The New Rules of Marketing & PR

1. The Internet has revolutionized marketing and PR, shifting power to consumers

The Web has changed the rules. If you're still following the traditional PR techniques, I'm sure you're finding that they are ineffective.

Old rules are obsolete. The internet has fundamentally altered how consumers access information and make purchasing decisions. Traditional marketing and PR techniques that relied on interruption and one-way communication are no longer effective. Instead, consumers now have the power to seek out information on their own terms, bypassing traditional gatekeepers like the mass media.

New rules focus on engagement. Successful marketing and PR in the digital age requires a shift towards creating valuable content that consumers actually want to consume. This means:

• Providing helpful information that addresses buyers' problems and needs
• Engaging in two-way conversations through social media and other online platforms
• Being authentic and transparent in your communications
• Thinking like a publisher to create and distribute content that attracts your target audience

2. Create valuable content that addresses your buyers' needs and problems

Instead of talking about your products and services, you need to create the content that your buyers actually want to consume.

Shift your focus to the buyer. The key to effective online marketing is to stop talking about yourself and your products, and instead create content that directly addresses the needs, interests, and problems of your target audience. This buyer-centric approach helps you:

• Build trust and credibility with potential customers
• Demonstrate your expertise in solving their problems
• Attract organic traffic through search engines and social sharing

Content types to consider:

• Blog posts
• Ebooks and whitepapers
• How-to guides and tutorials
• Case studies
• Infographics
• Videos and podcasts
• Webinars

By consistently producing high-quality, relevant content, you position your organization as a trusted resource and thought leader in your industry.

3. Develop detailed buyer personas to target your marketing efforts effectively

Buyer personas are essentially a representative of a type of buyer that you have identified as having a specific interest in your organization or product or having a market problem that your product or service solves.

Understand your audience. Developing detailed buyer personas is crucial for creating targeted and effective marketing campaigns. These fictional representations of your ideal customers help you:

• Identify the specific needs, goals, and pain points of different segments of your audience
• Tailor your content and messaging to resonate with each persona
• Determine the most effective channels and formats for reaching each group

Creating buyer personas:

1. Conduct research through surveys, interviews, and data analysis
2. Define demographic information (age, income, job title, etc.)
3. Identify their goals, challenges, and pain points
4. Understand their buying process and decision-making factors
5. Determine their preferred communication channels and content types

By developing and using buyer personas, you can create more personalized and effective marketing campaigns that speak directly to the needs and interests of your target audience.

4. Blogs are powerful tools for reaching buyers and building thought leadership

The simple truth is that it isn't always easy for people to find a blog post on subjects of interest.

Blogging builds authority. A well-maintained blog is one of the most effective tools for establishing thought leadership and connecting with your target audience. Blogs allow you to:

• Demonstrate your expertise on topics relevant to your industry
• Provide valuable, educational content to your readers
• Improve your search engine rankings through fresh, keyword-rich content
• Engage in conversations with your audience through comments

Keys to successful blogging:

• Consistency: Publish new content regularly
• Quality: Focus on providing genuine value to your readers
• Relevance: Address topics that matter to your buyer personas
• Optimization: Use keywords and tags to improve discoverability
• Promotion: Share your posts on social media and other channels

Remember that blogging is not about hard selling your products or services. Instead, focus on building trust and credibility by sharing your knowledge and insights in a way that helps your readers solve their problems.

5. Use social media to engage in authentic conversations with your audience

Social media provides the way people share ideas, content, thoughts, and relationships online. Social media differ from so-called "mainstream media" in that anyone can create, comment on, and add to social media content.

Be human and authentic. Social media platforms offer unprecedented opportunities to connect directly with your audience. However, success on these platforms requires a shift away from traditional marketing tactics towards genuine engagement and conversation. To effectively use social media:

• Listen to your audience and respond thoughtfully
• Share valuable content, not just promotional messages
• Be transparent and authentic in your communications
• Engage in real-time conversations and address concerns promptly
• Show the human side of your brand through behind-the-scenes content and employee stories

Popular social media platforms:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• YouTube
• TikTok

Remember that each platform has its own culture and best practices. Tailor your approach to fit the specific norms and expectations of each platform you use.

6. Optimize your online content for search engines to increase visibility

If you followed the New Rules of Marketing and PR as outlined in these pages, you will have built a fantastic search engine marketing program!

