Media relations acts as the middleman between your organisation and your target audience. It encourages your company’s name to be portrayed accurately and effectively, allowing consumers the opportunity to digest the information and build trust with your company or spokespeople.
How your company is portrayed within the media can often be the difference between securing new clients or customers, or losing them to a competitor. Here are three reasons why your company needs media relations.
1. Positive media coverage can strengthen your authority and increase credibility
Consumers are more likely to trust brands they see and hear frequently, whether that be through social media, on the radio or on television. A company that is featured through media, whether mainstream or industry, becomes more credible towards its target audiences that relate the credibility of the news outlet alongside your brand.
2. The online presence of your brand will grow and reach additional target markets
Securing media coverage is one of the strongest and most effective ways that your brand can increase its online presence in a short amount of time, as many media outlets now have an online and social media presence. Connecting your business with multiple publications is an effective and low-cost way to strengthen your reputation online and continue to build credibility within your target audiences.
If your business secures coverage through a national media outlet, your key messaging and service offerings are portrayed on a highly effective platform to audiences across the country. This allows you to reach audiences who you previously may not have had the ability to reach and assists with beginning to build trust.
Achieving coverage in multiple publications also provides numerous benefits for your organic search visibility, including your website’s ability to rank higher through various search engines. You can also further the life of each piece of media coverage your business secures by sharing the links to the article or video across your social platforms, as well as including them in blog posts and articles on your website. The more places your business can be found, the higher chance you have of receiving more leads!
3. Sets you apart from your competitors
Today, there are very few instances where your business is likely to secure new customers via word of mouth alone. In this highly competitive world, your business needs to position yourselves as industry leaders, showcasing successes and highlighting why you are the ideal choice.
Media coverage can play a vital role in setting your business apart from your competitors. Not only will securing media coverage showcase your business to thousands, or potentially millions, but also becomes a great selling point for you to leverage. Showcasing the publications and outlets that have featured your business, outlining any recent customer testimonials, and providing examples of why your business is the best in the industry will greatly assist you in securing new business.
Having strong and positive media relations is often imperative to the future of your company’s growth. And once you secure coverage, it’s important to maintain the media connections to assist with building trust within your audience and strengthening your brand’s presence and reputation within your key target audiences.
At Elevate, we maintain relationships with editors, journalists and producers throughout various outlets across a regional, national and international level. We proactively pitch to the media on behalf of our clients, striving to secure positive media coverage for your business. Reach out to the Elevate team today to see how we can assist your business with media relations.