You’ve read many times on the Schubert b2b blog why it’s important to use an integrated strategy for your B2B marketing. That means tactics should be thought of as parts of a larger whole, all working seamlessly together to make your marketing program more effective and cost-efficient. With that advice in mind, here are 3 ways your public relations and social media tactics can work together to boost your B2B marketing:

1. Increase Your Mileage

You’ve written a press release announcing a new product and emailed it to select editors of targeted B2B trade publications. Now you wait. Often, you’ll start to see your news posted on trade pub sites by later that day or the next. But it will take weeks before it appears in print, depending on publication schedules.

To get more immediate mileage out of your release, share the news on your social media platforms. Be sure to change the tone from the formal press release to something more conversational to fit each outlet. Because sharing the news via social media is different than sharing it with editors, you’ll want to write posts that focus on your followers and how your new product is a solution to their challenges. Add the release to your news page and include the link in your posts.

2. Share the Love

If a trade publication picks up your release and shares your news on its social accounts, jump in and engage with those posts. Share the mention on your social media platforms and thank the journal—using the appropriate social handles and hashtags—for covering your news. Include the link to your release on the trade pub’s site.

Monitor your posts to see if any followers—yours or the trade pub’s—comment or share. Then, engage with your audience. When you are mentioned, interact with these social peers and remember that people want to connect with people, even in B2B. Humanize your content and make it obvious that a person is behind the posts while staying true to your brand identity and messaging platform.

3. ICYMI

Unlike a press release, which is a one-and-done tactic, unless an editor wants to feature your new technology in an article, the social sharing of your news can grow and build. In these “in case you missed it” posts, you don’t want to beat your followers over the head with the same verbiage and continue to link to the press release. Videos, animatics and infographics that highlight the benefits of your new product are great ways to keep your social audience consuming your content in different ways. Because they are visually interesting, these pieces will keep your followers from scrolling past the posts.

Together, public relations and social media take your message far and are key players within your integrated B2B marketing strategy. Public relations encourages industry and customer confidence because your appearance in trade publications is earned and relies on editors to approve and publish your news. Social media gives you the power to engage with trade publications and their followers. It also delivers relevant content about your products to your own social audience in a variety of interesting formats.

All marketing tactics should be thought of as part of a larger whole, rather than separate pieces. By strategically integrating all marketing tactics, the marketing programs become more effective and cost efficient. As a B2B agency, we developed B2B 360 Integrated Digital Marketing to meet this improved performance need. To learn more about B2B 360 and how it will benefit your business, download our free eBook: B2B Top-Tier Tech Marketing.