Are “media mentions” as valuable as they use to be? Has a mention of a company in a news article (that isn’t negative, of course) lost some of its prestige, as the media landscape changes and readers graze for information across multiple sources?

I think that a good media relations program is still a critical part of an effective integrated communications program for B2B companies. Maybe I’m biased? The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism offers an excellent report on the state of the media, highlighting the major changes afoot and tracks reader consumption patterns. They found that although more people are migrating online, 80% of the traffic to news and information sites is concentrated at the top 7% of sites – and the vast majority of those are tied to legacy/traditional media.

I still regularly hear from our clients that they get comments from customers and prospects after they appear in a major news outlet or an important trade publication. Nothing beats having others talking about you positively.

That said, good marketers don’t just kick back after a really strategic media hit occurs and say “job done – let’s hope all of their readers see it.”  Or, maybe we do for just a wistful moment?  No sir, the work has just begun. Now it’s time to reuse and recycle.

Here are 7 ideas for how to extend the life of your next media hit:

• Email a link of the article to clients and prospects. Fire off a quick note to clients or your personal networking list with a link to the article. Don’t make it overly self-serving. Give it context and tie it to issues or challenges they’re facing, which helps to position you as a thought leader.
• Highlight the article on your company’s website. Some news outlets require special permission or charge a fee for you to post a link to the article on your web site. Alternative: write a quick sentence or two simply saying that spokesperson X was quoted in Y publication talking about Z.
• Share the article via your social networks. Update your LinkedIn or Facebook status with details about the article. If you’re on Twitter, send out a Tweet with a link to the article to initiate conversation. Use the topic as a prompt for a discussion group chat. Bottom line: use it as an excuse to strike up a discussion with people online around the topic.
• Re-work the content into a blog post. Elaborate about your thoughts on issues raised in the article in a blog post, which can hyperlink back to the article. Some news outlets will allow you to re-post the article directly on your blog with special permission. 
• Highlight the article in your next client presentation. One reason companies invest the time and resources in a media relations program: to be viewed as experts in their field. Drop your next quote and/or the name of the news outlets as a slide in your next client presentation as a way to tout you “know your stuff.” 
• Turn the article into a leave-behind. Most news outlets allow you to purchase hard-copy reprints of articles. These can serve as a great leave-behind to a new business conversation, seminar or speaking engagement.
• Drop the article into your company’s newsletter. What better way to highlight original, timely content that can be helpful to your customers with minimal effort?  The publication’s permission is typically required here as well.

 

Most of these rules could apply to any piece of content – not just a media placement.

Good content marketing is about consistency (Content Marketing Institute has a number of great posts on this topic). And consistency helps increase the likelihood that those you care about see the article and can find you online. For pointers on the latter, check out Lee Odden’s recent post on combining B2B SEO, content and social media to create a more powerful punch.

Have you used these or other ideas to extend the life of a media hit?  Please share.

 

(photo by Adam Foster)

 

To reach Kellie:

Email: kellie@blisspr.com
Twitter: @kshe
LinkedIn: Kellie Sheehan