Sometimes those looking for media placements use a less than clean approach. In one example, in July, a freelance journalist revealed that a well-known communications agency in London offered him financial rewards for the companies he featured in his articles.
That story raised questions (and sentiment) about the relationship between writers and agency representatives, especially those who cut corners and use dishonest media tactics.
Therefore, we pay attention to how communications can legitimately follow earned media placements. Backlinks, SEO and Brain Engine Optimization (BEO)–more on this below–can lead to coverage without ‘paying’ journalists.
PR and SEO: an harmonious link
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Research shows organic search accounts for more than half of web traffic. Therefore, the importance of SEO in B2B PR is clear. In fact, 60% of communicators declare that PR and digital marketing should work more collaboratively.
SEO should start at the content generation stage. Focus on keywords for each format – whether it’s a press release, article, blog or tweet. However, this does not mean adding keyword overkill or words that dilute the meaning of the content.
Instead, you’ll have better luck with carefully crafted copy that connects your B2B organization with keywords to core industries and links to the theme of the market. Consistently appearing on authoritative third-party domains with high content rankings due to SEO will help your company demonstrate industry leadership.
Powering search engines–the brain
With the advancement of the digital world, we forget that people drive B2B sales. 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine, but the search begins with a B2B customer, a person, searching their memory. The following is an online check.
Our brain prefers familiar things. Thus, memorable brands will benefit, gaining trust and similar positive results. A PR Pro can use this information on LIVE to build brand recognition online.
If we agree that BEO helps memory recall linked to Google search, how can communicators use backlinks (where one website links to another website with anchor text) to drive traffic to their site?
Backlinks’ importance
Major search engines consider backlinks to your page as indicators of quality content. Google uses authoritative backlinks as signals to rank content, making them a vital part of SEO tactics.
Dominating search results is one thing, but ensuring clicks to a company’s website is a critical goal of SEO-driven PR campaigns. Click throughs from backlinks in organic content can be tracked through UTM codes, marketing platforms or website analytics tools.
This brings us back to where we started – content. Interesting, original content can score credible backlinks and help organizations maintain good rankings on Google.
SEO, BEO and backlinks
Accordingly, successful SEO requires an extra effort to build backlinks from known sources. This means that journalists will directly contact the target to place content in publications that you will read.
Embed backlinks into the site content to provide a clear route to your website so you can earn visits from a highly relevant audience. Add an engaging piece of content to your landing page, such as a deep-dive white paper or an informative webinar – and you can start capturing highly targeted leads.
The evolution of online media outlets has opened doors for B2B organizations to improve online lead generation, enhanced by SEO and backlinks. With effective tactics, B2B PR pros should make the most of our brain’s ‘computer’ to create and build an impressive and memorable B2B brand.
Jamie Kightley is head of client services at IBA International
