The press release continues to be a tried-and-true method of communicating to the media. In fact, more than 70% of journalists want to receive content from brands in the form of press releases and news announcements, according to Cision’s 2019 State of the Media Report. However, the press release is just a starting point for earned media success.

You may be wondering, “What is earned media?”

Earned media refers to the unpaid, organic publicity generated through word-of-mouth, press coverage, social media mentions, interviews, product reviews, and other various methods. One of the most effective ways to earn media coverage for your brand or business is to pitch a press release or story idea to the media. But, what many people fail to realize is that a well-crafted content or story pitch is just as, if not more, important as a well-written press release.

Most journalists receive hundreds of pitches and press releases each day, many of which will likely be ignored or cast away. So, how can you hook the media’s attention and stand out in the sea of pitches?

Here are five tips to cut through the clutter and increase your media pitching success.

1. Keep it clear, concise and compelling.

Journalists are inundated with large volumes of information daily, including more email pitches than they have time to read. Given the competition for attention in a journalist’s inbox, your pitch needs to be as clear, concise and compelling as possible. Two important factors that determine whether a journalist will read and respond to your pitch are: (1.) your subject line and (2.) the length of your email.

Create a strong subject line to compel a journalist or editor to open your email, and summarize the most important and interesting information in the first sentence of your pitch. If your lead-in piques their interest, they will likely read the remainder of your pitch. That is, as long as it is straightforward and succinct.

Your goal should be to provide the most information in the least amount of words. A general rule of thumb is to keep your email pitch under 200 words. A common pet peeve among journalists is a pitch that consists primarily of buzzwords, so make sure it is plainly written and free of jargon or fluff. If your pitch is too long and complex, journalists will quickly give up and move on to the next.

2. Make it visual.

Offering more than just a press release in your pitch can result in more earned media coverage. A great way to catch the eye of a journalist and illustrate the news you are pitching is to incorporate high-quality visuals, such as photos, videos, infographics, diagrams, etc.

These types of visuals can enhance your story by providing more information and context without overloading your pitch with text. If you can provide journalists with accompanying assets, they will view their job as halfway done and be that much more motivated to cover your story.

Go that additional step for your outgoing pitch by researching and gathering data to back or substantiate your story idea, news information or the quotable thought-leader you are pitching. Combine the data in the form of statistics, and showcase the numbers in a colorful pie chart, bar chart or possibly through a line graph, pictograph or histogram. Visual interpretations make otherwise dry data more appealing for the editors to whom you are sending the pitch concept.

3. Personalize your pitch.

According to Muck Rack’s Annual Journalist Survey, a lack of personalization is the No. 1 reason journalists reject pitches. Many factors play into why this is commonly the case. One factor being that journalists too often receive copied-and-pasted email pitches that have no relevancy to their beat or reader interest. So, the obvious question is, how to ensure your pitches are perfectly personalized and avoid rejection?

It is critical to research and study the sections of the publication or media outlet prior to sending your pitch email. Journalists will appreciate those who take the time to learn and gain a solid understanding of the beats they cover, their writing style, in what they have interest, and the types of sources they tend to seek. Once you have done your homework, you will then be able to tailor your messaging to each publication and journalist.

Every pitch should be uniquely written and individually sent to each journalist you are pitching, rather than sending a mass email to multiple recipients. While it may take some extra time to personalize your pitch to each specific journalist, the results will be worthwhile.

4. Engage on social media.

Relationships are key when it comes to pitching the media. It is best to make an introduction and foster a relationship before asking a journalist to publish your press release or story. Social media offers a fantastic opportunity to connect and build relationships with journalists prior to pitching.

When you see a journalist who is on your target list has written a new article and posted it on social media, show you follow and support their work by liking, commenting on and sharing it on your own social media channels. The more often (yet appropriately) you do so, the more likely they will take notice of your engagement. Then, when it comes time to pitch the journalist, there is a good chance they will recognize your name when it pops up in their inbox. Ideally, and in turn, they will read your email and consider sharing your content with their readers and followers. If the journalist or editor chooses to publish your news, make sure to show your appreciation by thanking them through social media direct messages, email or a handwritten card in the mail.

