In our last post excerpted from our white paper entitled “The Push/Pull Marketing Program: Proven Results for Today’s B2B Online & Social Media Driven Markets,” we borrowed from “Classic Movie Night” to show you the old school view that many people still have of public relations. Here are the three major ways that PR and communications have changed, including in healthcare, insurance and technology B2B PR. These three principals form the basis of the Push/Pull PR and Marketing Program:

1. Online and social media is the primary source of information people read today. These platforms help to get information out in front of people when they are interested in making a buying decision and in front of journalists when they are thinking about writing a story or are looking for story sources. Content is still king when it comes to getting visibility at the moment that people are looking. You must create original, practical, and compelling content and then optimize this material for online searching so that you are found at the right time. This optimized information “pulls” eyeballs to you when people are out on the Internet seeking information. And when it comes to searching for information, who doesn’t go to the Internet first these days?

2. Opportunities for traditional media coverage have shrunk. Due to the demise of many traditional media and the tremendous attrition among media newsrooms, most journalists are doing the work of three people today. They are under strict instructions only to cover “news”- not features or stories about companies which are now considered to be marketing rather than news. Therefore, they rely more heavily on wire services, online media and even social media, as they can’t afford to do as much original reporting as they once did. That’s why it’s more important than ever that B2B companies create digital content. To achieve success, you need visibility everywhere your constituents are.

3. With online and social media, no intermediary is necessary. In order to get information out to a target audience, it’s not necessary to do this via media coverage. Online and social media resources make it possible, and have raised the expectation that someone with a story to tell will tell it to the individuals directly. For example, a news release used to be written for the news media as an article they could run, or an idea that they could take and create an individual story. Now, a news release is a communication that goes directly to the consumer or decision-maker who collects the news of the day in their inbox or visits a news site. Media no longer print releases and for the most part, they don’t cover the news that is in them.

In our next post, we’ll tell you more about the Scott Public Relations’ Push/Pull PR and Marketing Program, in particular how to develop content that is on-message and compelling and how when used in the right channels, can pique the interest of buyers, influencers, and the news media.

If you would like to receive a copy of Scott Public Relations’ white paper entitled “The Push/Pull Marketing Program: Proven Results for Today’s B2B Online & Social Media Driven Markets,” please visit the White Papers section on our website.

If you’re in the healthcare, insurance, technology or other professional services industries, and want to find out how our program will work for you, contact Scott Public Relations.

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