B2B?: Why a Byline Might Be Your Best Bet
From TV commercials to Instagram ads, it seems companies in the B2C space have limitless options for reaching their target audience. B2B companies like yours have to be a little more creative. Your target audience is not the average consumer, but a corporate decision-maker looking for a solution that meets the needs of their staff and their budget.
If your company is looking to promote your products or services to corporate clients, you might want to consider working with a PR agency to draft a byline, an article written by a subject matter expert published by a news outlet to supplement coverage provided by its reporters. Bylines are an effective way to convey industry expertise to a highly targeted customer base. Companies with an understanding of byline benefits and best practices are well-positioned to position themselves well.
Byline Benefits
Amid economic instability, it is more important than ever to prioritize PR tactics that put you in front of your target audience to yield maximum ROI. There are three key reasons why a byline might be a good choice:
- Speaks to Your Industry
There’s a media market for every industry. Placing a byline in a publication geared towards your customer base provides an unparalleled opportunity to reach them. Your take on a timely challenge can be a welcome addition to the conversations your customers are already having. With bylines, there is no language barrier! Unlike when crafting copy for mainstream marketing content, you are encouraged to use industry lingo that resonates with your audience.
- Establishes Credibility and Awareness
Having your byline published by a respected industry publication can be seen as a third-party endorsement by your target audience, a critical step toward establishing thought leadership and cementing your status as a well-informed partner. With 65% of businesses currently incorporating thought leadership into their content marketing strategy and nearly 30% planning to incorporate it soon, positioning yourself as a thought leader is quickly becoming a business imperative.
- Improves SEO Organically
In today’s media landscape, many publications are digital and nearly all print publications have an online counterpart. Bylines that link to your website, particularly those from credible publications, are an organic and effective means of boosting SEO.
Byline Best Practices
Potential corporate clients are subject to the same budgetary concerns your company has. They are weighing the pros and cons of your services or solutions in relation to how their decision might impact staff and operations. Assure them the decision to go with your company is a good one by working with a PR professional to craft a byline that answers their questions and speaks to their needs. The following tips can help you or other company spokespeople write bylines that are accepted by editors and respected by audiences.
- Build Up to It
Before you win over customers, you must win over editors. Publish long-form articles on LinkedIn and contribute to personal or corporate blogs to establish an online writing portfolio that demonstrates your influence, expertise and writing skills to prospective publications.
- Follow the Rules
Different publications have different requirements for content submissions. Be conscious of your target publication’s word count and grammatical or other stylistic requirements as you draft your byline.
- Stay Away from Sales Language
As you research various publications’ submission guidelines, you’ll likely come across guidelines that advise against or strictly prohibit overt marketing content. Even if blatant marketing is not explicitly forbidden, it is best to craft a byline that highlights your experience and expertise instead of pushing a product.
- Perfect Timing
Editors prioritize timely content. Center your byline around a hot topic in your industry or even link it to a mainstream news story to increase your chances of appealing to your target publication and your target audience.
Ensure Your Byline is Next in Line for Publication
A byline is an organic way to carve out a space for yourself and gain credibility in your industry. Companies that have a history of producing quality content, adhere to submission guidelines and present timely, relevant information in a conversational way have a good chance of seeing their bylines published in respected industry outlets.
Looking for help to develop and publish a byline? Reach out to Bliss at info@theblissgrp.com to see how we can support your thought leadership needs.
By Alannah Dragonetti
Photo by Pexels