5. Think outside the box.

Last, how can you go above and beyond the press release to garner the media’s interest? Attempt to come up with creative, unique ways to help journalists visualize, engage and connect with the news or expert analyst you are pitching.

For instance, if you are announcing the launch of a new product, consider sending samples to the media so they can experience the product first-hand. Though, seek permission first to avoid a possible return or dead-end shipment. Another idea, offer an exclusive interview with a company thought-leader who can share insight regarding industry trends, topics or statistics. If you are announcing an event, you could invite a group of journalists to participate in a press tour or attend a media event or press conference that is part of the schedule.

In addition, if you are pitching a professional services firm, a creative idea would be to offer a case study to an editor or journalist about how a specific professional service generated market change or sector results for a business or its customers.

Whether it is a product sample or a unique perspective, offering something out of the ordinary will benefit the journalists whom you are pitching and encourage them to cover your story.

The truth is that pitching is a process. It takes time and tenacity to achieve earned media coverage. Working with a public relations agency can help make the pitching process not only easier, but also more successful.

At Eberly & Collard Public Relations, we specialize in media relations. Our team of experts helps brands and businesses craft compelling media pitches that result in earned media success. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about our strategic and results-oriented media relations services.

In today’s digital world, social media is one of the most powerful marketing tools for businesses to promote their products and services. There are 3.8 billion active social media users worldwide, according to We Are Social and Hootsuite’s Digital 2020 report. With more people using social media than ever before, and the number of users continuing to increase year after year, a social media marketing plan is essential for businesses looking to stay relevant, grow online presences, connect with their target audiences, and stand out from the competition.

Here are four key steps to developing an effective social media marketing plan for your business.

Step 1: Define your goals.

The first step to any social media marketing plan is to clearly define what you want to achieve through your social media marketing efforts. When setting social media goals, it is important to align them with your overall public relations and marketing plan.

Helpful tip: Follow the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting framework to ensure each goal you establish is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.For inspiration, here are some examples of what your goals could be:

– Build brand awareness and loyalty.

A social media plan can help your brand become more known and reach potential customers or clients. If your goal is for your audience to gain familiarity and loyalty with your brand, make sure to post content regularly and engage with your audience frequently.

– Increase engagement with current and potential customers/clients.

To gain traction and interaction on your social media channels, you must also be willing to engage with your audience. Liking, commenting, sharing, and responding are all great ways to show your audience you are interested and listening to what they have to say. The more you engage with your audience in authentic and beneficial ways, the more attention and engagement they will give back to you.

– Drive website traffic.

Sharing content from your website and blog on social media offers your audience a chance to learn more about your business, products or services. Always incorporate a link to the respective webpage or blog post to ensure your audience is being led back to your website. Hyperlink them with vanity words that clearly specify the intended web page content. Consider also using UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) codes for these links, so you will be able to see which links produce the best click-through rates to other pages on your website.

– Generate leads and sales.

If you are looking to acquire more leads and increase sales, you can leverage social media to turn your audience into paying customers. A well-constructed social media plan will allow you to interact with new, potential customers and provide an answer or solution to their questions or needs. Once they come to see your business and your social channels as valuable resources, you will have generated a probable lead.

Step 2: Research your target audience.

After you have set specific goals for your plan, you should research your target audience to determine their interests and needs, and discover how to engage with them.

What are the demographics for your target audience? What topics are they interested in? Which social media channels do they actively use? What types of content do they interact with?

While you may already know your target audience, how do you make sure you are keeping your content relevant? Evaluate the topics you have covered to determine which are resonating with your audience most. Then, increase the frequency and conceptualize new, creative ways to continue covering those topics. Another idea to consider is sending a survey to your target audience, asking what types of content they have enjoyed the most or feedback about what they would like to see more of.

Answering these questions will help you better understand your target audience, and give you the insight you need to tailor your content to their interests and needs. Engaging content that resonates with your audience will draw them closer to your brand and the products or services you offer. Use your social content to inspire them to act by emailing or otherwise contacting you.

Step 3: Build your brand voice.

Some brands are known for being humorous and witty on social media, whereas others are commended for being friendly and helpful. The common denominator of their success is that they use a distinctive brand voice to communicate consistently across social media channels.

