How solid media coverage translates into sales

Strategically placed media coverage can translate into tangible business results. Learn more about how good press can build pipeline and give you more than just third party credibility.

The marketing value of great media coverage is evident. Getting your message published in a targeted industry publication or business press outlet your customers and prospects read regularly is high impact, low cost and brings much more credibility to your brand name than if you were to put the same message on your own channels. Consumers have gotten much more skeptical about the claims brands make, and third party validation by recognized and respected media outlets has become a staple for building brand reputation and trust, especially in a digitally-driven world where anyone with a connected device can publish content.

But media coverage does a whole lot more than validate your brand: it can drive your bottom-line.

The path to more sales: media drives results

Your sales team can call up folks on the phone all day long in hopes of conversion, but this is just one of the touchpoints you have with your buyers. With the marketing mix becoming much more integrated, driving people to buy is rooted in using all the tools at your disposal (social media, press coverage, paid advertising, email marketing, speaking and events) to get your message out there and convince your audience to partner with you over the competition — and solid press is a great starting point.

Media coverage is a proven tool for engaging prospects at all stages of the buying journey and leading them through the sales cycle. Through securing media coverage:

1. More people will hear about you

The more exposure you have within the publications your target audiences reads, the more recognizable your brand will be. This awareness is invaluable when prospects start looking to buy the product or service you offer. Consider media campaigns for each decision maker in your specific market. For example, your message for the end-user of your software platform will differ from what you want the buying organization’s IT team to know about your solution’s implementation. With media, you can target outlets that cater to each of these stakeholders’ concerns and interests with the messages they need to hear throughout each stage of the buying journey. Earned media is a more targeted and thoughtful form of advertising, that comes with a level of credibility you can’t get with paid relationships.

2. The market will consider you an expert

Media coverage raises your company’s profile as an expert source within in your space, giving your business an edge over competitors. Thought leadership initiatives — commenting on higher-level trends and themes that connect back to who you are as a company and your core messages — showcases your knowledge and teases prospects of what you can do for them, before they even get through the door. You’ll be in front of your key buyers talking about the very trends and problems they’re looking to solve, and as such, more likely to be the strongest contender when it comes time for them to buy.

3. Stakeholder sentiment will be strong

Media coverage naturally affects market perception of a brand, which for public companies can directly affect stock price. Positive press brings good stakeholder sentiment and raises your image as a viable and fruitful company. This often translates into more outside investment in your business, which typically leads to a strong brand reputation that makes people gravitate to your product over other options, and brings in more sales.

Of course, media is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the ways marketing can drive value for your business. Amplify your impact with these tips.