A Damn Good Content Marketing Concoction
How Advertising, Influencer Marketing, and Public Relations Contrast With and Complement Each Other
In recent months, Ethos has worked with many industries that couldn’t have been more different from one another. The subject matter of our writing has varied from real estate and law to art and influencer marketing. While the topics we explore continually change, our objective has remained the same: to boost our clients' credibility through valuable content.
Because advertisements constantly bombard consumers, they’ve learned to tune out most of them. For this reason, creating engaging content is arguably the most critical element of marketing. In order to gain an audience’s attention and trust, businesses need to provide valuable material in the form of blogs, vlogs, newsletters, eBooks, and the like—but that’s nothing you don’t know.
What is interesting is how all the subsets of marketing differ so much from one another, yet work together so seamlessly. For example, Ethos Copywriting is a content marketing business. Some of the content we create for businesses is straight-up advertising like brochures, Google Ads, sponsored posts, and flyers. Alternately, we often craft content marketing for companies in the form of blogs, vlog scripts, and web pages.
However, we’re also frequently called upon to write press releases and newsletters, which is much more akin to public relations (PR). Despite the common thread of content, these three kinds of marketing are entirely different from one another.
This Venn diagram explains the differences and similarities between advertising, influencer marketing, and public relations.
Bare Bones Advertising
In its most basic form, an advert is a promotional piece of content that’s created to increase conversions and brand awareness. While the term “advert” may evoke images of tawdry car commercials on the radio, lousy television commercial breaks, and snail mail flyers, a good ad tells a story, connects with its audience, and calls the viewer or listener to take action.
When creating a visual advertisement, a great advertiser knows how to blend provocative imagery, design, and copy. Likewise, when the ad is only in an audio format, advertisers focus not only on what is being said, but how it’s being said. The right voice, tone, and cadence is what makes a radio advertisement memorable.
Billboard featuring “Old Forester” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky
A central component of memorability is originality. If you’re not standing out, you’ll be the first to be overlooked. When creating an ad, ensure that it contains:
A killer headline
Provocative visuals
A personality that fits the brand
A clear call to action
The differences, advantages, and benefits
That certain je ne sais quoi
Influencer Marketing
Celebrity endorsements have been a popular form of advertising since the late 1800s, and they haven’t always been limited to pop icons and reality stars. According to Tintup.com, back in the late 19th century, political and religious figures were “sponsoring” products and services as well.
Fast forward to 2017, and now you have brand journalists, analysts, thought leaders, fashion and style bloggers, photographers, vloggers, and a multitude of other individuals with niche titles that distinguish them from other content creators. While all influencers have a different set of strengths, various numbers of followers, and subject matter that is particular to them, there are two common characteristics between all of them:
They create content
They share what they produce
Today, the influencer marketing industry is booming. In fact, from 2012 to 2017, the percent increase in Google search interest was around 2900%. Brands love this means of marketing because it’s a cost-effective way to:
Build your brand’s authority
Earn third-party recommendation
Boost credibility
Improve search engine optimization (SEO)
One of the most significant benefits of influencer marketing compared to billboards, brochures, and business cards is that its success is easily measured. Premium marketing agencies will help brands to see a substantial return on investments (about $6.50 for every dollar spent) and gain valuable insights into their target market.
In many ways, influencer marketing bridges the gap between advertising and PR.
Interestingly, many micro-influencers work for product compensation rather than cold hard cash. Thousands of fashion, style, and tech bloggers write solely for the perk of getting complimentary products and services.
You may be asking yourself: if this content is free, it builds credibility, and gives my brand authority, how is it different than PR? While influencer marketing is more similar to PR than straight-up advertising, there are a few key elements that separate the two.
Public Relations
As the old maxim goes: “Advertising is what you pay for, publicity is what you pray for.”
Businesses have to do something extraordinary to earn the attention of the media, but how? Ken Makovsky, “PR All-Star,” Forbes contributor, and founder of Makovsky, an Integrated Communications and Marketing agency, lends seven great insights into increasing your brand’s public image:
Identify the topics on which you wish to speak and showcase your expertise
Find and target your audience
Practice your public persona
Develop media interviews
Identify all the outlets that are most interested in your issue
Develop a rapport with other content providers
Speak before your target audience
Makovsky finished his advice by writing:
“Trust is one of the most critical “must-haves” when it comes to building and preserving the reputation of a company’s leadership. Building that trust is virtually impossible without a thoughtful, coherent and proactive public relations campaign.”
Public relationship or “earned media” is extremely valuable to brands aiming to build trust with their audience.
While trust is more difficult to achieve, the payout is better. A robust public image boosts your authority and credibility by having a third party acknowledge your achievements. Michael Levine, the author of Guerilla P.R. said, “depending on how you measure and monitor, an article is between 10 times and 100 times more valuable than an advertisement.” While that may seem impossible, Levine statements rang true in a study commissioned by inPowered, who found that PR lifted brand awareness by nearly 90%.
How Should Brands Market Themselves?
Remember that fresh, valuable, entertaining content is king. Advertisements can be new and fun, but they’re generally not very useful to the viewer. On the other hand, influencer marketing and PR can be valuable and entertaining but are more difficult to keep consistent and exciting.
The biggest sticking point of PR (and sometimes influencer marketing) is that your business has to earn that media. And, when you think about it, this a good thing. While businesses should always pride themselves on their quality products and services, the PR earning potential can serve as additional motivation to become an even better company.
If you’re looking to improve your content marketing and PR efforts? Contact Ethos Copywriting by clicking the button below.
Edited on: 11/29/18
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