Establishing a unique brand voice is a key component of your social media marketing plan. Start by thinking about how you want to reflect your brand values when delivering messages to your social media audience. Then, identify two or three words that describe your brand, and keep them in mind to ensure your social media content remains on-brand.

Whether it is a post, comment, direct message, or other form of content, use your descriptors as the basis of everything you publish. Doing so will help cultivate the connection between your brand and audience, grow a loyal following, and stand out among your competitors.

HubSpot is a great example of how a B2B brand can combine professionalism with personality through a distinct brand voice on social media. The company’s brand voice is clear, genuine and witty, which offers its audience educational, relatable and entertaining content. Study their and others’ social media channels to gain perspective. Don’t forget to view your competitors’ social media and gauge their pros and cons, as this will offer insight about your own strategy.

Maintaining a consistent and memorable voice will help you tell your brand’s story as well as connect and engage with your audience.

Step 4: Track your progress and adjust your plan as needed.

Once your social media marketing plan has been implemented, you should track the progress and measure the performance of your social content based upon your goals. Doing so will help determine if your plan is on track to be successful, or if it needs to be improved or adjusted.

The key metrics you should plan to measure include follower growth, impressions, engagement rate, clicks, shares, mentions, sentiment, and conversion rates, among others. Each social media platform offers its own, built-in analytics. But, there are also a variety of additional social media analytics tools available online, such as Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Google Analytics, among others, that offer deeper insight into how your content is performing. Your public relations or marketing firm should also be providing you with this data and working with you to mold and manage your creative plan.

A successful social media marketing plan takes time to develop and refine, but it is an essential element necessary for your business to thrive in the digital world. If you are not yet utilizing social media to benefit your business, you should consider following the four steps above or contacting a marketing and public relations agency to assist you in creating a customized plan. Contact us to learn more about how we help our clients with social media strategy, content creation and audience engagement.

What is public relations? Why does my company need it? What does a publicist do?

These are a few of the most common questions publicists are asked. Though you can find answers to these questions and more on our FAQ page, we wanted to dig even deeper and take you on a journey through a day in the life of a publicist. If you’re looking for some insight into public relations and how it can benefit your business, take a look at these five things you might not know a publicist does – and can do for you – on a day-to-day basis.

1. Secure Media Coverage: As publicists, we are always strategizing how to develop compelling, newsworthy stories that will help garner positive media coverage for our clients. It is essential for publicists to establish relationships with key media members and know how to deliver a well-timed, targeted story, news or concept pitch as these factors directly impact the success of a press campaign.

Ultimately, an effective press campaign results in media coverage, which can build your brand’s reputation, generate credibility and attract new business. Take stock of the press coverage your business has had during the last year, two years, or longer. If you continue to watch your competitors take the stronger share of voice, it is time to explore new publicity opportunities.

Work with a public relations firm that has a proven track record of solid media coverage placements and creative media kits for its clients. A true publicist spends the better part of his or her day rolling out press campaigns and managing media relations on behalf of clients. Consider how much time and attention are needed to secure published and on-air publicity, and build an annual budget that maintains consistent media coverage for your company, corporate news, products, or professional services.

2. Integrated Marketing: In today’s PR world, publicists often manage integrated marketing campaigns in addition to traditional press campaigns. An integrated marketing strategy utilizes a customized recipe of public relations, marketing, digital marketing and advertising to promote and drive sales of a company’s products or services. On the other hand, a traditional press campaign is focused on managing the reputation, relationships and communication between a company and its customers, stakeholders or others.

Where integrated marketing is concerned, your publicist oversees a range of campaigns and projects across the marketing spectrum most or all days of the week, often adjusting goals and objectives for underperforming results.

As with any strategic plan that is put into place, someone should supervise and navigate the process daily to keep activities on track. This is where a professional publicist comes into play. Whether you are targeting businesses or consumers, turn to publicists to take your brand awareness, loyalty and conversions to the next level with integrated marketing.

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): As the digital landscape progresses, it is increasingly important to build your online presence. If you want your brand’s message, products and services to show up in search engine results, SEO can help. Publicists understand how to optimize content with keywords and phrases that are tailored to the intent of your target audiences.

