I’ve written previously about content marketing strategies and how they differ from traditional PR efforts. Two big differences are that you totally control the message and you can directly target self-identified audiences via social media channels. Companies in the B2B and B2G markets can often achieve their marketing objectives without going through the media filter.
All that said, a well crafted and executed content marketing program can also deliver more traditional PR benefits like awareness and earned media placements. This was clearly illustrated recently for one of my B2G clients. The company sells commercial satellite communications to the government, a market that is going through significant changes due to the federal budget climate and corresponding cuts in Pentagon spending.
My client’s senior management are focusing on this market evolution with thought leadership content that is both candid and creative. In the past two weeks, this content has resulted in tangible market benefits such as:
- A blog post being mentioned verbatim in a government agency presentation on the state of the market;
- An offer to repurpose a blog post as a a full page byline, again verbatim, in a leading industry trade magazine;
- An offer to expand a blog post into a 2,000 word article from a leading academic journal.
All these benefits from a program designed to directly support revenue growth. The choice isn’t always black and white. A well executed content marketing program can deliver many traditional PR benefits along the way to measurable ROI.
Good post, Chris. And great work on behalf of your satellite client.
As you know, I typically characterize the awareness, credibility and organic SEO benefits of social media participation as being merely the natural outcomes of participation in new media.
At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), success is ultimately defined by how we align our programs with measurable sales outcomes — lead generation, prospect cultivation and deal capture.