Stop the presses — Three ways integrating press coverage into communication strategy can help your brand

When discussing integrated marketing strategies, much of the focus is on those media channels maintained and controlled within the organization. Much research and study is rightly devoted to messaging such as advertising or efforts such as social media, website development, or organization-created content such as blogs.

Often overlooked is the importance of press coverage through newspapers, television and radio stations, or websites and blogs covering your organizations segment of the marketplace. While much of the buzz about earned media is focused on communicating directly to consumers via social media and other means, there are still good reasons to pay attention to reporters covering your business and seek out coverage.

Here are three reasons cultivating press coverage can help as a part of the overall communication strategy:

1. Instant credibility: If the local newspaper, TV newscast or radio station highlights your organization, that communicates to your audience that your organization has value. This value increases engagement awareness for those new to your organization, but it also boosts credibility with your existing audience.
2. Sharable content: In many smaller (and some not-so-small) organizations, it can be a constant challenge to generate quality content to share on social media, web sites, and blogs. An online newspaper article or TV news spot highlighting your organization or expertise in a business segment can be instantly re-purposed as sharable content from you and your brand advocates, giving you multiple communication uses for the coverage.
3. Crisis communication: When your organization is faced with bad news that could impact your brand, the ability to quickly respond to the criticism could be the difference between a minor bump in the road or a crisis that threatens the entire organization. It is much easier to address negative press effectively if you have an established relationship with local journalists. These relationships won’t prevent every instance of bad press, but a reporter you helped out with a positive story is much more likely to ensure that you have a chance to share your message when the news is not so good.

Recently, Heelflip Media‘s small business podcast “The Local Storecast” featured business reporter Chloé Morrison of the online news website Nooga.com in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Ms. Morrison and TLS host William Glass discussed the importance of mass media coverage for local businesses and some tips for business owners looking for press coverage of their organizations.

Listen to Ms. Morrison’s perspective as a local reporter covering startups and small businesses in Episode 7 of “The Local Storecast”:

Don’t expect every press release you send out to result in a story, but the effort you take to cultivate mass media coverage of your brand and expertise ultimately helps you communicate your message more effectively.