If SEO is part of your overall PR strategy, your publicist will dedicate time each day monitoring your website’s position in Google and other key search engines; overseeing a robust Google Ads campaign for your business or brand; optimizing your social media channels; and tracking key metrics, such as organic traffic, bounce rate and click-through rate. By utilizing SEO, publicists can help increase your online visibility, reach your potential customers/clients and drive traffic to your website.

4. Establish Thought Leadership: PR is a powerful tool for developing a strong reputation as an industry-savvy thought leader. By engaging the media, publicists look to utilize press releases with true news about you and your personnel, brand or business to generate media coverage or publicity that positions you as an expert or analyst in your field of practice or expertise.

Then, there are articles publicists write that cover any number of expert topics within your knowledge base. These articles quote you across a range of professional and engaging subject matter you can share with your industry, clients or follower base. Publicists’ relationships with the media make publication of the articles not only possible, but strategically placed. Though, thought leadership does not stop there.

A combination of carefully orchestrated social media content, speaking engagements, blogs, bylined articles, Q&As, and white papers to create earned media opportunities give voice to and communicate credibility for your company’s leadership. Simply put, we leverage your knowledge and expertise to position you as a go-to authority within your business-to-business targets and industry or among applicable consumer markets.

5. Generate Leads: Is lead generation the job of the publicist? Some say yes, some say no. The way we look at it is, PR is a tool that can work in tandem with your marketing and business development efforts to support lead generation. We, as publicists, craft strategic content and messaging tactics for your brand and business during our day’s work to foster trust and integrity with your target audiences. This, in turn, generates leads and new business conversions for your business.

Talk to a publicist about your specific targets’ demographics, geographics and psychographics. Discuss what has worked and that which has not worked in terms of reaching and interfacing with your leads and prospects. From a viable publicist, you should expect a strategy that considers your past, existing and forecasted business development efforts.

For our clients, we conduct assessments of these precise facets of sales prospecting to guide them toward unearthing more qualified and quantified leads. A formal research and discovery process reveals gaps and issues that have kept our clients from successfully achieving maximum marketability. From there, we brainstorm and create annual public relations program plans that act as the roadmaps for publicity and promotion, equating to converting leads into sales and revenue for them.

If your publicist isn’t focusing your public relations with a diverse approach or in ways that support your sales efforts, you may want to reboot.

Whether you’re looking to gain a better understanding of public relations or exploring the next step of retaining a firm, we hope this insight sheds some light upon the ways in which publicists provide brand benefits for their clients.

Our firm works with full fervor towards the realization of our clients’ branding, public relations and integrated marketing objectives. Contact us to learn more about our process and how we jump start our clients’ publicity.

The newest trend sweeping the internet: Podcasting, a revitalization of talk radio that is both entertaining and informative.

Just as some people think radio is a relic of the past, podcasting has reached a surge in listenership. Fifty-seven million Americans tune into podcasts monthly, according to Edison research. If that number doesn’t overwhelm you, Forbes estimates that a single episode of a popular podcast like John Lee Dumas’ “Entrepreneur on Fire” can reach more viewers than an episode of television, especially since podcasts are easily accessible to anyone with a smartphone or computer.

Podcasts supply a remarkable platform to business owners and leadership teams, since their audiences tend to be readily connected and highly applicable. Many listen at their desks and on their way to and from work (Edison). With reach like this, it is no wonder that entrepreneurs like Chalene Johnson, “Build Your Tribe,” and Gary Vaynerchuk, “Ask Gary Vee,” have jumped on the trend and further cemented their places as business experts by fast-becoming popular podcasters.

Unlike costly TV subscriptions, podcasts are easily accessible. Once they are posted online, they remain there for an extended period, as opposed to select television news segments that can be difficult to find after their original airings. Podcast episodes can be found on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, iTunes, and Spotify, and they are frequently posted on a designated website for each podcast.

Knowing the massive influence of podcasts should make most any business professional want to become a guest on a relevant podcast, or even become a host of his or her own business-related podcast. For commercial or professional purposes, a podcast is an authentic way to communicate directly to your audience. The expressed ideas and discussed insights come straight from the expert or thought-leader, and they are conveyed firsthand to the specific audience- unfiltered and often live.

