Consumer Products PR

3 Media Trends Emerging and Ambitious Brands Need to Know

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When it comes to media trends emerging and ambitious brands need to know, no one knows that better than top PR agencies. Many things are driving media changes; social media is one. But so is the decrease in advertising revenue for publications, which drives a need for publications to get creative. You’ve probably seen an uptick in publications behind paywalls; that’s but one-way media outlets are changing revenue streams. PR firms need to be aware of the entire media landscape and provide their clients with the latest best practices; after all, expertise at the heart of what a leading PR agency does. These are the top 3 media trends emerging and ambitious brands need to know.

 

2024 Media Trend #1: Lead with Top Quality Content Creation

Be prepared to contribute content. This is an especially critical need for emerging industries and ambitious brands. Since the dawn of the internet, creating content has been a critical tent pole to any strategic PR or marketing plan. The difference today is that there is more opportunity to contribute content to premium outlets, from Entrepreneur Magazine to Forbes. Not only will this contributed content provide you with a premium platform, but your brand and voice will benefit from the media cache for social proof and SEO. It’s a win-win.

To be clear, this isn’t like writing a blog post; this content is a hybrid between earned content and owned content because it still goes through a stringent editorial process. This process can be very frustrating to time-crunched CEOs or marketing pros used to writing in a promotional rather than editorial style. Lean on your PR experts for this type of content; our team ghostwrites regularly and knows how to work with editors to reduce editorial friction and increase publishing speed.

Your owned content is perhaps your most valuable asset; besides controlling the message, it’s the most prominent voice of your brand. Some of this content should include very high-quality content targeted toward stakeholders and decision-makers, while other content should be for your consumers, and yet still other content can be for your SEO. There are many ways to maximize your content output and drive it to the right people. Many brands are loath to add their blog to the home page of their site as they don’t want too many distractions on their home page. As a digitally savvy PR firm, we can appreciate that concern. We employ several strategies to overcome this concern, but one is categorizing your content to appear in the right places. Your owned content is valuable. Ensure you’re using the right content for the right audiences in the right place.

Perhaps the most important media trend media trend emerging and ambitious brands need to know: premium content is premium because it’s thoughtful and useful to the reader. One rarely gets this kind of content straight out of ChatGPT or other AI-generated content programs. That’s not to say that these platforms aren’t helpful, but it is to say it should be used strategically. Make your content stand out by creating truly elevated content. The internet will appreciate it, and so will your brand.

2024 Media Trend #2:Today’s Sponsored Content

Open your mind to the world of sponsored content. Sponsored content has been around for a very long time, too, but today, it’s a broad term that covers everything from influencer content to a single piece of content and even a multitude of storyline features in a publication. For emerging industries and ambitious brands today’s sponsored content should absolutely be in the mix.

Some outlets have expansive brand partnerships where brands sponsor a section of coverage but leave editorial oversight to the publication. In these cases, brands sponsor content that their target audience would read rather than require articles about the brand. This premium tactic elevates the brand in the eyes of editors and customers. While this is a paid opportunity, and top publications offer no quid pro quo on these arrangements, editors are aware of who their top advertisers are, and exposure to the editorial team will always help your case when you have news, as you will already have some level of social proof. Again, it’s important to understand the nuances of an arrangement like this, and your digitally savvy PR agency can help you navigate those waters.

Another sponsored content option can include a “sponsored” article about your company or your CEO. Sponsored content is everywhere. Some sponsored content is limited to a single outlet, and some sponsored content may be produced and distributed to a multitude of outlets.

For example, many outlets, including tier 1 outlets, offer brands the opportunity to control a specific amount of space completely; the brand writes this content, and the best practice is to disclose this content as an ad or sponsored. When I owned a magazine, we called this content “advertorial” because the space was purchased, but it integrated with the style of the magazine. Again, here, your PR agency can create compelling editorial-style content that will drive eyeballs and allow emerging and ambitious brands to maximize social proof.

Another form of sponsored content that’s growing in popularity is content created with an editorial style and provided to many outlets. You often see this style of content in daily news shows that always need content and are under reduced staffing budgets. An example of this is gadget reviews on TV morning shows. Some (not all) of that is sponsored. A producer will create a segment and numerous TV shows will pick it up.

Press releases can be considered sponsored content. When you send a press release and it is distributed across the web, those are essentially paid placements.

 

2024 Media Trend #3: Affiliate Content is Changing

Affiliate marketing used to be a very low-brow way of marketing a product. It was very common for affiliate marketers to create incredibly spammy content and be aggressively sell products in their content. But today, affiliate marketing has changed. Premium tier-one outlets have improved this system and upgraded it with editorial-style content that also includes affiliate links. Google punishes websites that don’t disclose affiliate links, but many media outlets find readers don’t seem more bothered about affiliate links than they are about advertising in print magazines – so long as the content is good.

Affiliate content and PR are working hand in hand these days as publications turn to new ways to drive revenue. For CPG or consumer brands, having an affiliate program is essential to productive PR coverage today.

