Press is good; surround-sound marketing & branding is better

“A big media placement is nice. But it’s not going to move the needle on its own.”

That’s the advice of James Davis, who puts clients in everything from local radio to USA TODAY. He used to manage crisis communications for the Secretary of Defense; now, he runs a company which specializes in creating valuable connections across industries and in the press.

But he tells his clients the same thing we do: press is most valuable only when combined with a comprehensive marketing strategy. That’s because even the biggest press hits are just a blip in the life cycle of your business without a supporting strategy and marketing infrastructure.

How do marketing and press maximize value?

You and your competition probably share many of the same marketing and branding tactics, such as personal and company LinkedIn accounts, quality websites, and e-mail lists. But many companies don’t see value in media coverage, so they don’t invest in it.

This gives you an opportunity stand out with prospects and create more leads because done right, press and marketing create far more value together than they can separately.

For a few examples:

• While the competition is using hashtags in short social media posts, you’ll be sharing deep insights in trusted media.
• Their social media content will be about them – a clear sales pitch. Yours will lead to your media coverage – a lighter touch that pays long-term trust dividends and may earn more engagement.
• As the competition relies on bland email subject lines and struggles with low open and click rates, your subject lines will have exciting topics and trusted media names that draw real interest.
• The competition’s website content will be stale and redundant. In stark contrast, your website will impress prospects your unique perspectives, offerings, and expertise.
• You’ll be at the top of the Google heap – and everyone else will be on Page 2.
• While the competition struggles with driving the right people to their websites, you’ll be sitting pretty with more traffic that stays longer.

Without every part of your strategy working together, your prospects may not be hearing and seeing you everywhere they need to be. This means you aren’t standing out, creating more leads, and influencing decision-makers. And that means you’re leaving sales, profit, and growth on the table.

A version of this piece was originally published by Dustin Siggins at Sales & Marketing Magazine.