The authenticity of this method of message delivery can greatly strengthen your brand and how it is perceived by your customers, clients or others. We, at Eberly & Collard Public Relations, refer to this as “brand personification.”

However, like any communicative business or public relations activity, there are critical factors that need to be considered before joining the podcast trend.

Becoming a Host

If you would like to become a host, you will need to invest more time, energy and budget than if you are simply appearing as a guest on another podcast. While there is a nearly limitless set of tactics to use to create a successful podcast, we detail below several components you will want to consider as a host. In a competitive and impatient climate, it is wise to carve out a niche, so listeners know what to expect before pressing play.

Like with any services or product, your audience needs to see your podcast’s relevance in their lives and work, so keeping it based around pertinent business material and current events will cause your podcast to be relatable. Preplanning podcast topics and insights affords opportunities to connect on deeper levels with your target listeners.

Try to think of what might be missing from your chosen podcast category and how your topics can provide professionally beneficial content that other podcasts do not offer your audience. Predetermine a calendar of subject-matter about which you have experience and valuable awareness to share with others. Divide your upcoming podcast topics into individualized information specific to your intended audience, defining what and how your listeners should gain in terms of value.

While it may seem obvious, remember that your podcast topics should correspond with your professional background and be poised to grow your reputation as a thought-leader or trusted source of information.

Once you captivate your audience, you’ll want to keep them coming back for more, and creating a list of episode ideas and preparing ahead of time can help you with the consistency and growth of your podcast.

Ideally, unless your podcast is being developed just because you like to talk, the concept of each session should be subtly focused upon building a following of loyal listeners who have the potential of purchasing your business’s products or services, or at least supporting your brand in some fashion.

You will also need to invest in quality recording and sound editing equipment. Some podcasts are recorded in professional studios, while others are produced with basic sound equipment in the hosts’ offices. Regardless, your audience is going to expect more than a simple iPhone recording. Quality microphones, headsets, and sound proofing equipment to minimize echo and background noise can be found online.

When larger budgets are feasible, consider the services of professional production company or a public relations firm with podcast, video and digital marketing capabilities.

Becoming a Guest  

If creating and maintaining your own podcast seems like too ambitious an endeavor, you can serve as a guest (one-time or recurring) on a podcast relevant to your profession and areas of expertise. Picking the right podcast is just as important as presenting yourself on air, so you should conduct due diligence to understand any podcast on which you would like to be considered as a viable guest. Study its themes, subjects, tone, host, and audience to uncover if it is a good fit for you and your business.

To study a podcast, standard research is necessary: Listening to several episodes, studying the website, and scrolling through the host’s social media channels, in order to gain a solid grasp on the essence of the podcast’s content. Consider how other guests are introduced and interviewed to learn if the style is aligned with your brand standards and the thematic information you have to share.

After researching a podcast in which you have interest being a guest, the next step involves pitching the host or producer to attempt to persuade him or her you would offer real benefit to the listeners. This is typically done through email or a form to complete on the podcast’s website.

Pitching involves emailing and calling the podcast host or owner to clearly explain and outline reasons why you would serve as an informed and well-prepared guest. Your pitch should include your detailed professional bio, past speaking or podcast history, and two to three topic angles you could cover as a specific subject-matter expert. It is also wise to encourage some other form of interaction with the host through social media commenting, following and sharing.

Once you land a spot on a podcast, you may need to go through a bit of media training before you sit down with the host. If you have never had media training, our Eberly & Collard team of experts can prepare you for your interview and any subsequent media inquiries you may receive. While you probably know your area of business so well that you could talk about it in your sleep, it is still smart to consider media training. It provides an opportunity to develop messaging strategies, so your verbal presence on the podcast actually benefits your business and its brand. In short, it can also help you practice how not to inadvertently put your foot in your mouth- so to speak.

It is important to have a message in mind to avoid getting sidetracked on air, but it is also imperative to promote your message without sounding like an advertisement. You can do this by layering your promotion in interesting anecdotes and explaining your brand in a way that adds value to the conversation between you, the host, and, of course, the audience. These are also strategic tactics about which your public relations practitioner or publicist can advise you.