It’s also important to understand that product PR is very cyclical. So as you consider the timing on your product PR, be sure to understand media trends and how your product fits into the media cycle. The media cycle doesn’t bend to your needs, you fit into theirs – important to keep in mind during product launch planning and other marketing programs like influencer campaigns.

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What Consumer Brands Should Know About ChatGPT and SEO

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What Consumer Brands Should Know About ChatGPT and SEO

Establishing a solid online presence has become a critical goal for consumer brands in today’s dynamic and linked digital ecosystem. The virtual world is no longer an afterthought; it is a crucial area where businesses can interact with their target consumers, build loyalty, and drive conversions. But ChatGPT is confusing. Or is it? Here’s what consumer brands should know about ChatGPT and SEO.

The combination of artificial intelligence (AI) with digital marketing has emerged as a game-changing concept as consumer habits shift and technology redefines marketing techniques.

ChatGPT has evolved as a groundbreaking instrument in artificial intelligence, exemplifying the next generation of marketing innovation. Top PR agencies and consumer PR agencies can harness the potential of ChatGPT to craft engaging content, enriching their content marketing strategies. Brands can leverage the power of AI-generated content to engage and resonate with their consumers on a whole new level by leveraging the possibilities of ChatGPT.

This invention complements Search Engine Optimization (SEO), ensuring companies’ online content appears prominently in search engine results.

The Digital Opportunity

Today’s consumer companies operate where the lines between physical and digital encounters are increasingly blurred. The advent of social media, e-commerce, and online reviews has generated a digital footprint that impacts customer perceptions and purchase decisions. Brands, including top PR agencies and consumer PR agencies, need a solid digital presence to avoid becoming obsolete and losing out to competitors that successfully navigate the digital terrain.

This has led to increased demand for content. And while content is in demand, it’s not easy to create. Think of ChatGPT as a content collaborator.  ChatGPT is a great way to brainstorm topics and even structure a piece. Savvy promoters can speed up content creation considerably while maintaining brand voice when they use ChatGPT as a partner rather than a replacement for content.

The Impact of AI on Marketing

AI is a driving factor behind novel marketing tactics amid this digital change. ChatGPT is at the vanguard of the AI revolution, a tool driven by powerful language models that can produce human-like writing depending on the input it gets. Top PR agencies and consumer PR agencies can harness this AI wonder to quickly create exciting content that connects with their target audiences, ranging from social media postings to blog articles.

This AI wonder helps organizations quickly create exciting content that connects with their target audiences, ranging from social media postings to blog articles.

Furthermore, ChatGPT, a game-changer in consumer PR, may successfully simulate human contact, enabling previously inconceivable tailored consumer engagement and brand engagements. Brands may use ChatGPT to develop conversational experiences that increase consumer happiness and loyalty.

SEO and Convergence

The combination of ChatGPT and SEO for consumer brands is a confluence of technologies that has the potential to reshape how businesses, including consumer PR agencies, approach digital marketing… SEO, a tried-and-true method, tries to improve the visibility of online material in search engine results. Brands may get a new level of exposure and engagement by combining ChatGPT-generated content with SEO methods.

Understanding ChatGPT and Its Application in Consumer Branding:

ChatGPT emerges as a transforming instrument in modern marketing, where tailored and authentic connections are essential. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, “Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer,” is an AI language model. It is a brilliant example of natural language processing breakthroughs, meant to create human-like prose that mimics the style and tone of human speech.

ChatGPT’s skills: ChatGPT’s skills are fuelled by its training in massive quantities of text from many sources. This training provides the model with syntax, context, and semantics knowledge, allowing it to create coherent, contextually relevant writing strikingly comparable to human-generated material, which makes it a valuable asset for Top PR agencies and consumer PR agencies seeking to enhance their content marketing strategies and Google rankings through expertly crafted consumer PR content.

Creating Engaging Content

One of ChatGPT’s most intriguing uses is in content production. Top PR agencies can leverage it to generate content, from blog articles and social media updates to product descriptions and email marketing. Companies use it to create content, from blog articles and social media updates to product descriptions and email marketing. This tool functions as a diverse content generator, capable of matching the brand’s voice and connecting with its target audience.

Furthermore, ChatGPT’s capacity to produce entertaining content goes beyond words. It can also write headlines that catch people’s attention, introductions that grab their interest, and conclusions that make an impression. By automating content development, brands can maintain a steady supply of relevant and captivating content.

Advantages of Using ChatGPT

  • Time Efficiency: Traditional content development techniques can be time-demanding and labor-intensive. ChatGPT speeds up content creation, allowing top and consumer PR agencies to allocate more time to strategic planning and high-level duties.

ChatGPT enables marketers to develop diversified content across several platforms and media quickly. This variety avoids content fatigue and keeps the viewer interested.

ChatGPT may be implemented into customer care chatbots, allowing firms to give quick and tailored solutions to consumer inquiries. This degree of involvement boosts client pleasure and loyalty.

