How can B2B companies use PR to increase brand awareness?

Your PR strategy should not only be aligned with your marketing and business strategy, they should be intertwined. And as much as there is a need to form the goals, objectives, tactics, and metrics, be sure to strategize your integrated execution, too. It is imperative to be conscious of the fact that your audience does not view your brand in channel siloes. While some internal teams might consider branding someone else’s element to handle, the teams that understand that it’s one brand, once voice are the ones that break through. It’s the consistency of the overarching message delivered in the channel-appropriate ways that creates impact. Don’t wait for everyone to be too busy to connect, plan for that from the get-go.

This is the analogy that I like to use - Imagine you're at a party and spot a guy/girl you would hypothetically like to ask out. Scenario 1 You approach them, brag about yourself, and then proceed to list all the reasons they should go out with you. Sometimes this works, but more likely it will come off egotistical. Scenario 2 Same party, but you ask a friend to approach the person you're interested in to get to know them. (this is like an agency learning a reporter's beats). When the time is right, you say "Hey, I have a friend you might get along with for x, y, or z reason, may I introduce you?" (aka the pitch). #2 approach is more effective since the endorsement is coming from a 3rd party instead of the person/business themselves.

You should see PR as a marketing channel, like paid search or SEO. Therefore, PR only works if you do it consistently and make it a part of your overall marketing strategy. Place PR in your funnel as a channel and build your content around it. So, don't share only when you have something to share; instead, make sure you create content that people want to write about.

Like any message. Know your who (PR outlet). Know your angle. Know your audience. Your PR must be interesting to the media and the media audience. No one cares about you new 20% shinier car paint they care about what's in it for them.

A few key questions to ask when creating a B2B PR strategy include: 1. Who does the outlet appeal to?- While big-name prestige publications are great for bragging rights, they might not confer as much value as a smaller publication within your industry with a very targeted audience. 2. How active is the outlet on social media? People spend more time on social media than any other websites, even B2B folks. Your ideal client is more likely first to see an article on X or LinkedIn, and then go read it on the website. Target publications that are active on social media and have an engaged following. 3. What's your story? Everyone loves a good story, regardless of the industry. We buy products because of how they make us feel, even in B2B.

Make your content effective by: - Making it less text-heavy - Adding data to support what you are saying - Structured flow of the content that makes it a story and not a piece of jumbled information - Always keep those paragraphs crisp and short - Distribute your content on all platforms and link them to one another to make them easily sharebale

In my experience, content that offers a human connection outperforms static communications. Elevating a brand leader via speaking opportunities, maintaining a presence within networking circles, and utilizing short and long form video / podcast content all help put a face and feel to companies, which is often lacking in the B2B space.

From my experience, by crafting engaging, informative, and, most importantly, shareable materials. Make sure to base your PR on numbers, data, and facts.

When it comes to producing content for B2B, it is important to establish trust. That's why it's important to establish a thought leadership programme as part of your marketing and PR strategy. By producing content that brings value to your customers, and then empowering your teams to act as an ambassador, you are establishing yourself and your teams as a credible voice in your industry, and boosting awareness of your brand.

PR Content for B2B should in my opinion follow a certain goal, that is to establish thought leadership and expertise. So the content has to be truly valuable and specific, highlighting a unique perspective that only the company can produce, by mixing experience and know how. So my advice would be: -think about what others are interested in about in your line of work, and choose your subject by funneling through your own experience and expertise -document recent research and studies relevant to the subject -create content that is interesting, insightful and has a unique angle, without promoting your services or products.

Effective PR outreach to boost brand awareness involves a three-pronged approach. Firstly, understanding your audience is crucial – tailor your messages to resonate with their interests and needs. Secondly, meticulously compile a list of journalists and influencers who cover your industry, and maintain updated contact details. Lastly, craft highly personalized pitches and press releases that demonstrate the relevance of your brand to each contact. By taking these steps, you can build strong relationships, secure media coverage, and significantly enhance brand visibility.

To increase brand awareness through PR content, you need to create content that is bold, daring, and authentic. Identify key players and influencers in your niche and reach out with compelling stories and partnerships that align with your brand's values. Personalize your outreach to build genuine connections and engage in conversations that matter. Leverage new platforms and emerging trends to capture the ever-evolving attention of your audience. Invest in expertise to ensure your efforts are efficient and effective. In the world of PR outreach, it's not just about who you reach but how you reach them.