Getting Started

With its unbreakable tie to smartphones, tablets and computers, the podcast trend looks as if it is here to stay. As the market becomes increasingly saturated with niche podcasts, there is something out there for every business and industry. However, as a result, hosts and their guests will have to perform at higher levels to garner business-to-business or business-to-consumer listeners’ attention.

Harnessing the power of sound through podcasts can generate more authentic connections for your brand. If this form of marketing communications, and solidifying your place as a thought-leader sounds appealing, you may need a public relations firm to help with the logistics and promotion of the venture.

Starting your podcast endeavors can be streamlined when you have guidance and practice. Eberly & Collard Public Relations’ 15-plus years of experience in media relations and digital marketing equates to an informed approach to podcast acquisition and planning.

We can assist by drafting Q&A-style narratives to prepare you for podcasts or by helping create soundbites of the most important parts of your message. Or, if an entire media kit and vitae to showcase your area of industry or business acumen is in order to kick-off your podcast guest pitching efforts, our team can guide you through the process.

Growing what it is referred to as “share of voice” for your business and brand begins with vetting, creating and engaging with an audience to positively affect how you shine among the competition. Unified with a clever public relations program, podcasts are one of the surest means to being heard.

Have you ventured into professional podcasting, or is this on your business horizon? Tell us your thoughts and share questions with us below.

With the New Year holiday already a distant memory, it is time to ask what has been accomplished in terms of marketing for your business and brand.

Before you utter, “Whoa, it is only February,” think about this: According to the American Marketing Association of America, “Calendar year marketing plans that are in full execution mode by February 1^st tend to yield 84 percent stronger [branding and sales] results than calendar-year plans that have delayed starts.”

If that isn’t enough motivation to play a little marketing catch-up, we don’t know what is. With innovative planning based upon known trends in marketing, with an added measure of new and advance strategy planning, you can go from contemplatively hoping your annual promotions produce sales to confidently safeguarding they will.

Simply put, if you and your marketing staff (or your PR and advertising agency) have not yet honed your 2019 marketing plan’s strategies and deployment schedule, stemming from lessons learned during the past year, take the plunge into the promotions and publicity pool- feet first.

Assessing what was accomplished in 2018 as well as that which can be improved in the new year is an indispensable exercise. Doing so can yield a marketing roadmap to avoid potholes and roadblocks, with the goal of generating new forms of reach and marketability “on brand” and “on budget.”

Some questions to ask include:

• How does the public – or our industry sector(s) – perceive our business, and how can we gain higher levels of our targets’ trust?
• Was our brand visibility strong enough in 2018?
• Did our 2018 marketing campaigns vigorously communicate exactly how our business addresses the “needs” and “wants” of our customers, clients and prospects?
• Did we reach our sales goals last year?
• Did we track our marketing campaigns to know what worked best, and what didn’t work well enough, or at all?

If you are a business owner or marketing manager, and while reading this blog, you answered “no” to any of these questions, 2019 is the year to begin setting and implementing new strategic marketing goals to make your business’ voice heard through stronger, clearer methods.

As a national public relations, integrated marketing and advertising agency, our primary goal is to walk our clients into the new year feeling confident and informed about their presences in their business-to-business and / or business-to-consumer marketplaces. This is helped by reviewing where their businesses and brands stand in the media landscape and among competitive brands.

In order to realize this level of information and forecast success for the coming year, it is essential to develop traditional and digital marketing, publicity, advertising, and social media plans to make 2019 your business’ best year on record.

Where to Begin?

We’ve been thinking a lot about what we can expect to see in all areas of marketing, public relations, media relations, social media, and advertising in 2019; and, because of this, we have compiled a few predictions and points of advice for improving your strategic communications plan in the new year.

While there are near-countless ways to find the light at the end of the proverbial marketing tunnel this year, understanding these four, cornerstone questions and answers can benefit you with a vigorous start.

1. What will be the key marketing trends to keep an eye out for in 2019, and how can my business use the trends to our advantage?

For our agency and its clients, we don’t plan on 2019 being a year of complacency. In order to jump ahead of competitors, it is essential to begin exploring the trends and benefits of digital marketing in the new year. The explanation for using digital marketing in 2019 is simple: Your competitors are likely using Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) or social media marketing to positively position their brands, products or services in the online marketplaces in which they conduct business.

