The Secrets of PR & Marcom - Revealed

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PR & Content Marketing

Secrets Revealed!



Your Speaker

Amy Kenigsberg, Principal ConsultantK2 Global Communications

Bachelor of Journalism, magazine & newspaper journalismMBA20+ years in PR and marcomExperience ranges from the first Internet agency to GEindustries from alumni relations to telecomCo-founder, K2 Global Communications, international PR, marcom, and content marketing from Israel



General PR OverviewThe Basics



Public Relations, K2 Style

Building relationships with influencers to create third-party endorsements, attracting customers to buy and/or repeat purchase





Four out of Five Experts Surveyed…

Third-party endorsement adds value to your solutions



What is a media outlet in 2014?• Website• Print• Blog• Analyst report• Analyst blog• RSS• Newsletter• Social media



What is News?• Industry specific• General• Product news• Corporate data• Deals with major partners

• Company news• Reputation building• Expertise• Analysis• Opinion



NOT News

•We’re going to a show (unless…)•We met with a potential investor•We’re taking it on the road•We’re joining 20 other Israeli companies at…



“Local” Coverage• Israel• A LOT OF COMPETITION• DO NOT expect local coverage

• Foreign media based in Israel• Approach on a one-to-one basis• Potential success only on a slow news day after much

persistence



Getting Ready for the Secrets

Almost, but not quite



Sales

Production/R&D/Engineering

Marketing Public Relations

Corporate Strategy

Integrated Communications: Getting Everyone on the Same Page

Operations

Customers

Partners Influencers

Internal External



All PR & Marcom Outreach Should Appeal to Clearly Defined Target Audiences



Multiple Audiences

•Clearly define the messages for each• Separate efforts• Separate materials• Two landing pages/website sections, etc.



What Do You Want to Achieve?• Drive more sales• Too general

• Drive sales in markets A, B & C• Too general

• Drives sales in markets A, B & C from C-level and project managers



The ProcessGetting it Done



Reaching Your Targets• You have your goal• You know your audience• Find out who is influencing them• Journalists• Bloggers• Analysts



Now We Get to the Secrets



What’s in it for me??



Everything needs to follow…



Your Content Needs to Focus On

•News You Can Use•Objective statistics that help the industry•Content that adds to the conversation•Con-vertial



Reduce: Get Down to Tachlis

•What information do you possess that can create objective reports for your industry?• Use cases• Customer statistics



Reuse Your Content

• “Sell” it as a blog to a targeted media outlet• Promote their usage on social media• Put a link to their site on yours• Send the content in your newsletter – with an

“As Seen in”



Recycle• December comes every year• Predictions• Holidays

• Back to school• Are the same people reading

your blog?• Do they even remember what

you wrote?



The Real Secret: Don’t Be a One-Hit Wonder

PR Depends on LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS: Persistence, persistence, persistence



DIY v. The External Approach• People you know• Influencers you know• Analysts you know• Bloggers you know• TIME YOU HAVE

• Expands your sphere of influence• Understands the value of

your news• Dedicated resource• Experience



A Bit More on Content Distribution• Exclusivity v. “the masses”• Type of impact v. quantity

• Check with your SEO expert (un-indexing, etc.)• Target, target, target• If published: Always post their link your website



Measurement• Higher website traffic• Consider quantity v. quality• Six visits – One registration• Thousands of visits – Nothing

• More downloads• Increase in newsletter subscribers• Growth of conversion rates• Incoming media inquiries

PR trade industry associations are still debating measurement standards after 30+ years



Bonus SectionThe Little Things Mean a Lot



The Relationship with the Journalist• She IS doing you a favor by speaking with you• NEVER cancel unless a dire emergency• Be prepared, especially for curves• Most communication occurs by email• NEVER attach anything• Get to the point, keep it short• Use bold/underlining



You are an Israeli Company…Or Not?• You ARE an Israeli company• Politics• NEUTRAL: “I don’t feel it would be fair or appropriate to use this as a

political forum. Our focus is on sharing our technology to everyone’s benefit.”

• You AREN’T• R&D is in Israel• Stick to the story



Present a Professional Face• Have a native English speaker review your website•While it may appear to be English, many Israeli sites

are in “Heblish”• The cow brown that jumped over the moon.• The brown cow jumped over the moon.• He is getting into the place.• He entered.



Spelling Counts

•Any typo in a website or marketing material significantly reduces your credibility• If you cannot be bothered to spell correctly or have

your materials proofread, you’re undermining confidence in your company and products



And Your Name Is?• רוני• Ronny• Ronnie• Roni• Ronni• Ronie• Ronney

NEVER misspell anyone’s name• Ask how his/her name is spelled• Check LinkedIn, etc.



The Press Release• Newsworthy only!• Be clear about your key messages• What’s in it for me? Journalist/reader

• Inverted pyramid – get to the point• Who, what, when, where, why , how• Compelling writing gets read• Generate interest/tease, don’t bore or be overly granular• Human-sounding quotes, only• Streamline the approval process



PR in ActionReal-world Examples



K2’s Tactics• Direct public relations outreach• Introduce company to key publications/blogs in targeted markets

• Analyst relations• Brief relevant industry analysts

• Trade show support• Arrange in-person meetings with influential journalists at relevant exhibitions

• Content contributions• Create content to reinforce expertise among targeted audiences

• Articles, guest blog posts, slide shows

• Social media• Repost relevant articles• Actively participate in industry-related Linked In groups – not with commercials



Our Clients Received These Results• Direct sales: 6%-20% conversion rates from niche PR coverage • Awards: Start-up to watch generated direct sales leads• Bloggers: Software – Interview led to discussion with huge potential customer• Major player endorsement: IBM quoted client’s media coverage in own report• Reputation building: Internet security – Established client as “go to” authority via aggressive

outreach• Traditional media: SatCom – Printed article led to multiple sales inquiries• Social media: Telematics – LinkedIn activity led to potential deal of $1.5 million+ annual revenue• Niche focus: Green tech – Highly targeted placement led to PO worth $25,000+ within 24 hours

of article publication• Maximize SEO with objective links



Questions?Thanks!

Business

The Secrets of PR & Marcom - Revealed