Author: staceymeadwell

B2B content writer, media trainer and moderator. Theatre blogger on the side.
Earned media, Press releases

Why pitching to journalists and earned media is worth the effort

Woman reading newspaper labeled “The Morning Chronicle” and “YOUR STORY HERE” at a desk
There are many benefits to successful press pitches

Why pitch to journalists and pursue earned media? Getting a quote, story or opinion/comment piece published takes time and effort, with no guarantees of successful pitches – although there are ways to increase your chances, which I go into later.

But first, some good reasons for securing earned media:

Third-party endorsement

Earned media is validation from third-party sources. A trusted publication or website publishes your comment, story or opinion piece with your business name, and it is someone outside your business essentially saying you are worth paying attention to.

It also supports and helps build on an individual’s authority and, by association, brand authority.

Gain wider reach

A media outlet will generally have a bigger audience than you would usually reach with your own content, and it is likely to put your name in front of different people.

Trade publications have specialist audiences who already have some investment in industry knowledge and expertise. If the publication is subscription-only, there is an even stronger vested interest in the content it publishes.

Continue reading “Why pitching to journalists and earned media is worth the effort” →
General

B2B content visibility: “If I put myself out there, do people think I’m a bit of a dick”

Marketing consultant Eimear Strong had to become more comfortable with being visible on social media

INTERVIEW When marketing consultant Eimear Strong started publishing on LinkedIn, her approach was “spray and pray” and felt, she confesses, like “absolute torture”.

In the years since she set up Strong Marketing and Communications, Eimear’s adapted her approach and learned to practice what she preaches to her construction and built environment contractor clients.

We met up over Teams to discuss how her content strategy has evolved, the lessons she’s learned and where the property industry is missing a trick with its storytelling.

Stacey: What was the trigger for starting to publish content regularly, and where did you start?

Eimear: My content has come from being self-employed. I went on LinkedIn, but I was really nervous about it and found it absolute torture.

My ADHD might have been playing into that a little bit with rejection sensitivity: If I put myself out there, do people think I’m a bit of a dick, or am I as good as I’m saying?

Then COVID hit, and I realised that what I was recommending to clients, I wasn’t doing myself.

If no one knows anything about me, how are they going to buy from me?

Continue reading “B2B content visibility: “If I put myself out there, do people think I’m a bit of a dick”” →
General

Randomly going viral on LinkedIn and why it was pointless

Woman using smartphone on a train beside oversized social media icons. The LinkedIn app icon is showing 999+ notifications.
Going viral on LinkedIn is more flattering than it is useful, I’ve discovered. Image: AI-generated

A LinkedIn post I wrote went viral completely randomly, but it’s just highlighted the pointlessness of virality.

I don’t know why the algorithm picked this post up for special treatment; it’s a topic I’ve written about before, in some shape or form.

It was a story with a tip attached, a style of post that isn’t unusual for me to use.

The trigger seemed to be a 3rd-degree connection reposting it. Since then, impressions climbed and climbed, reaching more than 72,000.

It’s all very flattering, but ultimately it’s just hot air.

I’ve carefully built my LinkedIn connections, and yet the impressions are 99% from outside my network.

That leaves in-network impressions slightly above the average I’m currently receiving in this low-reach phase of LinkedIn.

Engagement from outside my network

While I’ve had some of my connections engage, for which I’m grateful, a significant proportion is coming from people so far outside my network that, while appreciated, it serves little purpose other than to boost my ego.

Continue reading “Randomly going viral on LinkedIn and why it was pointless” →
General

Why publishing regular B2B content is a good marketing strategy

Smiling writer at desk surrounded by text: Consistently publishing building readership!, Keep your audience engaged!, Stay relevant month after month!, Regular content keeps them coming back for more!, January – Skyline Stories, February – Robotica, March – Heroic Tales, April – Whiskers Daily, May – Adventure Squad
There are many benefits to publishing regular content. Image AI-generated

Why does publishing regular B2B content matter as part of a marketing strategy?

Producing content is time-consuming and can be hard to deliver consistently. It isn’t always easy to find direct links to results, but there are good reasons why it’s worthwhile.

Builds visibility, trust and differentiation

Keeping your channels active with quality content obviously ensures you maintain visibility in a crowded and competitive market.

Targeted, curated content regularly appearing in inboxes (newsletters) and in social media feeds like LinkedIn keeps you top of mind.

But more important than that, sharing knowledge, expertise and experience combined with a consistent sales message helps build authority, credibility and trust.

Consistency is a sign of reliability, which can matter in B2B relationships.

Regular content is also a way of differentiating yourself from the competition.

Businesses tend to have similar services and values, eg, being client-focused, but content is a tool to show how a firm thinks, which is a point of difference.

Compounding interest: SEO and AI

A body of regular content becomes a searchable, citable library that keeps working long after it’s published.

Regular, fresh content supports SEO and LinkedIn posts also come up in web searches now.

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Content ideas, Repurposing

Harness your content archive: A repurposing guide for built environment businesses

Illustrative cartoon image of an an editor putting together an article from other articles using scissors and glue.
Repurposing content offers better value and distribution for your ideas and work. (AI-generated image)

The idea behind this blog post is repurposed from LinkedIn posts I’ve already published.

But I’m not lazy. I’m getting more return on the ideas and time initially invested – and you can too.

Built environment (and other B2B) businesses are likely to have a wealth of valuable material ripe for editing and reuse: case studies, thought leadership/articles, award entries, reports, white papers, BIDS, etc.

Not only are you maximising the value of material that has already been researched, crafted and approved, but it is also far easier to work with existing content than to start a piece from scratch.

It’s not cheapening your content, it’s making the most of a chunk of work that’s already been done.

There are many ways of repurposing content.

Content repurposing ideas

The really obvious one is to take a longer piece – a thought leader or white paper, for example – and splice it into shorter LinkedIn posts, but what about updating a piece and then republishing?

You may have made predictions ahead of a government policy announcement or written about what you’d like to see. Were you right? Did your wishes come true?

Continue reading “Harness your content archive: A repurposing guide for built environment businesses” →