How can I extend the reach of my company’s earned media? How can I integrate earned media across different marketing channels?
Earned media is an important piece of your business strategy. It brings awareness to new and existing audiences, it can help drive sales and it gives the public insight into what your company can offer them. But it’s vital to remember that once earned media coverage is generated, its reach can extend far beyond the initial outlet’s audience.
Previously on the Franco blog, we’ve shared the importance of integrated communications and how it’s the future of PR.
This post will explore different avenues to extend the shelf life of your media coverage, amplify your company’s messaging and provide actionable tips on how to begin integrating earned media through your digital channels, including:
Social Media
Whether content is being shared on your brand’s channels or across your employees’ personal networks, social media is one of the most efficient vehicles for sharing relevant media coverage. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- The brand: Turn media coverage into content and share it on your company’s social platforms – specifically Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Not only is it an easy way to highlight company updates and news, but sharing earned media is a great opportunity to further your brand’s credibility. Chances are if an outlet found your story newsworthy, your audience will too – use that to your advantage when curating social content.
- The team: Your colleagues are often the strongest advocates for your brand. Having them share earned coverage on their social channels allows them to showcase affinity for the company they represent while also tapping into a wider audience who may not have otherwise been exposed to this content. We have an entire post dedicated to launching a successful employee advocacy program! Don’t underestimate the power of internal brand advocates.
- The leaders: Tapping into your employees’ personal networks is important but getting executive leadership on-board takes any advocacy program to another level. Have your communications team develop pre-written posts for executives to publish when major media placements are secured.
Website
Your company’s website should be a place where consumers can learn everything they need to know about your organization. According to HubSpot, 61% of marketers say improving SEO and growing their organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority. Keeping your website up to date and relevant not only keeps your audience informed but also plays a pivotal role in improving search engine optimization (SEO). Here’s how to get started:
- The more frequently your website is updated, the more frequently it’s indexed by search engines. Create a “Newsroom” page on your website. Here, you can share company press releases and news briefs that outline recent updates and community efforts.
- Not only will you want to share external media communications on the Newsroom page, you’ll also want to share earned media coverage that appears online. Sharing coverage from an outlet helps further establish the credibility of your company’s successes. In addition to the anecdotal impact, Moz explains how including external links on your site can help build domain authority and ultimately increase traffic, too.
Owned content curation
Okay – so you’ve pitched a topic to media that your company has expertise in, but why stop at media outreach? Use the topics and spokespeople you’re pitching to create owned content:
- Blog posts are a great way to extend your media outreach angles. They allow you to delve deeper into the topic, include quotes from your spokesperson and reaffirm your company’s proficiency on the subject. And remember, a frequently updated site is a search engine’s best friend!
- Repurpose, repurpose, repurpose. You spent the time developing a strong media angle and you secured excellent coverage – don’t stop now! Use this content to drive email marketing efforts (whether it’s internal or external). Link out to the earned media coverage or related blog post to continue expanding the reach of this content.
Integration goes both ways
Integration means you’re creating cohesive messaging across all channels. Make your media communications work for you. Simple ways to drive traffic to your owned channels include:
- Link back to your company’s website in the first reference of your organization’s name. This not only allows media easy access to your website but if a publication posts your press release, the audience can also click directly to your company’s page. For example: The Detroit-based integrated communications agency, Franco, shares tips on utilizing your earned media coverage in new ways.
- Include links to your company’s social media platforms in your boilerplate. This takes a step out of locating your social media channels. Instead of users opening the platform and searching for your company, they are now just a click away from learning more and potentially following your company on social.
Are you interested in making the most of your earned media efforts through adopting an integrated approach? Let’s connect.
Account executive Joelle Kruczek and digital account executive Catherine Pace contributed to this post.
