Expectations of marketing outcomes from public relations activities are higher than ever. It’s no longer enough to earn media placements, distribute releases and manage a few brand social media profiles. Companies increasingly expect PR to perform with marketing and business impact.
I can’t help but state it bluntly:
PR practitioners and organizations that have not expanded skills to include marketing capabilities are at risk of becoming irrelevant.
The good news is that the leap from PR to Marketing convergence is not that far. A great example is our agency, TopRank Marketing, originally founded as Misukanis & Rodgers Public Relations 14 years ago. Early on we made a very important transition from PR to Digital Marketing that has enabled us to bring the best of both worlds to our client work.
As a strong advocate of integrated marketing and PR, I often present at conferences alongside other PR/Marketing savvy peers like Shonali Burke, Deirdre Breakenridge and Gini Dietrich. The next event where you can find all three plus me is PRSA International.
Coming up November 8-10 in Atlanta, the 2015 PRSA International conference is hosting opportunities for professionals at any level of PR and Marketing integration to upgrade their skills and best practices. In fact, there’s an entire track dedicated to “Integration” featuring speakers from brands like Cisco, Time Inc., H&R Block and Coca-Cola as well as agencies like Golin, FleishmanHillard, Ketchum and WCG.
This year, you’ll find me participating in a number of presentations and panels on everything from working with influencers to becoming a content machine to building your personal brand.
Here is where and when you can find me representing TopRank Marketing at PRSA International in Atlanta:
Presentation (PRSSA)
Sunday, November 8 – 3:15 – 4:15 p.m.
Crowdsourcing Content With Industry Influencers and Your Community
This presentation for PR students will provide an overview of influencer content strategy, best practices and tools to scale the kind of content buyers and communities really want – because they had a hand in creating it.
Key Learnings:
– What kinds of PR content work best for co-creation
– How to identify, qualify and recruit influencer contributors
– Top tools for influencer marketing management and content promotion
– Measuring and optimizing crowdsourced content performance
More Information
Professional Development Workshop (Sponsored by Marketwired)
Monday, November 9 – 10:15–11:15 a.m.
Room: M 103-105
You CAN Be a Content Machine: Tips, Tools and Tech to Help You Become a Multimedia-Driven Content Engine
Panelists:
- Michael Brito (@Britopian), Head of Social Strategy for WCG, a @W2OGroup Company; author and speaker
- Rebekah Iliff (@rebekahiliff), Chief Strategy Officer @AirPR; co-founder of @talkTECHcomm, writer and entrepreneur
- Lee Odden (@leeodden), CEO @TopRank Online Marketing; author, speaker & consultant for B2B content marketing, social media, PR & search
- Sanjay Kulkarni, VP Product & Marketing, Marketwired, PRSA session facilitator (@marketwired)
My specific focus for the panel will be: Content marketing and how it can empower PR
More information
Experts Express Presentation
Monday, November 9th – 3:45 – 4:45 p.m.
3 Ways to Grow Your Personal Brand Online
An online presence and credibility are not only important for PR clients. Now, more than ever, communications professionals need to differentiate themselves. This presentation will share quick tips on tactics and tools to help you stand out where it matters most through content creation, curation, and community participation.
More Information
Main PRSA Conference Presentation
Monday, November 9 – 5–6 p.m.
Room: International 8
Participation Marketing: Tools and Tactics for Crowdsourcing Content With Industry Influencers and Your Community
Demand for content continues to rise as marketing and communications professionals are challenged to satisfy the information needs of hungry consumers. With ubiquitous connectivity and devices enabling passionate experts to create influence and community, brands can tap into the streams of those empowered to publish to create mutual value.
Key Learnings:
– Content types to use for co-creation
– Identify, qualify and recruit influencer contributors
– Tools for influencer marketing management and content promotion
– Guidelines for measuring and optimizing crowdsourced content
More Information
As you can see, with 4 presentations, I will be pretty busy at this year’s PRSA International conference. While I’ve been presenting at PRSA and PR industry events for many years, it has been refreshing to see interest in marketing topics growing every year.
If you work in the PR and communications field, I challenge you to set goals for your marketing education journey towards learning marketing best practices.
Marketers need the skills PR professionals have and vice versa. More importantly, these are skills that must be maintained and enhanced on an ongoing basis. There is no stasis for integrated marketing and PR skills.
Skills necessary to take advantage of integrated marketing and PR are starting to appear more often within job listings and resumes. Some of the key skills we look and that many PR professionals are looking to build include:
- Develop Communications Strategy & Marketing Messaging
- Communications and Content Planning
- Content & Media Creation
- Publish, Pitch & Promote Media Content (Earned, Owned, Paid)
- Engage: Recruit Influencers, Grow Social Networks, Lists & Subscribers
- Monitor KPIs for Reach & Influence, Visibility and Inbound Traffic
- Measure Outcomes for Media and for Marketing
- Optimize Messaging, Content & the Pitching / Promotion Mix
- Optimize Content & Distribution for Improved Marketing Outcomes (Conversions)
If you’ll be in Atlanta for PRSA International this November 8-10, I invite you to attend one or more of the presentations and panels listed above to tap into some of these skills.
I’ll be sharing advice as well as a few copies of my book, Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing to a few lucky attendees in each presentation.
I hope to see you there!