Content is key to SEO. Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for ensuring that your content is discoverable by your target audience. While there are technical aspects to SEO, the most important factor is creating high-quality, relevant content that naturally incorporates the keywords and phrases your audience is searching for.

SEO best practices:

• Conduct keyword research to identify relevant search terms
• Use keywords naturally in your content, headlines, and meta descriptions
• Create high-quality, original content that provides value to readers
• Optimize your website's structure and loading speed
• Build high-quality backlinks from reputable websites
• Use descriptive, keyword-rich URLs for your content

Remember that search engines are constantly evolving, so stay updated on the latest best practices and algorithm changes to maintain and improve your search rankings.

7. Craft compelling news releases to reach buyers directly

Buyers now read your news releases on Google, Yahoo!, and other search engines, on vertical market portals, and with RSS readers.

News releases are no longer just for media. In the digital age, news releases serve a dual purpose: informing journalists and reaching buyers directly. To make your news releases effective for both audiences:

• Write in a clear, jargon-free style that speaks directly to your buyers
• Include keywords and phrases that your target audience is likely to search for
• Provide valuable, newsworthy information (not just product announcements)
• Include multimedia elements like images, videos, or infographics
• Add social media sharing buttons to encourage distribution
• Include links back to relevant pages on your website

Distribution strategies:

• Post releases on your website's newsroom
• Submit to online news release distribution services
• Share on social media platforms
• Send directly to relevant journalists and bloggers

By crafting buyer-focused news releases and distributing them through multiple channels, you can increase your visibility and drive traffic directly to your website.

8. Leverage online video and podcasting to connect with your audience

The migration of audio and video from online backwaters to the forefront with valuable content happened because of sites like YouTube and iTunes, with easy ways for people to view and listen.

Diversify your content formats. Video and audio content offer powerful ways to engage your audience and convey information in an easily digestible format. These mediums allow you to:

• Showcase your personality and build a more personal connection with your audience
• Demonstrate products or explain complex concepts visually
• Reach audiences who prefer audio or video content over text
• Improve your search engine visibility (especially on YouTube, the second-largest search engine)

Tips for effective video and podcasting:

• Keep content concise and focused on providing value
• Ensure good audio and video quality
• Optimize titles, descriptions, and tags for search
• Promote your content across multiple channels
• Encourage audience engagement through comments and social sharing

Remember to repurpose your video and audio content by creating transcripts, blog posts, or social media snippets to maximize its reach and impact.

9. Build a content-rich online newsroom to attract media and buyers

All kinds of people visit your online media room, not just journalists. Stop and really let that soak in for a moment. Your buyers are snooping around your organization by visiting the media pages on your web site.

Create a comprehensive resource. An online newsroom is no longer just for journalists; it's a valuable resource for potential customers, partners, and other stakeholders. To make your newsroom effective:

• Include a variety of content types (press releases, bios, fact sheets, images, videos)
• Organize content for easy navigation and searchability
• Provide up-to-date contact information for media inquiries
• Include social media links and sharing options
• Offer RSS feeds for easy content syndication
• Optimize all content for search engines

Key components of an effective online newsroom:

• Recent news releases
• Company background and history
• Executive bios and headshots
• Product information and images
• Multimedia gallery (videos, infographics, logos)
• Upcoming events and speaking engagements
• Awards and recognition
• Customer case studies and testimonials

By creating a comprehensive, easily accessible online newsroom, you provide valuable resources for journalists while also offering potential customers direct access to information about your company and products.

10. Implement a comprehensive search engine marketing strategy

True success comes from driving buyers directly to the actual content they are looking for.

Balance organic and paid search. A comprehensive search engine marketing strategy combines both organic search engine optimization (SEO) and paid search advertising (such as Google AdWords) to maximize your visibility in search results. This approach allows you to:

• Capture both short-term and long-term traffic
• Target specific keywords and phrases relevant to your business
• Reach buyers at different stages of the purchasing process
• Test and refine your messaging through paid campaigns

Key elements of a successful SEM strategy:

• Keyword research and selection
• On-page and technical SEO optimization
• Content creation and optimization
• Link building and outreach
• Paid search advertising campaigns
• Landing page optimization
• Analytics and performance tracking

Remember to focus on the long tail of search – the more specific, less competitive phrases that often lead to higher conversion rates. By creating content and campaigns that target these niche phrases, you can attract highly qualified leads to your website.

Last updated: January 23, 2025