Mascola B2B Marketing Blog, B2B Advertising Agency

B2B Monday Myth: All I Need Is a Press Release

The Myth: All I Need Is A Press Release

The Truth: The PR Landscape Has Evolved, and B2B Brands Must Evolve with It

The nature of public relations has changed. The truth is, traditional PR cannot exist on its own anymore. Your company cannot skirt by with just a press release, hoping that newspapers, television, and radio will pick up your story. Technology and the rise of digital marketing have forced both B2C and B2B brands to broaden their PR strategy. The way information is shared is different, and your business must adapt if you plan to remain relevant and get your stories out to the right people at the right time.

The Integration of Different Departments

In the past, PR would have its own separate silo. When social media first blossomed, it was largely separate from PR. Now, public relations must integrate with social media and other digital marketing efforts for more engaged customers and better results.

SEO is also an important part of public relations today. Your press releases can go much further with the right links and keywords. These tools also give you the ability to better target your prospects and track results. This way, you can find out which stories resonate most with the audiences you’re trying to reach and back your decisions with concrete data.

Increased Speed of Communication

Information today moves faster than ever. Gone are the days when drafting and distributing a press release was a multi-day process. Companies today benefit from preparing stories ahead of time and developing a cohesive strategy for distributing them through multiple channels and media.

Public relations, at its core, is still very much about building and nurturing relationships. Going the extra mile to write in a form that is easily convertible for your contact, who will (hopefully) be publishing your work, will go a long way and get your stories out faster. Let them know where they can find more information, such as on your website or social media channels to speed up the process and keep your company top of mind.

A Bigger Network of Storytellers

Today, people aren’t solely relying on national publications and TV news channels as the only important and credible source of information. With the rise of social media, there could be any number of people talking about your company. Identifying influencers in your industry, whether they’re respected bloggers, YouTube personalities, or trusted trade publications, can help you shape your stories and who you want reading them. Engage and cultivate relationships with these influencers and you could see your stories reaching their networks of dedicated followers.

Improve Relationships With Trade Publications

Print is not dead. Which is why it’s important to cultivate good relationships with trade publications for editorial preference and customized digital opportunities. Leveraging a media buy and keeping up your advertising with a specific trade publication is a great way to get better PR for your company.

As the public relations landscape continues to change, it will become more critical to stay on top of digital trends and maintain valuable connections. While B2B companies should not overlook traditional media and trade publications, you should look for ways to stay connected online and make your PR content even more shareable. Telling your brand’s story is an important part of connecting with your audience and reaching new ones.

A Lesson on Creative B2B Campaigns from MailChimp

by MGB2B

UPDATE: We know an awesome campaign when we see it, congratulations to MailChimp for scoring a Cyber Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2017. This campaign was recognized for being the best example of a full-blown campaign with digital at the center.

Mail Shrimp? Fail Chips? Snail Primp? What could all of these wacky phrases have in common? They’re all part of MailChimp’s new advertising campaign “Did You Mean MailChimp?” The campaign flies in the face of any preconceived notion that you need to play it straight with B2B ads.

Founded in 2001, MailChimp quickly made a name for itself in the email marketing software industry. Known for their easy-to-use email templates and quirky monkey mascot, Freddie, MailChimp is a top competitor in the B2B email marketing sphere. However, they’ve never made an advertising splash on a national scale, until this campaign.

It All Started With A Meme

The “Did You Mean MailChimp?” campaign was inspired by an ad that ran during the popular podcast, Serial, where the announcer famously mispronounced the word MailChimp. Hundreds of memes like the one shown above popped up online. MailChimp wondered: what other weird things sound like MailChimp? From there, the entire campaign blossomed.

Random Products and Trends… Not So Random After All

MailChimp launched the campaign with three quirky, but mesmerizing short films: JailBlimp, MailShrimp, and KaleLimp. After the kickoff, the brand began to set other components in motion. Taken individually, they seemed like random trends or disconnected products at the time, but for those in the know, everything was cleverly connected.

One seemingly random execution was MaleCrimp: a fake fashion trend of men with crimped hair. The brand teamed up with Paper Magazine and published a photo story online called “Cool Kids Crimp” right before New York Fashion Week. It also linked to the Tumblr MaleCrimp page , with some sly MailChimp branding at the bottom.

Another example of an over-the-top execution is FailChips. This new chip brand popped up throughout New York, offering a new brand of chips that consisted of the crunched pieces at the bottom of a bag of chips. Upon closer inspection, the packaging had the MailChimp monkey printed on the outside of the bag.

These are just a few examples of seemingly random executions, that were not so random after all. Overall, MailChimp put out eight executions of the campaign.

Why Did This Work?

There’s nothing traditional about this campaign whatsoever, but it worked. Why?

From their inception, MailChimp has established themselves as unique; among the many email software companies vying for the attention of businesses, MailChimp has firmly planted their brand flag, saying “this is who we are.” Yes, this may scare away some potential clients, but that’s okay.

MailChimp didn’t need a direct marketing campaign; they’re already known to be a top player within their industry. What they needed was an out-of-the-box brand awareness campaign that elevated MailChimp to a larger stage and let consumers know who MailChimp is, on a personal level.

Quirky, creative, funny, modern, original – these words describe both the campaign and MailChimp’s company values and brand personality. And it makes them unforgettable, even in the B2B world.

B2B Monday Myth: A Brand’s Social Involvement Is Unnecessary

by MGB2B

The Myth: A Brand’s Social Involvement Is Good But Unnecessary

The Truth: When Done Well, Corporate Social Involvement Can Reap Many Benefits for Your Company

In 1970, American economist, Milton Friedman, made the bold claim that:

“There is one and only one social responsibility of business–to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud.”

He believed that attempts to achieve social goals would create market inefficiencies, distorting the free market system and ultimately creating social costs. While most businesses are now aware that social responsibility can at the very least boost their reputation, there are many that avoid social responsibility altogether. And contrary to Friedman’s thinking, it is avoidance that can cost you, not participation.

Nearly 50 years after Friedman’s New York Times article, we know that social responsibility and economic goals are not mutually exclusive. It is in the best interest of the company to balance them. That balance is valued by stakeholders, employees, vendors, and most importantly – prospects.

These Are the Benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility:

Bring in Stronger Employees. Companies are respected for social efforts, which means you can use it to increase employee loyalty and may even attract better talent.
Increase Efficiency, Lower Costs. Sustainable business practices can actually increase efficiency and lower costs over time.
Better Relationships with Public. This includes not just an enhanced reputation, but improved relationships with suppliers and distributors and goodwill in the eyes of public officials and prospective customers and clients.
Increase Profits. Contrary to Friedman’s original claim, it is widely believed today that corporate social involvement actually increases profits. Even if it doesn’t happen immediately, the benefits to the long-term financial health of the company are nearly indisputable.

Haven’t yet incorporated social responsibility into your business’s platform? We’ll discuss how you can do that next week.