In 2013, Geben worked with an established PR-industry vendor that sought to reintroduce itself to the market as an innovative social communications company. Combining media relations, blogger outreach, analyst briefings, monthly webinars, participation in relevant industry events and content marketing, Geben helped the client build awareness, increase their share of voice (when compared to their largest competitors), drive sales leads and establish the company as an industry leader and preferred vendor.
Goals
- Build meaningful relationships with media, bloggers, analysts and influencers
- Establish positioning as an authority on industry issues by:
- Increasing media placements each month
- Increasing share of voice in the marketplace by 5% per month
- Generate greater awareness, credibility and preference
- Drive qualified sales leads
Execution
MEDIA + BLOGGER RELATIONS
A proactive approach to media and blogger relations led to placements in tech, business and niche industry publications: CNN, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Mashable, TechCrunch, Investor Relations Magazine, PR Week and Holmes Report, among others. We also leveraged content marketing to position the client as a valuable resource for media and bloggers seeking insight into online conversations around current events, including:
- Infographics: Infographics highlighted timely conversations happening on social media and demonstrated the power of the company’s social media monitoring and analytics tools. For example, we released a “Social Media Guide to the Super Bowl” that led to coverage on Mashable, CNN and ESPN, among others. Similar infographics created for the Oscars and World Series led to additional coverage and helped generate sales leads.
- Community Manager Appreciation Day E-book: Positioning themselves as a valuable, active member of the online marketing/PR community, the client partnered with TheCommunityManager.com to create an e-book to commemorate Community Manager Appreciation Day (#CMAD). The book featured tips and advice collected via a survey of 600+ community managers. The e-book has been viewed nearly 30,000 times, resulting in a spike in traffic to the company’s blog the day it was released. By approaching content marketing through a PR lens, we were also able to leverage this book to secure six placements on industry blogs.
- SEC ruling: When the SEC ruled that public companies could disseminate information via social media, the client commissioned research on the financial sector’s usage and views on social media. They also created an infographic to summarize their findings. The research and infographic positioned the client as a though leader on the topic and led to inclusion in 24 social disclosure articles, including The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, and Business Insider.
Lastly, to establish credibility in the social media/digital marketing space, we placed guest posts in leading industry outlets and blogs, including CMO.com, Huffington Post and PR Week.
ANALYST RELATIONS
Recognizing that industry analysts are known for influencing purchasing decisions, we secured briefings with leading analyst firms, including Gartner, Forrester, Altimeter Group, Frost & Sullivan, Aberdeen, eMarketer and 451 Research.
BRAND LAUNCH
The client introduced a new name and brand identity in Spring of 2013. To unveil the new positioning, we helped implement a multi-pronged launch day strategy, anchored by proactive media relations and a “buzzworthy” launch event. We secured 12 stories on and surrounding launch day that focused on the brand’s evolution and willingness to embrace social technology, including TechCrunch, Bulldog Reporter and Media Bistro. Then, to reconnect with customers/prospects, establish new relationships with digital marketing and PR influencers, and support sales and lead generation, we helped plan an event to showcase the company’s transformation. The event drew more than 100 influencers, media, bloggers, and current and potential customers. Additionally, by hiring a social media correspondent to “cover” the event, we helped the client generate videos with company leadership, clients and influential attendees that could be released in the following weeks/months.
INFLUENCER EVENTS
Hosting exclusive networking events at industry conferences provided an additional opportunity to build relationships with a highly targeted group of media, bloggers, key influencers and analysts, plus connect sales team members with potential new customers. Throughout the year, we helped the client plan and host eight influencer events, managing everything from venue selection to building invite lists and managing on-site logistics.
EDUCATION
Speaking engagements at industry conferences, paired with a monthly webinar series, helped generate new leads and educate targeted audiences.
- Webinars: We planned and executed a series of webinars by partnering with PR and digital marketing thought leaders to present on current trends and best practices. Guests included Chris Brogan, Amy Jo Martin and Chuck Hemann, among others.
- Speaking: By strategically crafting each proposal and presentation to position the client as an industry thought leader, company executives spoke at conferences like PRSA Digital, Social Data Week and IABC International, among others, which provided a platform to share expertise in public relations, data analysis, and social media.
Results
From media, blogger and analyst relations to events and education, each initiative we executed was part of a strategy that helped the client accomplish their overall goals. Tactics implemented leading up to the brand relaunch laid the foundation for future success. Following the relaunch, the company solidified its position in the marketplace as an innovative social communications company. In summary:
- Within just the first month of working together, Geben helped the client increase its share of voice in the marketplace by 13%.
- We secured more than 200 media and blogger placements between January and November.
- The client was included in analyst reports on social media monitoring and listening, real-time social media analytics, text analytics and tools for the CMO. These touch points enhanced brand credibility and established their tools and services as essential for enterprise brands, while simultaneously reinforcing their brand messaging and product differentiation.
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