  • Scalability: As a brand’s online presence grows, especially for Top PR agencies, it becomes increasingly challenging to maintain a steady flow of material. The scalability of ChatGPT overcomes this issue by creating content on demand, providing a consistent and relevant online presence.

ChatGPT’s multilingual features enable marketers to reach a worldwide audience by quickly creating content in several languages.

ChatGPT may act as an idea generator, igniting creativity and inventive thinking inside marketing teams. It provides a fresh perspective and inspires new content perspectives. It is invaluable for consumer PR agencies aiming to stay ahead in the dynamic world of content marketing and Google rankings.

  • Adaptability: Consumer tastes and trends change at a quick pace. ChatGPT’s versatility enables marketers to instantly pivot and generate content that syncs with the newest trends, ensuring that consumer PR content remains adaptable and resonates with ever-evolving consumer preferences.

Consumer Brand SEO Essentials:

Explaining the Fundamentals of SEO and its Importance

SEO  is the footing of current digital marketing, especially for consumer PR agencies. At its core, SEO refers to a set of methods and procedures to increase a brand’s exposure and organic presence on search engine results pages (SERPs). The highest goal of SEO is to rank higher for relevant search queries, resulting in more significant organic traffic to a brand’s website or online channels.

SEO is essential in a world where search engines are customers’ primary source of information. Brands that optimize their online content for search engines are more likely to be found by their target audience, resulting in improved brand awareness and website traffic. But does Google hate ChatGPT? It’s not quite so clear-cut. But the answer lies in the quality of your content and the value you provide to the reader.

Keyword Role in SEO and Relationship to Provided Keywords

Keywords are crucial to SEO. People use these search words to find information, products, or services on search engines. Consumer companies may connect their products with user intent and boost the chance of their content ranking better in search results by carefully inserting relevant keywords into their content.

In the context of the offered keywords—”top public relations firms,” “consumer public relations firms,” “content marketing,” “Google,” and “consumer public relations”—each phrase provides insight into what users are actively searching for. Brands may utilize these keywords to produce content that responds to user inquiries and promotes them as authoritative authorities.

The Importance of Relevant, High-Quality Content in SEO Strategies:

While keywords are important in SEO, they are only one puzzle component. Search engines continuously develop to emphasize providing consumers with the most relevant and helpful material. As a result, the quality of the content itself significantly influences a company’s SEO performance.

For various reasons, creating high-quality, relevant material is critical:

  • User Engagement: Engaging content keeps people on a website for longer, lowering bounce rates and indicating to search engines that the material is worthwhile.
  • Backlinks: High-quality content is more likely to gain backlinks from authoritative sites, boosting a brand’s SEO reputation, particularly for consumer PR agencies, where credibility is vital.
  • User Experience: Good content improves the user experience by offering helpful information, answering queries, and resolving pain spots.
  • Ranking variables: When deciding a page’s ranking, search engines analyze content depth, distinctiveness, and user involvement.
  • Long-Tail Keywords: Quality content effortlessly weaves long-tail keywords, such as those related to “consumer PR,” “content marketing,” and “Top PR agencies,” into its fabric.

The ChatGPT-SEO Union

Including ChatGPT in SEO Strategies for Better Content Creation:

The combination of ChatGPT and SEO offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for consumer companies, especially consumer PR agencies, to revolutionize their content generation processes. The capacity of ChatGPT to create high-quality, contextually relevant content may be effortlessly incorporated into SEO efforts, enhancing the effect of both disciplines.

Brands may establish a virtuous cycle by employing ChatGPT to generate content that corresponds with SEO objectives: AI-generated content improves SEO, and good SEO guarantees that the AI-generated content reaches a broader audience. This combination of technology and strategies gives consumer brands an aggressive advantage in the digital world.

ChatGPT-Generated Content SEO Optimization

Integrating ChatGPT-generated content with SEO necessitates a calculated strategy. Here are some tips for marketers on how to optimize AI-generated content for search engines:

  • Keyword Integration: Find keywords related to the brand’s aims and target audience. Incorporate these keywords into the AI-generated material organically, ensuring they fit contextually and do not disturb the flow.
  • Semantic variants: Use ChatGPT to investigate semantic variants of target terms. It increases the complexity and relevancy of the text while avoiding the overuse of exact-match keywords.
  • Structured Format: To organize your information, use headers, subheadings, and bullet points. It improves readability and communicates to search engines the structure of vital material.
  • Metadata: Create engaging meta titles and descriptions that include target keywords. These elements influence click-through rates and the search engine performance of a page, which is essential for consumer PR
  • Internal and external links: Include pertinent internal and external links inside the material to give readers more value and context.

