Growing up, I loved to sing and dance. So it’s no surprise that when I learned about my high school’s show choir that I knew I wanted to be a part of it. How could I not want to be a part of something that combined singing and dancing? It became my goal as I entered high school to join that group.
However, show choir was a competitive and selective group; my love of singing and dancing wouldn’t be enough to guarantee acceptance. I knew I needed a plan to reach my goal, so I took voice instruction, continued my dance lessons, and participated in choir. After two years of dedication and sticking to my plan, I was invited to be a part of the show choir.
Now, this is just a simple example of setting a goal and then following tactics needed to accomplish it. However, these same principles apply to PR and marketing goals. Whether your goal is for increased attendance at an event or earning more product sales, establishing effective means for reaching your goal is important. I want to share five communication tactics that you can use to attain your PR and marketing goals.
Press Releases
A press release is a great way to make an announcement and using a distribution service like Business Wire can help spread your message far and wide. For optimal press release pickup, you’ll want to make sure you have a clear, catchy headline and that your content is actually newsworthy. By providing valuable information through a press release you can command the attention of journalists, which can lead to stories, interviews, and more coverage for your brand.
Articles
One great thought leadership tactic is to write contributed articles. A contributed piece gives you plenty of space to share an idea, show off your expertise, or converse with the industry. From your company’s blog, to an industry or business publication, to LinkedIn Pulse, there are many different outlets where you can publish your content. I recently wrote an article for Marketing Profs titled The Right Words at the Right Time in the Right Place: 3 Platforms to Publish Your Content On that provides a deeper dive into this subject.
Videos
Did you know almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every day? People enjoy seeking out information from videos, so it makes perfect sense to share your message through this method. A video can serve many purposes. For example, if you are trying to up membership in your organization, you could produce a video featuring interviews with current members on why they find membership valuable. This is powerful because it gives personal testimony to the membership benefits most likely listed on your website already. Another great use of a video is to do a product overview, allowing customers to see the product in action before they purchase it. Think of it as “try before you buy”.
Graphics
With so much content available today, eye-catching design helps you stand out among the crowd. From including an image with your tweet or press release, to a full-blown infographic, there are many ways big and small to utilize graphics in your communication plan. For example, if you are trying the beef up attendance at a conference you could create a website banner that clicks straight to registration. Using a graphic instead of just website copy is far more engaging and will have a better chance of gaining clicks, which is one step closer to registration.
Social Media
Whether it’s a press release, article, video, graphic, or all of the above, social media is a great avenue to amplifying your efforts. You’ve already spent the time creating your assets for your campaign and social media is one platform that can help you spread them further. Additionally, social media gives you a chance to interact and engage with your audience. You can also use it as a research tool to listen and observe your audience for trends in likes and dislikes.
This was just a quick snapshot of five communication tactics to use to help you achieve your PR and marketing goals. But remember that before you jump into these, take some time to define your goals. Knowing what you want to achieve will help you understand what tactics to use and not to use. Define your goals, choose your tactics, and start seeing results.
