3 ways to earn media through online PR ? Get In Front ...

(Editor?s Note: Thank you to Alicia Lawrence for the following post)

Communication looks different than it did 20 years ago. With the rise of social media and online PR, companies are giving prominence to earned media instead of paying for it. Of course, earned media isn?t free either. It is paid for with your time; and time is money.

Earned media includes word of mouth, social media shout-outs and replies, blog mentions, and reviews. There are a number of benefits of earning your media instead of buying it.

1)????? It?s organic: Customers thrive on knowing what their peers say about various brands. They don?t necessarily care what the company says about its own products. People trust people more.

2)????? It?s targeted: The world is oversaturated with advertisements. People have learned to block out unwanted messages. Since earned media is usually spread by fans, it reaches people who want to know more about that topic or who would be interested in your brand.

3)????? It?s pervasive: Earned media is content that people spread because they like it and, therefore, they pay attention to it.

4)????? It helps SEO: This is the big money reason. Not only does the company gain name recognition and awareness,?earned media?gets links, which helps boost a website?s ranking in?search engines.

Here are three ways you can initiate?earned media.

Linkbait

Linkbait is a common tactic SEOs use to get links. Companies can create relevant e-books, infographics, funny photos important to the brand (like Oreo?s Super Bowl Twitter pic), widgets, etc. The linkbait should be relevant to the company and display its logo but it shouldn?t sound like an advertisement. Remember, you want people to love it so much that they have to share it.

The key is to create linkbait that appeals to the company?s target audience. Keep their personas in mind when brainstorming and creating your linkbait. 12 Palms Recover Center does an excellent job creating viral infographics on their blog. It?s important that you encourage spreading the infographic from your company?s blog by including an embed code. This way you can make sure you are getting links to boost your SEO.

Write Blog Posts

This is not a press release or a time to gloat about everything you are doing in your company. When you write a post, think of it as a gift not a tactic. You?re writing it to help your customers overcome a challenge.

Narrow down the blogs that relate to your industry or ones that your potential consumers are likely to visit. Next, pitch a topic idea their readers would enjoy. Try to creatively tie in your company and don?t forget to get a link to your website either in the content or the byline.

Make Friends

Seems like an obvious tactic, but many times companies forget being proactive in relationships is a major factor to earn media. People are your greatest resource. I?m talking about employees, stakeholders, and consumers. Communicate with them. They are the vehicle that what will spur your company upward or bury it in the ground.

Social media is a powerful tool to find brand mavens and build relationships. Encourage your loyal fans to write reviews of your company on Google+. Create strong company morals and energize your employees with a heart to serve your customers. If you need some inspiration, read Dale Carnegie?s book ?How to Win Friends and Influence People.? It is timeless.

?Alicia Lawrence is a content coordinator for WebpageFX and blogs in her free time at MarCom Land. Her work has been published by the Association for Business Communication, Yahoo! Small Business, and Spin Sucks.

Source: http://www.getinfrontcommunications.com/3-ways-to-earn-media-through-online-pr.php

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