The Difficulties of Using AI-Generated Content for SEO

While the potential benefits of combining AI-generated content with SEO are enormous, especially for consumer PR agencies, there are several issues to consider:

  • Authenticity: Sometimes, AI-generated material lacks the human touch that provides authenticity and emotional resonance. Brands must ensure that the material continues to represent their voice and values.
  • Quality Control: Not all AI-generated material is equal. To avoid errors or information that does not correspond with their image, brands must maintain strict quality control.
  • Overusing terms in AI-generated content can result in keyword stuffing, negatively influencing SEO. It is crucial to strike the right balance between optimization and naturalness.
  • Unintended Bias: AI algorithms may create biased or contentious information accidentally. Brands must carefully evaluate and modify AI-generated content to minimize unforeseen negative consequences, particularly in the sensitive realm of consumer PR.
  • Originality: Search engines place a premium on unique material. Brands should ensure that AI-generated content does not simply repeat existing content but adds a fresh viewpoint.

Improving Google Rankings with ChatGPT and SEO

Examining the “E-A-T” Concept of SEO and Content Quality

“Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness,” or “E-A-T,” is a notion that Google employs to evaluate the quality of web material. When deciding on search engine results, it’s essential to consider, especially for information about health, money, or other sensitive areas.

  • Expertise: In consumer PR and content marketing, establishing authoritativeness is vital. Content should reflect a thorough comprehension of the subject area, highlighting the author’s knowledge.
  • Authoritarianism: The author’s content should establish them as a reputable source backed by appropriate qualifications and authoritative references.
  • Trustworthiness: Content should give accurate, dependable information and be upfront about sources and biases.

AI-Generated Content Optimization for E-A-T and SEO

Using ChatGPT for content production while adhering to the E-A-T rules may significantly improve a brand’s Google ranking. Here’s how to improve the E-A-T and SEO of AI-generated content:

  • Research and Credibility of Sources: Use ChatGPT to develop material and back it up with trustworthy sources. Cite reliable sources to boost the credibility of the article.

Develop material that demonstrates your brand’s competence in the industry. Share one-of-a-kind ideas, case studies, and experiences that establish your company as a knowledgeable authority.

  • Author Profiles: If appropriate, include author profiles with relevant qualifications to create authority and develop confidence with readers.
  • Openness: Clear any possible conflicts of interest and relationships with your audience, encouraging openness and creating trust.
  • Originality: While AI-generated material may be helpful, be sure it adds unique perspectives to the discourse. Try to refrain from regurgitating conventional knowledge.
  • Interaction Signals: User interaction, such as comments, shares, and time spent on a page, indicates the worth of content to search engines.
  • Updates regularly: Keep AI-generated material fresh and up to date. Returning and updating information indicates your dedication to accuracy. Experiment with various information formats—articles, videos, and infographics—to appeal to varied learning styles and preferences.
  • User-Centric Approach: Make it a priority to create content that meets your audience’s requirements, such as answering questions and giving answers.

Final Thoughts

Standing steady means staying caught up in the fast-paced world of digital marketing. ChatGPT, on the other hand, provides a platform for experimentation. Consumer businesses, including top PR agencies, are encouraged to investigate its possibilities for content production and improving consumer interactions and engagement.

However, when companies begin on this path, keeping consumer trust and the E-A-T principles in mind is critical. Innovation should complement, not undermine, the trust and authenticity pillars of brand success.

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What is Sponsored Content vs Branded Content?

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There are so many ways consumer brands can effectively reach audiences today. Brands have a dizzying array of choices; it’s easy to lose track of the difference between paid content, what is sponsored content vs branded content and how does it work with PR? Even the term “media outlets” is confusing because there are so many. For our purposes today, media outlets refer to traditional publications with online versions rather than social media platforms or blogs. Today’s online and print versions (where they still exist) are radically different. There is usually a lot more content on the web version, and there are no space limitations, meaning sponsored and branded content has been democratized. It used to be that only the most prominent brands could afford to buy space in magazines like Women’s Wear Daily or People Magazine, but today, buying content on those online versions is possible for much smaller consumer brands.

 

Sponsored content vs branded content

What is sponsored content?

Sponsored content is produced in collaboration with the brand; the brand has at least some oversight.

Sometimes sponsored content includes indexed links useful to SEO. This is perhaps one of the most compelling advantages of sponsored content. It creates an inbound link from a reputable online source, and it shows up in Google searches, which enhances reputation.

Like an ad, sponsored content may guarantee a certain number of views or placement over a guaranteed amount of time. Some influencers or publications require complete creative control, especially with product reviews. Depending on the outlet, sponsored content, because it has editorial oversight, very often lasts longer, sometimes indefinitely.  Depending on the publication and the format, it will appear with “sponsored” or “ad” designations per FTC guidelines. Branded content can be an article in a publication or an influencer video.

What is branded content?

Branded content is a hybrid of editorial and paid content produced by the publication; it is native-appearing. The placement and content oversight are paid for, and in this way, it differs from earned media. Like sponsored content, branded content is far less interruption than traditional digital advertising. Sometimes branded content includes indexed and because of the editorial oversight, do-follow links useful to SEO.

How to effectively use sponsored and branded content?

The most successful sponsored content and branded does not read like an advertisement.  Instead, it maximizes the space to create entertainment value or evoke an emotional response with storytelling. Creating content that viewers want to read is why paid content is more effective than banner ads. Very often, paid content isn’t even directly about the brand, and it may be a piece of content that distills critical messages to the audience without directly pushing the company; instead, it moves the consumer’s perception of a product or a lifestyle change.

