How to Generate New Business Using PR

When it comes to marketing for B2B companies, it’s important to know how to generate new business using PR techniques that increase awareness of your organization. Public relations are a cornerstone of strategic communications, and a cost-effective way to help your company get new leads.

If your company doesn’t recognize how to generate new business using PR, Walker Sands can offer you some tips on how to effectively use PR to grow your company.

How to Generate New Business with PR

PR professionals wear many hats – public relations activities can range from ribbon-cutting ceremonies to crisis communication strategies when a situation goes awry. But not all of these activities effectively win sales leads.

At Walker Sands, our PR team comprises many experts that know exactly how to generate new business for our clients. The following PR strategies have been highly effective at generating new business:

1. Targeted placements.
   When deciding where to distribute press releases, focus on media outlets that your prospective customers read, hear or view. Receiving editorial coverage in publications read by prospects is a great PR technique for companies that can’t comprehend how to generate new business.

   A great example of this is one of Walker Sands’ clients, Alterian. Media coverage of Alterian, a marketing automation software firm, was severely lacking. Walker Sands worked with Alterian to reach out to mainstream media outlets that key business decisions makers were reading, their target audience. As a result, Alterian saw a significant increase in their sales leads – they were able to generate new business with PR.

2. Balanced messaging.
   Although the aim of PR is to generate interest in your company, it’s important to remember that the aim of journalism is to inform. Take the time to ensure that the publications you’re pitching are consistent with your business’ audience. If you’re a startup company that developed a new app, think twice before sending a press release to a magazine that covers news about the farming industry.

   Make connections with editors at relevant publications. The relationship benefits both parties – reporters inform their readers about pertinent news, and your company generates new business with PR.

3. Relevant pitches.
   Another PR strategy for companies that don’t know how to generate new business is to pursue pitches that explain how your offering solves a real-world need. If you can highlight how your business has helped your clients and made a measurable difference, you show the reporter why they should cover your company. Additionally, the story that they write about your business will position you in a positive light, which could result in new sales leads.
4. Credibility building.
   For companies that don’t understand how to generate new business using PR, another way to increase sales leads is to get mentioned alongside your competition in industry roundup articles. When your company is compared side-by-side to other similar companies, prospective clients will be able to clearly see the benefits of your business and its strengths.
5. Sourcing leads.
   Companies that want to know how to generate new business should keep a close watch on where new leads come from. Ask people how they heard about you to track whether new business came from a PR placement. By tracking how people find your organization, you can determine which aspects of your PR strategy are producing the most sales leads and emphasize or strengthen those elements to generate new business.
6. Second-wave marketing.
   Another way to generate new business is to use your PR placements in a series of second-wave marketing to get in front of your prospects. Once your release is out, keep the news alive by posting links to the story on social media networks or directly emailing the story to prospects. Media placements can also be repurposed for other communication channels, like blogs. When you spread your messages to alternative outlets, you increase the odds of prospective clients finding your company and improve your ability to turn them into leads.

Any business trying to discover how to generate new business using PR can utilize any of these strategies to raise awareness of their company and increase sales leads. With the help of PR, companies can reach new heights while continuing to generate new business and stimulate growth.