Inbound Marketing: The Missing Link in ROI-Driven PR

Transcription

1 Inbound Marketing: The Missing Link in ROI-Driven PR A PLAYBOOK FOR BRIDGING PR TO LEAD GENERATION AND SALES Since its founding 120 years ago, the PR industry has failed to meaningfully innovate. In fact, PR agencies spend a measly 1.9% of revenues on technological advancements - less than half of what other companies do. That s part of the reason why the average client-agency relationship has shrunk from 7.2 to 2.8 years PR is failing to modernize and prove its value to the C-suite. Despite these facts, there is actually no better time to be in PR. Never before have PR practitioners had so many tools and techniques in our arsenal to demonstrate the value of our craft. But doing so requires PR to be in sync with marketing and sales only then will we be able to start measuring PR s true impact on the bottom line. IN THIS PLAYBOOK, WE LL DETAIL FOUR SIMPLE STEPS TO BRING THESE TEAMS TOGETHER TO #MAKENEWS, #DRIVELEADS AND #CLOSEDEALS. Inbound Marketing To learn what AR PR can do for your business, visit AR PR // 1

2 one SET COMMON GOALS BETWEEN SALES, MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS. It should go without saying that PR, marketing and sales teams should be working toward a common goal, but that s rarely the case. PR is measured on share of voice and brand affinity, marketing on conversion rate optimization and sales on closed deals. These individual goals shouldn t be scrapped, but sharing at least one common goal will get everyone working together and proactively thinking of ways that they can benefit each other s efforts for the good of the entire organization. Ultimately, this common goal will be sales related. For example, if sales is responsible for closing 10 new deals next quarter, set goals on which channels they will come from: PR, advertising, tradeshows, ABM, etc. Knowing your company s average conversion rates, you can back that up to show how many website visits, marketing qualified leads and sales qualified leads need to come from each channel. HERE S WHAT SUCH A GOAL MIGHT LOOK LIKE FROM A PR PERSPECTIVE: PR efforts, particularly media outreach and organic social media engagement, should generate at least 10% of marketing qualified leads this year. Of those, the conversion rate should be at least equal the conversion rate from all other lead sources to ensure that PR is driving quality traffic. 10 closed deals = 40 opportunities 25% CONVERSION RATE 160 sales qualified leads 25% CONVERSION RATE 640 marketing qualified leads 25% CONVERSION RATE 12,800 visitors 5% CONVERSION RATE AR PR // 2

3 two RELY ON CONTENT AS THE LINK BETWEEN ALL THREE TEAMS. You ve heard it again and again because it s true: CONTENT IS KING. Strong content in the form of a press release or data report can pique a reporter s interest, leading to editorial coverage. That editorial coverage can then drive prospects to your website, where they download a whitepaper and convert into a qualified lead. Sales can nurture those leads through a myriad of webinars, tip sheets and case studies that convert that lead into a sale. Each of these steps is driven by content, and that content should provide prospects with a cohesive view of your company and the benefits it provides. All content from third-party editorial coverage to sales sheets should tell the same underlying story about your company, which is why it s so important that sales, marketing and PR are on the same page. PUT IT INTO PRACTICE: Hold a quarterly content planning session with PR, marketing and sales to make sure content is being produced for each stage in the buyer s journey from awareness to decision making Questions to consider: What product updates/launches will we be making in the next few months? Which vertical markets are a core focus this quarter based on seasonality of their buying decisions and pain points? What is the most frequent question sales staff is asked in an initial meeting? What is the most common barrier to a sale? AR PR // 3

4 three CREATE A FEEDBACK LOOP. Common goals and a collaborative content plan are a good start to bridging the gap between PR, marketing and sales, but communication is often the biggest bottleneck we see. PR may have a general understanding that sales forecasts are off, but the underlying reason is often unclear. Are enough leads not coming through the door? Are plenty of people coming, but they aren t ready to make a decision? Are they ready to make a decision, but choosing a competitor instead? THERE NEEDS TO BE A SEAMLESS WAY FOR TEAMS TO COMMUNICATE AND ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. PR needs to effectively tell marketing and sales about the assets they ve created, such as media coverage, bylined articles, case studies, etc., that can be used to drive conversions and close sales. Marketing needs to effectively leverage that content in paid campaigns, marketing, etc., to drive traffic and convert leads, and provide metrics on what s working and what s not. Sales needs to provide solid feedback to marketing and PR on what channels are driving the most qualified leads, and which are most likely to convert into buyers Here are THREE QUICK WAYS to facilitate feedback: PR and marketing can send a weekly roundup of new content and brand assets produced. Each team can share access to a Google Spreadsheet, SalesForce report or similar round-up of prospects, detailing the source of the lead, lead score (qualification level) and whether that lead converts into a sale. Each month, that report should be analyzed to see which sources and content are driving the most qualified leads. PR needs to effectively tell marketing and sales about the assets they ve created, such as media coverage, bylined articles, case studies, etc., that can be used to drive conversions and close sales. AR PR // 4

5 four MEASURE, MEASURE, MEASURE. The typical measurements in PR s toolbox impressions, ad value equivalency, website visits, social engagements, share of voice, sentiment, awareness, trust, etc. don t get at the root of ROI, and don t measure the relationship with sales and marketing. PR agencies should be aligning their reports with marketing to detail qualified leads that come from their efforts, the cost to acquire those leads, and the lifetime value of those customers. Did that feature story result in a spike in website traffic from visitors that took a desired action (for example, signed up for demo)? And how many sales meetings did that trade show result in? Measurements should be customized based on the team s individual goals, but HERE ARE A FEW IDEA STARTERS that PR can use to better speak the language of marketing and sales: Traffic sources Conversion rates from PR efforts Inbound inquiries (website, , phone and social) following a PR campaign Change in organic searches following a PR campaign SEO rankings over time engagement by traffic source The typical measurements in PR s toolbox impressions, ad value equivalency, share of voice, etc. don t get at the root of ROI. AR PR // 5

6 Welcome to the Future of PR At AR PR, we re mapping the Future of PR. That means creating a holistic relationship between headlines, lead generation and sales. To do so requires bringing PR out of its silo to create meaningful relationships with marketing and sales. And since PR is all about building relationships no team is better poised to achieve this mission. READY FOR A NEW ERA OF PR? CONTACT US. AR PR is a results-driven public relations and integrated communications agency for technology leaders. As one of the nation s fastest growing technology PR firms, AR PR was named the 2016 National Tech Public Relations Agency of the Year by Bulldog Reporter and a 2016 TOP Places to Work in PR by PR News. With a passion for telling technology and entrepreneurial stories, AR PR cultivates strategic partnerships with its cybersecurity, mission critical, health IT, mobility and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) clients. From high-growth startups to publicly traded enterprises, AR PR helps companies within these industries cut through the noise and clutter to #makenews and #driveleads. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE AWARD-WINNING AGENCY, VISIT OUR OFFICES IN ATLANTA, NEW ORLEANS AND SAN FRANCISCO AND ONLINE AT ARPR.COM PR. To learn what AR PR can do for your business, visit