Over and over, I see paid content that feels like a giant ad, and I know it’s because someone in marketing, or maybe even an overly enthusiastic CEO read the copy and said something like,  “There’s no call to action!” or “We aren’t even talking about our product’s best features!” And so the entire piece reads like the brand website. This is such a sad waste of viewer attention. The intent is to create or reinforce the customer journey. Customers almost never buy on the first interaction with a brand, think about paid content as a first or second meeting.

Is paid content effective for consumer brands?

Branded content drives up to 86% more brand recall than traditional advertising. That’s a considerable uptick. So why does anyone do any other form of traditional advertising? The reason is that branded content works because it doesn’t feel like a strong call to action; rather, it feels informative or entertaining, or even like news.

How are branded content and sponsored content similar?

 

How to choose between brand content vs sponsored content? This might be a matter of budget. Experienced content creators like editors at sought-after publications are not cheap.  Sponsored content is often less expensive, and it isn’t usually as in-depth as branded coverage, nor is it always premium quality. Some outlets do not ever place sponsored content in a front page rotation, where they might for premium branded content.

Paid content is effective because, unlike paid advertising, it doesn’t interrupt the viewer’s experience. Very often, there isn’t even a solid call to action in sponsored content. Because there isn’t a strong call-to-action, many brands run ad campaigns alongside their sponsored content to cement brand recall, improving click rates on traditional advertisements. Like an ad, paid content may not be permanently hosted or appear in search indefinitely.  Paid content, when done well, engages the viewer for a longer period than an ad; as importantly, because the view engages with the content, they will be more likely to remember it.

We love paid content because, unlike a traditional ad, it’s usually stickier and can be leveraged in many of the same ways as earned media.

How does it compare to earned media?

Sponsored content feels more trusted than advertisements but not as trusted as independent coverage or reviews. But, like earned media, it provides a way for brands to reach viewers while they’re in the mindset to consume content or while they’re searching for information related to the brand.

Because it isn’t paid, earned media is more trusted, and therefore, more valuable. Also, earned media is permanent. We see search results for earned content that is several years old but still relevant. So earned media is far stickier.

How does it fit in with PR and content strategy?

From a PR and content strategy perspective, we like to use sponsored or branded content to kick off a campaign; this gives us some control over the message early on and guarantees some visibility and search indexing. We use paid content with many of our thought leadership programs, to help leaders develop their voice, their point of view, and reputation. We also use paid content for product introduction. It is not uncommon to see brands use sponsored content in other forms of promotion and advertising.

In short, we think a lot of paid content makes sense with a digitally savvy PR campaign.

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Combine PR and Social Together for CPG Brand Success

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Combine PR and Social Together for CPG Brand Success

There’s good news and bad news for any brand trying to break into the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. First, the good news: The value of the CPG market in the United States alone was estimated at $635 billion in 2019, so there’s a ravenous audience for these products. The bad news, though, is there are so many brands within the CPG space it can be difficult for newcomers to make their mark and reach potential customers.

Many CPG brands rely on social media to increase their reach and engage with their audience. This is an excellent strategy, but it shouldn’t be the only approach aspiring brands take if they’re looking to expand. A well-crafted public relations campaign can enhance the benefits of social media while also furthering a brand’s reach in other ways. A strategic public relations campaign can do things that social media can’t, and vice-versa, so brands should incorporate both PR and social media into their marketing.

At Avaans Media, our innovative PR and social media tools make us the ideal team to help your CPG brand extend its reach and better engage with customers. With our proven track record of success and dedication to helping purpose-driven brands find success, we can help you reach your goals and make a positive impression on consumers. We’ll craft an innovative, personalized campaign highlighting what makes you unique and put that message where it will produce the best results for your brand.

If you’re ready to see what a truly modern, virtually enabled PR agency can do for your purpose-driven brand, get in touch with us. We have team members in Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Denver, Honolulu, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C.. You can also set up a call by filling out the form on our contact page. We look forward to hearing from you.

CPG PR vs. CPG Social Media: Why Not Both?

It’s a mistake to think of PR and social media as an “either/or” choice for how you market your CPG brand. While social media has tremendous influence, it should not cannibalize all of your marketing efforts. Social media may have a broader reach than PR, at least in the abstract, but marketing is about more than the number of people who see your content. If you don’t put that content in front of a receptive and engaged audience, all your efforts will have been for nothing.

The key reason to incorporate PR in your marketing efforts is the inherent skepticism many people have about the messages they receive on social media. A study from the Content Marketing Institute found that 70 percent of consumers prefer to get information about a company from articles rather than advertisements.

The preference for third-party articles makes sense when you consider the issue from a consumer’s viewpoint. Many consumers tend to distrust what companies say about themselves because consumers generally have no way to verify the message they’re receiving. If they get that same message from a blog, newspaper, magazine, or some other platform they already trust, they’re much more likely to believe the content of the message.