We’re sure that at some point in time, you’ve heard from a friend or colleague the difficulties in utilizing digital marketing tools, and how convoluted SEO and SEM can be. While not an easy task, we feel that businesses with an agency who understands the inner-workings of these digital marketing tools are bound for success in 2019. At ECPR, we spend many hours a week formulating key search terms, writing and re-writing our client’s website or blog copy to conform with key words, and then finally analyzing the results- all so our clients are competitively positioned to their competitors through search engines and social media.

Ultimately, your digital marketing program should boost the frequency and quality of Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) for your business and brands. SERP involves web pages being displayed by Google and other search engines in response to search queries. When someone searches online information (say, about products or services), they search by using certain words and phrases. The most relevant and content-rich website pages are “served” or show up as a result of the user’s search. Obviously, the linked website pages that are served closest to the top of all SERP are the ones your potential customers or clients are most likely to click.

Engaging, informative and keyword-focused content written and posted in rife fashion on your website, blog and social media channels should be the name of the game for your marketing team (or agency) in 2019. Endemic, fresh content about your brand that is posted on your owned media channels, not to mention external channels and websites, should harmonize with your active Google Ad Words campaign.

Writer’s note: Keep our blog in your RSS feed for an upcoming “Google Ad Words 101” article.

The second key marketing tool, which is also trending these days, you should not only pay attention to, but seriously consider for your business. It is influencer marketing. Through the rise of various free-media platforms, influencer marketing has seen a large spike in the last five years. In a recent study conducted by Linqia, an influencer-marketing research firm, marketers across the country are increasing their influencer marketing budget as much as 39 percent in 2019.

With a general rise in consumer distrust, many brands are looking to influencer marketing to help drive sales by gaining or regaining customer confidence in their brands. In 2019, we recommend targeting influencers who aren’t necessarily the most popular, obvious or mainstream in your respective industry. Rather, align your brand with the individuals and media outlets with the highest engagement and influencer rates among your target audience.

By using this ECPR approach to influencer marketing, you’ll be creating a more focused message to interact with your target audience, albeit indirectly through the influencers your customers or clients already know and trust. This breeds new connections and forms of engagement, which can ultimately lead to brand trust that equates to sales in increased numbers.

2. How will people consume media in 2019, and how do I make this to my brand’s advantage?

The key to finding publicity success in 2019 is understanding the media platforms in which your target audiences are most likely to receive their information. Through our research, we’ve learned consumer media is making a strong, swift and rather obvious, shift to digital, whereas trade media is taking a slower, more calculated approach towards digital and online media.

In the numerous industries in which we represent clients, we have noticed multiple, well-received trade publications making these digital-friendly efforts. As a trade professional, you often need as much information as possible to stay afloat and informed in your industry. And sometimes, all that needed information cannot fit within the pages of a print magazine.

This points to the fact your B-to-C and B-to-B targets are consuming both print and digital / online media like never before. The growing or evolving inclusion of digital and online content means your customers or potential customers now have more ways to learn about your business and its unique selling propositions.

For example, the former design-trade publication Editor at Large has shifted to a much more digital-friendly approach, dropping their original print namesake and becoming a multi-platformed, digital-friendly entity, entitled Business of Home. Although still producing a quarterly print magazine filled with great content, they have ventured towards other mediums of communication, and have fully taken advantage of the podcast-craze that has become extremely prevalent across consumer and trade media alike.

In addition to the podcasts that feature well-to-do design professionals on a weekly basis, their online platform is jam-packed with audio and video features, lookbooks, extensive event recaps, and other content that you simply can’t fit into a print magazine.

Because of this digital and online growth, as well as the lack of word counts and space constraints on digital and online platforms, the need for content production becomes that much more a priority for your business when looking to score publicity. In order to consistently secure quality media placements, you will want to consistently produce quality press releases, social media and business, product or professional service announcements.

We, at ECPR, call this demand for creative media the “content monster,” and the monster is always hungry for news and information because people cannot seem to get enough. How do we know? The average person reads or views information about more than 3,000 brands a day. That is a lot of content, and you should have ever-growing new content about your business, products or services online and in the news at all times.

