With increasingly divided audiences and the decline of mass media, small niches have emerged as the new targets for PR. This means that messages need to be tailored, crafted individually, and appear where the conversations are happening, which is on social media platforms.
Content creation has become a key driver of PR success.
PR folks need to look beyond the press release and the day-to-day pitch and develop timely, relevant multimedia content that can be creatively repurposed and syndicated. Businesses should see themselves as publishers of content – small media companies - and leverage the information and expertise they already have at hand to create unique, compelling content that attracts both media and customers. However, creating good content is not enough.
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The key to achieve efficient, scalable PR is devising a comprehensive distribution strategy with a diversification of publishing avenues.
Content needs to be customized and shared on your site and social media properties, with media outlets as you regularly would, and with bloggers and influencers to gain exposure on their channels. Effective PR in this digital age employs a combination of earned, owned, shared, and paid media. Social media influencers and bloggers are indispensable communication allies these days. A campaign with influencers that specialize in your niche and/or industry can have a greater impact for small businesses than a message exposed to a large and diverse audience via a mass media outlet.
PR teams at small businesses should leverage the organic engagement and natural amplification power that social media outlets and blogs offer for their messages. The heart and soul of social media are the conversations that happen among its users and the objective of any PR campaign should be to insert its messages into this narrative.
The internet has democratized the communication arena and social media has democratized brand-building. Brands should take advantage of the know-how and expertise influencers have to reach their target audience and generate awareness on social media networks.