How To Use PR In Combination With Social Media To Promote Your CPG Brand

Your PR and social media campaigns shouldn’t compete with each other or be siloed. To get the best results for your company, you need to harness the strengths of PR and social media in ways that enhance both efforts. Here are a few ways CPG brands can combine PR and social media in their marketing:

  • Branding- With so many iconic brands already established in the CPG space, a clear and distinct visual identity is essential for any newcomer. You need a consistent color scheme, logo, text style, tagline, tone, and imagery across all your marketing channels. This is where PR shines, and once you’ve established your brand, you can send the materials to your social media team. This way, you know all your content has a clear, concise, well-established theme that reflects your company and your values.
  • Media relations- The cornerstone of PR is getting positive coverage of your CPG brand in various media outlets. However, social media can supplement and amplify the efforts of your PR team. If you generate enough social media buzz, media outlets will come calling to find out more. And once you’ve gotten some coverage in third-party outlets, your social media team can post those stories across your channels, creating a positive feedback loop.
  • Live events and affiliate marketing- One of the best ways to get other people interested in your product is to show someone else using it. There are two key ways to do this: Live events and affiliate marketing. If your PR team stages a live event to show off your products, your social media team can share photos and video clips from the event to reach new customers. And if your PR team can get other social media influencers to market your product, you can use social media to piggyback off the influencers’ content and their built-in trust with their audience.

Work With Avaans Media PR Firm To Help Your CPG Brand Find Its Potential

At Avaans Media, we’ve already showed how we can help CPG brands reach the next level. One of our biggest successes involved our PR firm’s ability to combine social media and public relations a hemp-based CPG wellness brand that was looking to grow its customer base ahead of its initial public offering (IPO). We offered personalized review opportunities for journalists, hosted live events, and used branded social media content to shape the client’s image in a more positive light.

By the time of the client’s IPO, we had generated more than 200 pieces of positive press coverage over three years. Our custom content also generated more than 10 billion earned media impressions, at an estimated value of more than $5 million. Best of all, the client’s share price had risen by 300 percent.

It’s always a challenge for CPG brands to find new audiences, but a quality PR firm can make a massive difference. If you’d like to see what Avaans Media can bring to your organization, let’s talk. You can set up a call by visiting our contact page or contact one of our team members across the United States. We look forward to working with you.

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Consumer Brands Experts: Prepare for the Holiday Season Now

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A couple of times a year, I reach out to my network of consumer brand experts and agency owners to ask them what they’re telling their clients right now. As consumer brands prepare for the holiday shopping season, my SEO, PR, Content, and Web Development colleagues are urging their clients to give themselves an edge given the competitive nature of the fourth quarter.

1. Prioritize and Plan

Organic & SEO do take a bit of time to kick in, -Jason Berkowitz, Break the Web

Given that organic & SEO do take a bit of time to kick in, starting on this fully now allows you to get the heavy lifting out of the way, without stressing when the season hits.

“If an increase in non-branded organic traffic is a marketing goal, then strategizing the plan of attack today,” says consumer brand expert Jason Berkowitz.

-Jason Berkowitz, Break the Web

“Paid media …doesn’t need to get started until September.” -Steve Krull, Be Found Online

Consumer brand digital marketing expert Steve Krull is urging brands to review their content and SEO strategy now. “There are two things I will typically work with clients on as we approach the holidays – Strategy & SEO with Content. Paid media …doesn’t need to get started until September.”

Krull recommends reviewing your holiday strategy to ensure it’s keeping up with the latest online changes, and your brand’s evolution. For a well-defined strategy, start with the questions:
Define your goals & metrics?
Identify your best revenue channels?
Ask: what’s different about this year?
Are there new ideas or channels you might test NOW in order to be prepared?

For SEO, update your existing content. If you’re an eCommerce or DTC brand, update your Category & Sub-Category pages as “Pillar Pages” to attract and distribute users and organic traffic.

-Steve Krull, Be Found Online

 

2. Improve UX with the Latest Data

Data-backed strategies can make a big difference during the holiday season in 2023. -Travis McAshan, Glide Design

Travis McAshan is wildly passionate about the consumer shopping experience, “As someone who spends my days thinking about user experience design, I have a few recommendations to consider as we gear up for the holiday season in 2023,” he says.

“While there’s a list of usual suspects you’d typically hear about – improving site performance, enhancing the user-friendly aspect of your consumer brand design, focusing on mobile-responsive elements, dialing in your site security, refining your CTAs, simplifying the checkout process, and so on, I’d rather shed light on a few often-overlooked, counter-intuitive aspects,” McAshan continues.

 “From understanding decision-making behavior to using design elements strategically, each of these less obvious, data-backed strategies can make a big difference during the holiday season in 2023.” McAshan encourages consumer brands to update thier website using data and improving the UX experience with these seven tips.

1) Limit Choices: According to Hick’s Law, decision-making time increases with the number of choices available. A study by the Neilson Norman Group supports this, showing that you can improve conversions by curating your offerings instead of overwhelming users with options.

