Public Relations is all about building relationships and creating meaningful communications between an organisation and their target audience. And while typically people associate this with promoting goods or services directly to the public (B2C PR) there are many fantastic ways that business-to-business (B2B) companies can utilise PR to help grow their brand and achieve similar outcomes, no matter the industry.
In the same way that PR is used to market products or services to consumers, it can also be used to ensure your company gets seen by the right stakeholders and business audiences, at the right time.
B2B PR works by creating communications that build your organisation’s reputation, authority, and expertise within its sector, as opposed to the general public. By way of example, Agent99 have worked with a range of B2B clients over the years including authors, thought leaders, futurists, and specialized experts, who have all sought to build their credibility within their various sectors.
So, at Agent99 we work with our B2B clients to ensure that they get the right brand exposure and their unique message out there to ensure other businesses engage with them. And while it might not look like the sale of a product directly, success for a B2B campaign could simply be wider awareness, increased website leads, booking/speaking/consulting enquiries, books sales, and so on.
So, what makes B2B PR different?
- The business goals
Setting B2B goals is critical to a client’s business progress as it helps to focus their efforts and map out their investment in PR. Clients should aim to create strategic and effective goals such as differentiating themselves from competitors. As mentioned before, B2B PR works to elevate an organisation within their own sector, therefore staking out a clear positioning in their specific market is important.
Other business goals may be to raise awareness, generate and nurture business leads, as well as telling a compelling story to drive affinity with their audience.
- The target audiences
Identifying your target audience, is a necessary step in B2B PR. Unlike consumer-facing campaigns which can be more broad or diverse, when it comes to B2B campaigns, there is usually a niche or sectored audience involved.
Understanding your demographics will assist you to determine where they are likely to receive and retain information from. Additionally, clients will be able to match their products with their target audiences in a more personal manner through highlighting the benefits both parties can potentially share. Once clients understand their target audiences, B2B PR can subsequently synthesise strategies and assist clients to workshop niche approaches that apply directly to them.
- The way you pitch to media
After creating a detailed B2B strategy that will elevate your profile, your B2B PR agency will work to craft interesting and eye-catching media materials with key business details included. Paired with a targeted pitch and relevant media angles, your PR agents will work towards securing media coverage in all the relevant outlets your target audiences are accessing. Within media pitching, B2B PR will use various angles that are related to your specific industry and sector, and position you as providing a new line of innovative or inquisitive thought. For example, in working with a client who specializes in commercial real estate, who wants to attract other industry-related professionals, Agent99 would tailor the B2B PR strategy to publications such as the Australian Property Journal. As a result, this effectively promotes your business and showcases the unique characteristics of your brand to an engaged and targeted audience.
- The way you establish thought leadership
Some consumer facing brands don’t often seek to become ‘thought leaders’ or experts in their fields. They merely want to create a product or service that fills a need, that people will purchase. However, with B2B PR, one of the most essential criteria is that you look to establish thought leadership – regardless of whether you are an individual, a brand or an NFP.
A way that many organisations build their thought leadership through B2B PR, includes growing your brand’s professional profile on platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, offering contribution pieces that will help you establish credibility as a thought leader, or even getting involved in reactive news stories where your expertise could be of value to a particular media publication.
Building your thought leadership will put a spotlight on your expertise, and ultimately your brand.
After understanding the benefits of B2B PR, it is clear to see the different ways a business can be promoted and directed towards success. The B2B approach is incredibly effective in its practice, and it does not only assist your brand, but it also helps you develop critical skills and knowledge that will help you in future business endeavours.
The strengthening of relationships, increase in coverage, and comprehensive engagement a business can receive is rooted in a carefully crafted and customised PR strategy. Adopting a B2B PR strategy will provide a business some clarity in its business objectives whilst also elevating your brand image, reputation and thought leadership. In committing to all these components and collaborating closely with a B2B specialized PR agency, you’ll be on your way to success and achieving the outcomes you want every time!
For more information about Agent99’s B2B PR services, please contact info@agent99pr.com
Agent Ari