In 2019, make it a top task on your list to feed the content monster with a schedule of press and digital marketing campaigns, or seek a PR firm like ECPR to take care of the need for you, because the desire among people for new content is not slowing down any time soon.

3. How can my business utilize social media most effectively in 2019?

As a full-service creative agency, we’ve witnessed the role of social media and the time spent creating unique social media campaigns increase in the past five years. In order to keep up with the trend and its demands, we make sure to constantly stay on the beat of all-things social media. Through our experience and research, we believe the social media platforms with the largest impact in 2019 will easily be Instagram and YouTube.

It’s no secret that humans are visual creatures. So, when trying to market your product or service, what better way to show potential clients and consumers what you can provide them by literally showing them via photos and / or videos? Our clients and friends in the interior design, architecture and real estate development industries have taken note of this trend and are beginning to focus primarily on photo-sharing platforms, such as Instagram, while sometimes balancing their LinkedIn and Facebook accounts.

Video has also drastically expanded its role in the social media realm. A publication staff with whom we have a great relationship, Architectural Digest, is one of the media companies at the forefront of this newer form of content creation. Through their video-tour series, where they profile showrooms, hospitality settings and homes, AD is able to extend its reach beyond the pages of the magazine and onto YouTube, where video can then be shared across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Just think about the impressions!

Social media, an arm of digital marketing, has given rise to the restructured marketing of brands, products and services by implemented digital technologies of a socially conscience nature. If your social media program did not lead to realized connections with your existing and potential customer bases last year, initiate a more authentic approach to your posting strategies. For every one-way social media dialog you had on your Facebook, LinkedIn or other channel in 2019, change the focus from telling your fans and followers what you want them to know. Initiate new two-way conversations by asking them what they would like to gain from your business and how they’d prefer to engage with your brand.

Putting the internet to work and fueled through mobile phones, handhelds, online videos, and other digital mediums, marketing teams can incorporate digital platforms and strategies to maximize their promotions. But, many marketers have only yet to implement one or two facets of digital and social media marketing, whereas the reality involves vast prospects to maximize the concept to help reach and win new customers or clients.

4. In the upcoming year, what kinds of advertising will draw the interest of potential consumers and clients for my business?

Traditional forms of advertising, when used alone or as a singular focus for a period of time, is proving to be less and less successful in spreading messages from business to consumer, and from business to business. Similar to the direction social media is heading, digital advertising is likely to remain the most impactful and engaging advertising platform heading into 2019. Of course, the trend of digital advertising is most successfully executed when combined with other forms of marketing in a fully integrated program plan.

For example, companies across most industries are ramping up their digital video advertising budgets to adjust to competitors’ spending habits; and, according to a recent eMarketer report, digital video ad buys will account for 50 percent of total video ad budgets in 2019, with mobile and social video ads appearing as the top forms. Though, in the truly results-oriented case studies, we see the convergence of digital video advertising with one or more forms of print or traditional marketing.

So, what does this mean for your business? Once again, studies like these show the importance of understanding how your clients and customers are consuming all forms of media. Without understanding this rather basic idea, finding ways to connect to your target audience can be nearly impossible.

Our trained media professionals at ECPR have been closely monitoring this ongoing trend and believe the best way to utilize digital video advertising is through creative content building and advertorials. Consumers and trade professionals alike are looking for highly-relevant, engaging video content that offers them more than a product or slogan. This remains especially important when delivering digital video ads through mobile and social, as these two platforms travel with a consumer or client wherever they go, by way of smartphone or tablet.

Still, if this were enough, no roadmap would be needed. It is the integral combination of a well research and meticulously developed integrated marketing plan, that gives rise to the union of multi-faceted advertising and publicity that produces an overall brand story.

What will you decide to improve in 2019?

If your improvement strategy focuses on any of the above ideas, they are not easy challenges to tackle by yourself, while also trying to run a business or manage sales and marketing at large. By working with a full-service integrated communications agency such as ourselves, you can make certain your 2019 will be filled with marketing and media victories, ones that will improve upon the past and track quickly toward a productive and prosperous future.

We’d enjoy hearing from you. Share your questions and thoughts with us in the comments section, or reach out to us directly through the “Contact” page of our website above.