2) Emphasize Negative Space: Google’s research found that visual complexity negatively affects user perception. An ’empty’ or negative space can make your website feel clean and draw attention to key elements, improving the overall user experience.

3) Intrigue Users with a Delayed Reveal: Consumer brand experts love to leave them wanting more. A Harvard Business School study discovered that adding a slight delay or hurdle before revealing a discount or special offer increases user engagement and satisfaction.

4) The Paradox of Image Size: CXL Institute’s A/B test found that smaller product images can sometimes outperform larger ones. They allow users to see the product details and the purchase button simultaneously without scrolling.

5) Design for the Impatient: A study by Columbia Business School revealed that customers tend to choose options that promise shorter waiting times, even over more beneficial alternatives. Optimizing your estimated delivery times can, counter-intuitively, boost conversions.

6) The Psychology of Colors: Maxymiser’s study found that ‘warm’ colors like red used for CTA buttons can increase conversion rates. Color choice is more than just aesthetics – it can drive actions.

7) Leverage Social Proof: The principle of ‘Fear of Missing Out’ (FOMO) can be powerful. Software company Figleaves, for example, increased their conversion rate by 12.5% just by showcasing how many people were currently viewing a product.

 

-Travis McAshan, Glide Design

 

3. Prepare for the Holiday Season: Integrate Operations, PR, and Social Media

 

Prepare and stay flexible; that’s what Jive PR and SEO’s consumer brand experts recommend. Brittany Robertson and Jalila Singerff recommend these five steps to prepare for the holidays for consumer brands.

Anticipate and prepare for potential challenges, – Brittany Robertson + Jalila Singerff (Director of Social Media + Director of Public Relations), Jive PR Digital

1. Evaluate Objectives and Past Performance: Assess the brand’s current objectives and review the performance of the previous holiday season. This analysis will help identify successful strategies and areas that require improvement, allowing the brand to align itself optimally for success.

2. Engage in PR Activities: From a public relations perspective, prepare for holiday press placements by pitching to print press in July. This aligns with the time when editors are sourcing products for their holiday issues. Pitch to other channels such as online, broadcast, podcast, and radio during the fall leading up to the holiday season.

3. Assess Social Media Presence: Review the social media presence of competitors during the previous holiday season and evaluate your brand’s social media performance. Analyze what strategies worked and what didn’t, and implement improvements for the upcoming season. In particular, leverage influencer marketing as a crucial component to generate sales and create gift-related content. Plan budgets and identify key products for collaborations with influencers to ensure an effective campaign.

4. Optimize Website and Social Media Channels: Update the consumer brand’s website and social media channels to be optimized for the holiday season. Create new content and promotions to attract new customers and keep existing customers engaged. This can include refreshing product images, conducting lifestyle shoots, incorporating user-generated content, and utilizing influencer-driven content.

5. Prepare for Potential Challenges: Anticipate and prepare for potential challenges such as supply chain disruptions or staffing shortages. Develop contingency plans to mitigate any adverse effects and ensure that the business can continue to operate smoothly.

-Brittany Robertson + Jalila Singerff (Director of Social Media + Director of Public Relations), Jive PR Digital

4. Create SEO Advantage with Long-Tail Content and Lesser Celebrated Holidays

 

Ross Johnson, SEO expert for consumer brands is recommending  ambitious consumer brands use these six tips to stand out in search.

While long tail keywords have lower search volume individually, they often have MORE search volume in aggregate. -Ross Johnson, 3.7 Designs

1. Consumer Brand Experts: Start your content marketing now, update later

You could publish articles on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other holiday buyers guides now and update them as you get closer to the holiday season.

2. Optimize for holiday-related keywords

Incorporate the following keywords into your content article titles,  for example: Cyber Monday 2023 Gifts for New Fathers.

– Holiday Gifts 2023
– Black Friday 2023
– Cyber Monday 2023
– Holiday Shopping 2023
– Gift Ideas 2023

3. Focus on long-tail keywords

In a competitive niche, it’s challenging to rank for generic keywords like “shoes” or “weighted blanket.” Instead, aim for more specific and detailed phrases like “colorful running shoes for women” or “gifts for people who love weighted blankets.”

While long tail keywords have lower search volume individually, they often have MORE search volume in aggregate. Be aware that this approach requires publishing significantly more content than generic keywords.

4. Leverage non-text media

Holiday shoppers are more likely to search for images, videos, Google shopping, local search, and podcasts. Optimize your images, create video reviews or buyer’s guide videos, explore podcast interviews, or even launch your own podcast to engage with your target audience through different channels.

5. Optimize your mobile experience

Prioritize optimizing your mobile experience as mobile shopping continues to grow, especially during the holiday season. Ensure that your website provides a seamless and intuitive mobile experience, allowing shoppers to browse and make purchases easily on their mobile devices.

6. Don’t sleep on lesser celebrated holidays

Consumer buy presents for Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, and even Thanks Giving. These Holidays typically have much less competition while still having high purchase intent.


