A successful integrated digital marketing strategy includes using B2B public relations and content marketing as complementary programs. It just makes sense.

Public relations fosters online and offline communications and builds relationships with your target audience. Content marketing involves creating and sharing relevant, educational information. It attracts and engages a clearly defined audience that matters to your business.

Think about how the two are intrinsically linked. Just about every piece of content your company shares—whether inbound or outbound—becomes a digital representation of your brand. Content marketing drives your inbound program by attracting visitors to your website with pieces that educate and establish thought leadership. It converts prospects throughout the marketing journey and nurtures current customers to build brand loyalty.

B2B public relations has its roots in outbound marketing and building relationships with trade publication editors. Today, it includes creating and sharing content directly with your target audience through social media and blog posts. These inbound tools guide readers to higher-level information on your website using calls-to-action. They also contribute to off-page SEO, which allows your company to get found more easily online.

Together, B2B public relations and content marketing significantly expand your company’s reach and improve SEO. Furthermore, they drive traffic to your website, generate and nurture leads, increase buyer conversions and foster customer allegiance.

To make sure your B2B public relations and content marketing programs are working together, you need a plan. You can’t just toss a bunch of tactics together and expect to get consistent results.

To achieve a smooth, effective integration of the two:

• Identify your key buyer personas
• Define your unique selling proposition
• Develop a clear strategy that integrates PR and content marketing tactics
• Create a messaging platform to communicate points consistently
• Project your unique selling proposition throughout all tactics

B2B public relations and content marketing work hand-in-hand to grab the attention of your targeted buying audience. Use an integrated strategy that starts with understanding your key personas. This will help you develop and share useful information across many channels—and drive visitors to your website.

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 program becomes 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: The Better Path to Top-Tier Tech Marketing.

Lisa Goetz is a public relations executive at Schubert b2b, where she primarily writes content and manages media relations. She brings 20 years of editorial and communications experience to Schubert b2b and holds a PhD in English literature from Duquesne University. When not in the office, Lisa likes to take excursions with her husband and hang out with her cat and a good book.