10. Distribute It within Your Company
Your employees can be your greatest advocates. Generate excitement around the publication, and encourage all employees to share it on their social networks. According to one study, brand messages shared by employees receive 8 times more engagement than content shared by regular brand channels. You’re ignoring a vital resource by not letting your employees publicize your success.
11. Use in Future Media Outreach
Whenever you pitch to a media outlet in the future, you can use this positive experience to reinforce your credibility. You may word it as, “[spokesperson’s name] has been quoted for an article in [publication name],” and then add the link to the article. One caveat: Don’t highlight a media competitor.
12. Feature It in Your Social Media Profiles
What profiles do you maintain on social media and other sites? Add your press coverage to these. Don’t forget LinkedIn, which is used widely in the B2B community. Mention and link to the article within your LinkedIn Summary — “I’ve been featured in [publication name].” You may also wish to include that you are available for future interviews, with a list of your areas of expertise.
13. Include It in Your Testimonials
B2B leads will do their research. Including a positive press mention in your testimonials can give them the confidence that your company is the creme de la creme of the industry. You can leverage this in a special newsroom section of your site, or as an attention-grabbing visual graphic on your homepage — just make sure it’s easy-to-find and prominent.
14. Syndicate It
While some may read it on the original publication’s site, many more will see it if it appears on multiple sites. Check first with the original publication to make sure it’s OK, but many will have no problem as long as you include a mention like, “This article original appeared on [name of publication]” with a link to the original article.
You can syndicate it to such sites as Medium, Outbrain, and StumbleUpon. These sites, and others, make it easy for a larger audience to read your article, and be introduced to your brand.
[Editor’s Note: Business 2 Community also offers syndication options]
15. Include It in Your Marketing Materials
You want to put your best foot forward for potential clients — and this is it! Let your prospects know that you are a credible and trusted authority within your industry. You can include a screen shot of the article, or (if you really hit it out of the park) you can include the whole article in your marketing materials. Be sure to check copyright requirements — many publications will sell reprint rights.
You may also decide to do a colorful graphic with key quotes from the article. Your objective is to make it easy for clients to take it all in at a glance. If it’s not a positively mind-blowing, brilliant, my-god-this-company-is-amazing kind of article, you might want to keep it to a few snippets.
Some Key Points to Keep in Mind…
Share the good news as much as possible across your social media networks.
Write a blog post that delves deeper into the areas the article didn’t — but link to the article.
Syndicate the article to other websites, as long as you have consent from the publication.
Feature the article on your social media profiles, as well as in your company’s bio page.
Remember, the hard part of the process is over — you’ve been published! The rest of it is an exciting, downhill ride. It requires a little bit of work on your part, but it comes with a whole lot of glory — it’s B2B media relations done right!