Integrated Communications Strategy
The lines separating marketing and public relations have always been blurred and competitive. Some agencies, including Crossbow, have always been integrated, but they were ahead of their time.
Marketers now understand that relationships are the foundation of the practice and public relations professionals know how to build relationships, while positioning clients as leaders. The two practices are no longer fighting the convergence through turf wars. The rapid evolution of tech and reliance on data, the continued emphasis on content creation, and the increasing prevalence of influencer marketing have all forced some old-school PR tactics out the window in favor of fresher and more effective tactics. For example, PR and media relations is a great way to educate audiences and overcome objections and misinformation. It’s also a powerful way to spark the bandwagon effect (where thought leaders influence followers).
One of the most important trends is the value that marketers are placing on PR’s strategic role within a larger marketing campaign.
Earned media is only as good as the story it tells.
PR professionals and marketers working together and sharing knowledge is the new trend. Audiences are becoming increasingly wary of the content they are presented–for good reason. For that reason, all content should be authentic and transparent to a level that was not seen before. Audiences want quality content that provides something they didn’t have before. Agencies should hire PR professionals in writing-based roles such as content strategists and digital marketing strategists, who can focus on strategic writing that truly connects with audiences.
To serve clients with PR needs, agencies need to first build strong partnerships with clients in order to increase trust and transparency. This then encourages the client to share more with the agency, creating a true partnership. Second, agencies need to ensure that the content they are creating is the most accurate information possible to then build trust with external audiences.
Collaboration continues to be more important than ever. Public relations efforts should align with strong content marketing strategy, as securing meaningful earned coverage requires an investment in content creation. Agencies can better position themselves in 2020 by helping clients understand the value of creating the right content as part of a broader thought leadership message and by knowing where to reach their audiences. A message may be pitched by a PR professional in story, video or podcast format, but it also needs to be shared on the right social channels for broader reach. And don’t forget that today’s CMOs are requiring measurement in all areas of marketing—whether showing the effectiveness of PR or connecting email campaigns to a sale. Public relations professionals need to be able to demonstrate the reach of their placements and prove what messaging is working.
In a world that’s becoming increasingly ruled by algorithms and robots, PR strategy must be driven by emotion and have that human element in order to be more meaningful and lead to a growing focus on expert, local and enthusiastic micro-influencers, instead of macro-influencers. There is more content online today than ever before. Not surprisingly, there is now a rising consumer trend towards digital detox and decluttering. The question for PR pros is how to emerge in today’s world of hyper-connectivity and digital addiction. Reporters and customers need to be able to trust PR pros not just to present them with content that is relevant to them, but to not waste their time with an overdose of info or irrelevant messaging.
More than ever, agencies must demonstrate a deep understanding of their clients’ business and leverage creativity and production to support PR strategies.
It is no longer enough to pitch media and secure coverage. PR pros need to consider all aspects of a client’s social and digital footprint. This could include creating original content in 10-second formats for social or getting spokespeople and influencers to do an Instagram takeover. Media outlets continue to be consolidated, closed and/or have their frequency lessened, and yet journalists are still inundated by the amount of pitches and ideas they receive.
We have found the most success with two strategies. The first is offering media experiences: This enables them to write—and us to secure—first-hand, in-depth articles. The second is offering video content in a range of lengths and formats. For example, we can pitch media about a unique skatepark design, but if you show it to them and their audience via video content, they understand the messages you are trying to convey and it also ensures client branding is included.
