In today’s day and age, standing out from the crowd is imperative if your business is to make the most noise in the industry and beat the competition. However, it is also one of the most challenging things to do. After all, everyone is fighting for this media attention. Moreover, you are fighting with competition all over the world thanks to the dominance of the Internet. So, what can you do to stand out from the rest and propel your brand into media spotlight? Here are some suggestions to try…
Take a unique approach to social media marketing – Brands on social media stand out when they are funny and different. Of course, you need to make sure that you do not post anything inappropriate or cause any offense. However, you need to think about the marketing persona you want to create. There have been lots of online news pieces that have been generated because of brand’s Twitter accounts. Tweets have gone viral when customer service representatives have been allowed to say something funny. Needless to say, you can also make the headlines for the wrong reasons, so make sure your approach to this is very carefully considered. You don’t want your individuality on social media to backfire and be the reason for lots of negative attention.
Get nominated for an award – Winning an award is even better, of course. However, you have to be in it to win it as they say. You should make an effort to get your business nominated for local awards, as well as industry-related awards. This is a great way to get media attention, as there are naturally going to be news articles and possibly television pieces about the awards themselves. You will be featured on the event organiser’s website too. You can look at case studies about this. Companies like Netstar can now boast that they offer award winning IT after winning an IT Service & Support Award. This immediately enhanced their marketing efforts now that they can say they have won an award, and they have been featured in numerous publications online because of it.
Get involved in local events – Not only should you get involved in local awards, but local events too. Local events always attract media attention so make sure you keep up-to-date with everything that is going on so you can get your company involved. You may be able to volunteer for a charity event, for example, or if there is an event relating to your industry, you may put yourself forward as a speaker. It is an extra chance for you to get noticed, and an extra chance for you to get your business into the spotlight. You can even consider hosting an event of your own if you want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.
Reach out to individual journalists – Last but not least, if you want media coverage, reach out directly to the people that can give you it. This is especially beneficial if you are looking for a more in-depth piece about your business. Of course, you need to give the journalist something worthwhile. No one is going to want to publish a boring piece about a bog standard business. What makes your company different? What do you provide that is going to be valuable for the people reading the newspaper or online news website in question? Deliver value and the journalist you approach may want to feature your company. Of course, this starts with finding a willing journalist, which can often be the hard part. You can use LinkedIn and other social media platforms to conduct your research and to find a journalist that you can pitch your story to for increased media spotlight and brand exposure.
If you follow the advice that has been provided, you should be able to give your brand the media attention that you require in order to take your business to the next level in the industry. Don’t expect to see results overnight, though. You do need to give it time and you do need to be persistent and consistent in your approach. The fruits of your labour will be more than worth it when you get there.
