Email marketing provides an attractive tool with which to promote your business and consequent offerings to a wide audience. Done well, email marketing campaigns result in increased web traffic, brand exposure, partnership opportunities, and more. However, the prospect of creating yet another piece of content that delivers fresh news items every month can add to the already heavy workload that many marketing departments are carrying. If created with attention to audience and purpose however, email campaigns hold the potential to push further initiatives that are already in motion.
The worlds of PR and marketing regularly collide, especially as both move further and further into the digital ecosystem. Email marketing is no different. Use your PR efforts to your advantage as tools to drive content for your next email marketing newsletter or eBlast. Maximize the impact of your PR for all it’s worth! These are the 4 sections of an email marketing piece that can be drawn directly from your ongoing PR campaigns:
1: Press Releases
The obvious elements to include in any email are company news items, especially if you’ve already issued a press release on a new development. Content approval usually occurs quickly, as all of the details and permissions were granted by the time the release was finalized. The press release is a great starting point from which you can write a condensed version for an eBlast, which can also link back to the release on your website if the reader would like to learn more.
2: Media Mentions
A compilation of recent news articles, a specific mention by an outlet or a photo of a briefing with a reporter are all ways to create a concrete point of reference that reflects your presence in the media. Media mentions are a strong reflection of earned media presence, that unbiased attention that demonstrates the value of your company’s perspective and solutions without being backed by advertising dollars.
3: Conference Activity
Whether upcoming or in reflection, conference and trade show attendance is the perfect opportunity to grab some pictures of the team, showcase a new booth design, or otherwise alert your targeted audience to your active presence in their industries. You can also draw from session content to write a review of the conference’s impact from an educational perspective or develop a piece based on the concepts of an interesting presentation.
4: Thought Leadership or Blog Pieces
Most months, you’ve already worked with your PR firm on publishing to the company blog or getting the editor of a leading industry magazine to run a piece first ghostwritten and then published under the name of a product engineer or executive. Use your email marketing as another point of dissemination. Highlight the top 2-3 points from the article, offer an executive summary of the piece, then link back to it. We’re all busy and some people miss the original announcement promoted on social media. Your email is another way to share the article with both new and existing audiences.
These 4 points help bolster the content of an email newsletter or other digital marketing piece with campaigns you’ve already developed with your PR team. Seize these opportunities to inform your key audiences about your company’s activity through effective email marketing backed by PR. Developing the content might not be as hard as you think.
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Caroline Haley authors the column “Caroline’s Cloud” and is Vice President, Outreach & Operations for Milldam Public Relations.
