English articles
Content marketing in PR: Do you know your reader?
PR today is diverse, direct and interactive – just like the channels and audiences it supports and informs. In fact, in recent years, digital PR has become increasingly more important than traditional media relations, and disciplines like content marketing and social media have long since become firmly embedded in the routine work of PR departments.
Digital transformation has changed the nature of Public Relations and led us into ‘PR polygamy’: Instead of just having a stable relationship with a small number of well-known journalists, PR professionals now enter into a multiplicity of relationships with a huge variety of channels and target groups. Being flexible, nimble and on top of current digital trends is key to success.
This is also reflected in the creation of content. Whether for live stream, visual statement, blog post or patient portal editorial – target group-relevant content is king and there is hardly a company that does not tell its story in a social network or with its own blog. Nonetheless certain rules need respecting for storytelling and content marketing:
Intrinsic value is what really counts
The main focus of content marketing is on relevant stories, which offer the user the added value of information. Content is not usually created purely for entertainment, because in the end the creative effort must also serve commercial interests. Rather than simply running down a service spectrum or similar, it should inform, entertain and thereby satisfy the desires of the reader.
It is all about one thing: your reader
We maintain: Content creation should focus on the reader and this equally applies when selecting distribution channels. There is no denying the value of blogs and social networks, but what about when your target group prefers to read printed formats? Or converses in expert forums? Besides, it is not a good idea to simply publish the same content on every channel.
An example of how reader content tastes have changes. We are unlikely to celebrate a success nowadays by posting a long text on Facebook – visual storytelling is now preferable for many, whether videos, memes, GIFs or picture galleries. Live video streaming is a clear trend for 2017 in content marketing: Facebook, YouTube and Instagram have completed their test phases and it is being utilized by users, with sometimes enormous viewing figures.
Content Marketing Trends 2017
- Personalized Content
- Multimedia Content
- Influencer Marketing
- Live Video
- Paid Promotion
- Mobile Optimization
Source: brandwatch.com
And what about the offline channels? We often think purely in terms of customer or employee magazines for content marketing. But as a further example, how about turning the results of a white paper into a presentation for an event speaker?
To put it all in a nutshell:
Content marketing must both inform and engage, it must be fun and excite us – and not just appeal to the company, but also the target group. It communicates content in a charming way that clearly offers informative value – and appears in channels the target group favours.
Authors: Julian Stünkel (Former member team Content & Relations) & Ross Williams
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