Difference Between Earned Media and Advertising?Dec 12, 2011 So how do you win the media's attention? How does "earned media" work? Let's start with the basics: You need to present a newsworthy person, product, event or story. If you don't have news, you can ethically create it if you know how. You need to also understand not only which publication or broadcast channel/show to pitch, but which reporter or editor might be interested in that story based on their beat and what they've covered in the past. Most PR professionals use a comprehensive, cloud based media database for that purpose. You should also understand your objectives in getting the story published. What do you want your audience to do? How would you like them to respond to your message? What is the message you want the media to help you get across? Could social media work just as well, if not better? Earned media initiatives can be very simple or complex depending on your news. There are numerous strategic questions that have to be answered before a reporter or producer is contacted. And you usually have less than a minute--30 seconds is typical--to get your story idea across. More on earned coverage including examples in the next post. comments(0)
No Vendor Endorsements Part IIOct 18, 2011 If you believe this case study is an exceptional story that will reflect positively on your client and could even affect its stock then go for broke. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Plan B: If that approach doesn't work, try for an internal case study or simply whitewash your story to blank out the name of the organization and the name of your contact and use it on your website. Importance of Customer References in B2B MarketingMay 16, 2011 One statistic: Reichheld describes the "Key Marker" for success as a "Net Promoter Score" (NPS) over 50%. In other words, at least 50% of your customers are active references.
Another marker: Fortune SB 2008 -- 20 out of 20 of the most successful small businesses had excellent NPS reference scores.
According to Moore: “Part of what defines a high-tech market is the tendency of its members to reference each other when making buying decisions.”
Once you have a willing customer, you should be able to document their successful experience with your organization. This is about recording your organization's references for your market; whether you call them case studies, user, success, or application stories, they should be professionally written and occupy center stage on your website, in your literature and as part of a comprehensive analyst/media relations initiative.
What if you only have one or two customers willing to act as references? HiTechPR, on behalf of our client, Sigma Imaging, placed a Con Ed Customer Service case study in ten different business and vertical market publications incluiding BusinessWeek. It can be done.
Customer Reference Programs: No Vendor Endorsements!Jan 14, 2011 Exceptions are made — a potential award winning installation or a ROI story can be pitched as an exception to corporate communications and investor relations If references are prohibited from talking with analysts/media, determine if they can present to your user group –This is an excellent strategy for ethically working around gatekeepers and prohibitions dealing with public vendor endorsements since user group conferences are a hybrid public/private forum If publicly-held customers balk at serving as references, focus on small to midsize private organizations first -Create an anonymous case study from your organization's perspective -Quote your management team, project leaders and analysts if appropriate More on "No Vendor Endorsements" in a future post. Introducing Customers to Your Reference ProgramDec 23, 2010 Introduce the subject of referencing to your customers. Ask if you can use their company name and logo on your website. Can they provide a brief quote for a news release announcing their organization as a new customer of yours? Most interviewees agreed it was difficult or impossible to persuade a company to participate if it prohibits vendor reference activities; however, several pointed out that exceptions are made – a potential award winning installation or a significant ROI story of interest to your client’s investors can be pitched as an exception to corporate communications. Although the data was based on a limited number of interviews, it appears that private companies have more leeway to act and more to gain from positive PR through CRIs. If larger publicly-held customers balk at serving as references, focus on small to midsize private organizations first because they might quickly grasp the benefits of positive publicity. Smaller companies are potentially more nimble and unencumbered by multiple layers of bureaucracy. Strive for quick reference approvals. |