-Ross Johnson, 3.7 Designs

 

5. Make Your Brand Differences Your Consumer Brand Strength

Brand expert Chris Lam reminds consumer brands to polish up their brand. Lam says two of the most important ways consumer brands can prepare for the holiday season is understanding the customer and their pain points.

Incorporate your competitive advantage into existing content and copy -Chris Lam, Chris Lam Connects

  1. Brands really have to understand their customer. We hear this all.the.time, and there’s a reason for it. What exactly are those pain points that customers are facing and that your service or product can provide a solution or ease a pain point? (It’s not always literal or point-blank obvious.) Take the time to get to know your customer. Poll them. Engage them. Ask them. Get that feedback from the people or orgs that use your product or service.2. Emphasize How You Help the Customer. I also think consumer brands also need to remember what their competitive advantage is against their competitors and highlight it, especially if it appeals and (again) alleviates a pain point for their customer. Among all the other brands that a consumer can go to, why should they choose your brand? Flesh that out, maybe even consider this as a campaign by itself. Or incorporate your competitive advantage into existing content and copy.

-Chris Lam, Chris Lam Connects

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How People Discover New Brands?

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You have a new product to launch. How can you ensure consumers find it when they’re shopping? Marketing experts say the average person sees between 4,000 and 10,000 ads in a single day; everyone of them claiming to be perfectly targeted to your ideal customer. People tune out most ads. But for DTC brands, the ad addiction is real. Why? Because it’s easy to establish direct ROI. Even when brands know the ROI isn’t great, they can’t seem to get off the treadmill because they know what to expect.  And with AI emerging, there is likely to be further disruption in the consumer industry. You’ve worked so hard to create a great brand and a great product. So, if not for advertising, how do people discover new brands today?

 

Give Them a Reason to Talk About Your Brand

Because we’re so inundated with signals and ads, buyers rely on friends and family for suggestions more than ever to help them filter through the choices. Every consumer brand understands the value of reviews, but referrals from friends and family are even more essential. 27% of consumers rely on trusted sources like friends for new brand discovery. Also, the older the target customer, the more likely they are to rely on advice from friends, with GenX (30%) and Boomers (35%) relying most heavily on friends and family.

But giving your advocates a gentle nudge and a reason to share your info with friends is even more important. We see this a lot with referral codes. Still, when a customer wants to advocate for you, or want to tell a friend about you, they aren’t likely going to go digging around for a creepy referral link that makes the receiver think their friend is only recommending a brand so they can save $10. It’s icky.

Instead, think about your content and social proof. For example, write tangential content that’s interesting and useful to your customer, not just about your brand. For example, if you’re a food brand, then write content about your favorite cooking tools in your test kitchen.

Also, when you secure consumer press, celebrate it with your customers. This IS a good time to offer a promo code because it’s one more reason to say to a friend, “hey, this is the skincare lotion you asked me about; it’s on sale,” AND it comes right next to the social proof that backs up your customer’s choice to share your product.

 

Search Engine Love

31% of consumers find new products on search engines. Consumers use search engines during two buying phases: the research phase and the buying phase. You want to be present for both, because that’s how people discover new brands

First, assuming your website is well constructed, and your product pages are well designed, your next step is to embrace the reality of the internet: content marketing. With the latest advances in AI-generated content, creating content for your website has never been easier. Just be sure to review your content and ensure the quality is there because content is often a consumer’s first exposure to your brand. There are countless ways you can use content marketing. Look at the way Sarah Blakely was always the #1 brand advocate for Spanx.

Second, if you sell DTC, use Google’s product review advice to help you build content that matters to customers. Our annual guide has many tips and hints about building consumer content that will help you stand out in search engine results.

But it’s not just owned content that customers love. When potential customers search for products, they’re in the buying phase, and that’s when they’re looking for reviews that jump out at them from search results: reviews by trusted media outlets. This is really important because publishers have massive amounts of content and SEO, so their product reviews are highly visible. And it doesn’t seem to matter if the press outlet uses affiliate links, so long as it’s disclosed. We’ve had clients sell out warehouses full of product due to affiliate links. Notably, affiliate links from friends might seem creepy, but product review affiliate links from media outlets are perfectly acceptable. Why might that be? When you learn about how people view lures and rewards, that’s another reason you must allow your marketing and PR to work together when considering your DTC consumer.

Influencers Gonna Influence

We can’t really talk about DTC PR without talking about social media influencers. It’s not just younger generations turning to TikTok for product discovery. And social networks catch buyer in all three phases – the awareness phase, the buying phase, when they’re researching a product, and the curiosity phase. Ensure your influencer campaigns work for both those phases, and be conscious of how impulsive your customers are when strategizing campaigns with content creators, because buyers are increasingly impulsive on platforms like TikTok.; 65% of GenZ and Millenials make impulse buying decisions at least once per month, compared to 38% of GenX and Boomers.

 

Using these modern PR tips to capitalize on how people discover new brands and tactics will make your investment pay for itself much faster.

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