The traditional mode of advertisement is gradually losing its momentum in the face of the digital economy. PR is giving value for money in both corporate communications and brand awareness using various digital and social media platforms to disseminate corporate information and generate feedback at a lower cost.

I had a professor that once told us, "You only recognize what you know." By doing PR outreach you are directly impacting someone's life, and they will remember the experience. It's not just to get on TV or be in the paper, those are both excellent bonuses, but your brand should participate in outreach to touch people's lives. Those touched by your organization's work will not only be able to pick your brand out of a crowd, but they will point you out to people they trust because they trust you.

When adapted properly, every PR activity can help increase brand awareness be it press releases, leadership interviews, or thought leadership content placement. My favourite and not the easiest to deliver is customer stories. Nothing speaks for your brand louder than a customer sharing the impact of your product/solutions.

Leveraging PR events for brand awareness hinges on effective networking. Engage in meaningful conversations, showcase your expertise, and forge valuable relationships, which can translate into enhanced brand recognition, PR opportunities, and credibility.

PR events are a platform to showcase a brand in all its forms and glory. These events can cater to the needs of media, influencers, and analysts under a single roof. They provide journalists access to many executives at the same time which helps them develop wholesome stories. However, for an event to be successful on the PR front, the messaging needs to go beyond what we want to show as brands and definitely not be self-serving.

To use PR events to increase brand awareness, create unforgettable experiences that align with your brand's values and cater to your target audience. Leverage social media and influencers to amplify your event's reach and impact. Personalize your outreach to build genuine connections and engage in conversations that matter. Keep the momentum going through post-event content, discussions, and follow-ups. Measure your event's impact on brand awareness and iterate. Bold and daring PR events have the power to transform your brand's presence and leave an indelible mark in the minds of your audience.

Collaborate with media outlets to cover and promote your event. This includes securing pre-event coverage, live reporting, or post-event interviews.

PR events are great ways to connect with your target audience, nurture relationships, foster trust, and attract new customers. Although events are great PR initiatives, there needs to be a purpose behind any event. What are you trying to achieve? And how are you going to measure success and interest? It’s important to have a clear call to action and clear message that connects with the needs of your target audience to attract registrants and have a good attendance rate. Promoting is critical too. How will people know you are hosting an event if you don’t promote it? Think about staying top of mind by promoting via various touch points such as social media, email, your website, partner newsletters and events, employee networks, etc.

Before you dive fully into PR, ask yourself if your company actually has enough newsworthy or interesting stuff for consistent PR. Yes, you can have as many press releases as you want, but no one will talk about it if it's not noteworthy. There's a reason PR is earned media; you need to earn it. Your stories and press releases will only get coverage if you have something actually noteworthy about writing about. Most B2B companies don't. Noteworthy stories can include new primary research findings, new partnerships, solving an industry wide or niche problem, etc.

Spotlight employee expertise. Encourage your team to contribute articles, speak at conferences, or participate in industry podcasts. Positioning your employees as industry thought leaders not only enhances personal brands but also indirectly promotes the company. Another non-obvious strategy is to leverage philanthropy or sustainability efforts. Highlight your company's commitment to social responsibility through press releases or partnerships with nonprofits. This not only generates positive PR but also establishes your brand as one with a broader impact, making it more memorable in the B2B landscape.

In the past decade, B2B thought leadership has devolved to not only become a predictable sales tactic ("Here's our free white paper that basically reinforces what we think our USP is and prompts you to buy from us."), but also more and more is being created by people who cut and paste other people's research based on a cursory Google search. Be brave enough to be a true thought leader that brings a unique POV or vision of the future to the table, and/or that has the discernment to know when less is more. Have meaningful conversations with your "target audiences" - ideally in person - where you demonstrate your value by sharing true insights and inspiration in response to what's top of mind for them now.

Managing expectations of PR is hugely important, and this is best done from day 1. PR will very rarely result in large numbers of customers contacting you wanting to buy something they've never bought before. Successful PR can't be switched on and off like a light switch. Relationships with journalists, consistency, reliability and mutual trust are everything. No matter how good your story. Measuring the impact of PR is absolutely possible. But it's not measured in the same ways as other marcomms activity. Clear (and relevant) benchmarks and KPIs are critical, especially as PR is a long-term exercise and largely measured qualitatively, rather than quantitatively.