Content marketing has been around for some time, but are you getting the most out of it? Content marketing is any marketing that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire and retain customers. Public relations is the professional maintenance of a favorable public image by a company. So why do these two need each other?
According to an annual study by Content Marketing Institutes only 30% of business-to-business feel they are effective at content marketing. But in the same study 72% of business-to-business marketers say they focus heavily on creating content and it is a top priority. So where is the disconnect? If you are simply creating engaging content and are not publishing them through the necessary channels, you will not find results. PR relies on engaging stories, and content marketing relies on giving those engaging stories sources to reach the public. The two should not be mutually exclusive.
Public relations gives your content credibility, it helps you get more views on your content and helps you achieve authority. It is easy to write something and back it yourself but what is even more important is to have that content then picked up and backed by credible sources. Involving PR into your content marketing plan helps ensure that it coincides with upcoming news and trends. PR encourages you to think beyond bland content and get more involved in the popular option of the day, which is the kind of content that provokes more engagement. Combining PR and content marketing can help you extend your reach. Once you have written a great piece of content it’s important to distribute that to the public and not wait for traffic to come to you. You can republish content among numerous platforms which will extend the reach and create more engagement on your content. Help your content marketing by applying a PR mindset and you will start seeing improved results.