Making B2B Media Work

published 2003

Whether you operate in IT, or are a business solution provider, there are more ways in which you can increase your coverage and the effectiveness of your messages in vertical media than are available in general business media.

The sad thing is, most companies never realise the full potential of their marketing communications, partly because they simply do not have to time to take advantage of all opportunities.

These opportunities fall into three broad groups:

Relations

The way in which you build a bridge between you and your key media editors and journalists, as well as key influencers such as analysts and commentators.

Writing

What you write about your company and its products for submission to media

Researching

Those activities that identify opportunities for possible coverage.  This includes identifying companies and events that you should link with to gain further coverage or to improve your general positioning.

To see just how rich the opportunities are, let’s take ‘Relations’ as an example.

Relations:

It is essential to decide why you want to form relations with people.  It’s not as simple as you may think, because relationships have to be of equal benefit to both parties.  So, inviting the editor of a magazine to lunch will not necessarily start a relationship.  Showing the editor how you can provide interesting and relevant information for the magazine’s readers would, on the other hand, be a very good start.

In dealing with any B2B media there are three main bodies with which you can form relationships:

• Editors and journalists
• Industry analysts
• Industry commentators

Editors and journalists:

Editors and journalists need information.  It is their stock-in-trade.  What is it then that you know that will be of benefit to them in putting together their publication?  Here are a few tips on how you can help them (and yourself) via information:

Editorial Calendars. 

• Most media publish, or have available, lists of upcoming features.  These are made worthwhile to the publication through advertising, but their worth to the reader is in the articles.
• If you feel that a particular feature is a good opportunity for you to convey your messages, then by all means speak with the feature editor or the journalist in charge to see what angles, topics and issues they wish to cover.
• Be proactive - suggest topics or angles where your company or product can play a positive role.  The more helpful and understanding you are, the greater the chance of getting the story you want, and the greater the chance of being remembered when the journalists is looking to research story ideas in the future.

Industry issues.  

• Have you ever wondered why some companies are always getting quoted in the media?  It mainly because they take the time to consider something worthwhile to say about industry issues.
• You can be included in more issues-based articles if you develop a position on that issue and then convey it to the publication.  There are a number of ways of achieving this, the two most common is the direct approach via phone or email, or writing your opinion as a ‘Letter to the Editor’.
• This usually has nothing do about a particular product (so don’t mention yours).  It’s about you having a particular statement to make about what is happening within your, or your customers’ industry.

Media visits.

• Business relations are similar to personal relationships in that you should try and visit each other’s place of work.  It is easier to explain a process or a departmental structure when you are able to show it.
• Invite media to see your new Research and Development (R&D) centre, your restructured warehousing facility or your latest production equipment.  You should aim to have your top tier media visit once a year.  Media visits should also be considered if you have facilities of great interest outside Australia. 
• Many companies have offshore R&D laboratories, sophisticated warehousing or massive call centres.  Media visits to these really mean something to editors and journalists and can result in excellent media coverage as well.

Industry analysts:

Industry analysts are key influencers of media and industry opinion.  They therefore should be on your relationship radar.  They make money by selling their research and commentary, and you can help them do that.  Here’s a few ideas to help you build relationships in this area:

Event inclusion. 

• If you’re running a seminar of planning a product launch, consider how the inclusion of an analyst on your speaker panel can support your sales messages by stressing the importance of such a service or solution to today’s companies and organisations.
• You will probably have to pay for their time to do this, but this money can be well spent.  However, to capitalise on their presence, a help build a relationship with them, make sure you have A-list people and companies present in your audience.  By doing this, you are placing the analyst in front of his or her potential customers, effectively making them look good to important contacts.

Press events. 

• Consider inviting key analysts to selective press briefings.  If you have something to say about trends in the industry, make sure you say it to analysts as well as media.
• You can also invite them to site visits in the same way you do with the media.  While their work is seen as academic, they often have to see and touch to gain a thorough understanding of what your company is all about and where it sees the market heading.

Industry commentators:

Industry commentators, by their very nature, need publicity.  And they can only gain publicity if they have something to say.  Therefore, like journalists, you can form relationships with them if you make them privy to your latest offerings and opinions.  Again, you can include them in a number of media and analyst activities you run.  For instance:

• Include them as presenters at your own industry seminars or product launches.
• Have your appropriate C-level people develop lines of communication with them.
• Invite them to share time with visiting company VIPs.
• Send them information - maybe white papers - that will be of interest to them.

Obviously your CEO or company spokesperson doesn’t have time to devote to forming relationships with every possible media, commentator or analyst.  Have your PR agency provide you with an influencer map that identifies the key people you should be forming closer ties with and then start looking at what you have to offer each of them in the way of information and opinion.  You’ll be surprised how simple yet rewarding a relationship based built on these foundations can be.