The aim of B2B PR is to elevate the reputation and credibility of either yourself as an expert or an organisation, selling your services or goods to other organisations. In today’s digital world, it’s so important to have a strong online profile so people can seek you out. Although anyone can ‘exist’ online, this doesn’t necessarily equate to having a presence. A presence is closely tied to your visibility, credibility and reputation. So, why is it important?
It builds brand awareness.
If you are producing relevant and high quality content, you will earn Google’s trust as an expert in your space. Google takes more into account than just your website; it looks at the content and how consistent it is. If your presence is strong, people can discover, learn, engage, and interact, no matter where they are in the buyer journey or what device they are using.
If you’re also ranked favourably against your competitors, it’s more likely that consumers will interact with you, over them. Once they are browsing your website or social media accounts, if they perceive you as a valuable and credible source in your industry, this will motivate them to follow you. Although they may not be ready to purchase your product or service, they’ll be able to engage and deepen their understanding. This will increase the likelihood of them recalling and recognising your business when required. Plus, they may refer you to their own networks, even if they are not quite ready to buy for their own requirements.
It builds relationships.
Sure, you may be producing content, but is it being ‘seen’? A strong online presence makes it easy for potential customers, who aren’t yet aware of your existence, to find you particularly in browse mode! To grow your network, you want to be using social media platforms, online communities and groups to find like-minded individuals. Once you’ve built up your network, you must be active and contribute valuable content. This could be via an e-book, blog post, EDM or a podcast. You also need to contribute to conversations around industry changes or relevant events as they unfold to increase your thought leadership, as people will be seeking out this information. Once your content is published, you must engage with your target audience and strengthen your relationship with them. It’s a two-way street! You can also ask them what type of content will serve their needs best, so you can continue to evolve your online profile.
It will create opportunities.
If you have conducted in-depth analysis on where your target audience is searching, interacting, buying and finding information, and you have ensured that your brand is visible there, this will no doubt lead to opportunities. An online presence guarantees that you are a part of people’s lives! Therefore, this may lead to people purchasing your product or service, speaking or keynote opportunities or partnerships with like-minded brands, for example. It will also increase your conversions – it takes an average of seven encounters with a business before a lead becomes a customer. Being prominent on multiple channels creates opportunities for those engagements to happen more quickly.
At Agent99, we have seen first-hand how a strong and reputable online presence can create leads and prospects. We always recommend that brands or individuals looking to execute a B2B PR strategy to have an online presence, as it will ensure the PR is supporting and playing a pivotal role in a wider marketing strategy. However, if your online presence needs some ‘working’ on, never fear! Earned media relations has a huge impact on this, so please get in touch if you’d like to find out more at info@agent99pr.com or call 02 9779 0999.
Agent Amelia
