The Search for Endless Brand Attention

How's your brand getting attention today?  There are in-house and external ways to beckon attention.  Seek search engine optimization information; vendors offer an array of choices, addressing technical, social, and copywriting needs.  Do you want ongoing commerce from customers once you have their immediate attention?  While SEO offers opportunities to drive traffic to your site, your company has the power to make your brand a 'regular hangout,' enjoying endless attention.  That's what you want, right?

I read a Search Engine Land article this morning by Myles Anderson; he gives good ideas regarding improving local business commerce.  His notion of the death of traditional PR caught my eye.  I agree; some things have changed.  The approach has been tweaked, but the end goals of public relations initiatives remain worthy of pursuit.

Traditionally, PR initiatives spread awareness about a brand, conveying internal and external news.  That's still highly valuable and will always be (it's a part of 'branding'); while SEO and online marketing get attention, relating to the public (your brand's customers) helps maintain commerce, offering (free) marketing via word of mouth and other ways consumers communicate…like through social media.

Press Release Exposure

While a press release gets brands mentioned in several news sources, the price of ongoing releases can add up. There are alternatives.  Does your brand leverage Facebook?  CEOs and executives want press releases to get read and spark brand-associated conversations.  Brands can do that on a weekly (or more often) basis using Facebook.  Why direct fan attention toward a static page when you could direct attention toward your brand's dynamic Facebook page?  While some platforms allow you to upload images and video along with your release (usually at an extra charge), your brand can implement all the media it desires directly on its (free) Facebook account.

While a brand can garner attention from emulating a press release from a social platform, the additional exposure a press release could attract should not be completely put to rest; additionally, getting an inbound link from a high-authority news site helps SEO.  Read this Neil Patel post on attracting authority links for additional insight.

Brand Players

PR spreads word about a brand, encompassing its services, products, and messages as well as the people behind the brand.  Is your brand introducing its team 'players' to its public?  Are your executives writing guest posts, speaking at conferences, and offering insight on major news stories?  Great Web sites ask for contributions all the time.  Do research in your respective industry, finding guest post opportunities.  You could find guest post opportunities using Twitter, as featured in this Ethan Lyon post.

About You

Companies use press releases to better familiarize the public with the respective brands.  This can be performed from a company blog or a dynamic 'about us' page.  Let's face it; competition is fierce in all verticals.  How is your brand different?  No, not your services and products; how is your brand different than that of competitors?  I often encourage brands to make copywriting selfless, to address the consumer rather than the brand's vanity, but the 'about us' sentiment is the exception.  This is where you want to sing your company's praises, where you want your consumers to 'get to know' a brand's personality and the people who comprise it.  Be genuine and transparent.  Why should consumers champion and revisit your brand?  Address those questions for them via one or a series of dynamic, 'about us' sentiments.  Read how transparency helped the Domino's brand.