We start this thematic week of public relations talking about one of the terms that have gained importance in the network, outreach. It is talked about above all in relation to the dissemination of own content on external sites, related topics and when seeking to provide more quality content for users. In addition, it is considered an advertising and public relations strategy to have a presence in the market.
A digital public relations strategy should include contact with people or sites that have interests in common with yours, and in which you can support each other. That is why today we will talk about the benefits that outreach can provide to your store if you use it, even minimally.
Remember, you don’t need to be an expert on the subject, since with our guide 50 ways to make your first sale and our thematic weeks, you will be able to inform yourself and learn everything you need to have your first successful sale.
What is outreach?
When applying an outreach strategy, what you should look for is to create relationships with other sites and/or bloggers who can collaborate in spreading your brand. That is why we can call outreach an activity that, within a digital public relations strategy, generates alliances for the dissemination of original or external materials on other sites, which in the future can be transformed into advertising actions.
What people are involved in an outreach strategy?
Like any communication process, there is a sender and receiver, which is responsible for handling a message. When doing outreach, you also have these actors, with objectives a little beyond just manipulating the message. In this case, we will explain the role that each one plays in the specific area of virtual stores.
- Sender of the message. It is the store itself. Its main role will be to generate unpublished content so that other sites related to the topics that surround it can publish it.
- Message. It is the content, which can be product reviews, launch press releases, unpublished articles on product benefits or the brand itself. Depending on the receiving site and its restrictions, you may make this content informative or promotional.
- Receiver of the message. It is the site where the content is going to be published, either for free or through payment (promoted post). Remember that these sites must be consistent with the theme of your store and the content you created.
Finally, as in any communication process, there is the so-called “noise”, which in this case is that moment in which your mail is sent or to the inbox of the person/site you want to contact, or to that hateful email folder. SPAM. Since we do not want it to go unnoticed, the contact message must be created in the best and most personalized way.
How to write the contact message?
Depending on the means by which you contact the person, you must create the message. Let’s see what the three most used media are and how the message should be written.
- By email. Since this medium is the one that allows you to send all kinds of content, you can play a little with text and images, depending on the character of your store and the reputation you want to generate. The text must be no more than 300 words, since you are not creating content, and must include the following information:
– Who are you?
– What do you require?
– What do you have to offer in return (benefits)?
– What benefit will it bring to your readers?
You can write it in the first or third person, always including a cordial greeting, and a farewell that sounds more like “see you soon”. - By contact form. This medium, although many underestimate it, is one of the most successful. What you should do is create a message that is not as complete as the previous one, that generates curiosity in the recipient to know what benefits they can obtain from your proposal. Includes the following.
– Who are you?
– What do you require?
Always close with a phrase that invites him to contact you, since you have no way of knowing if he read your message. - By social networks. Facebook, Twitter and Google+ have become a real database of contacts that you can use to your advantage. If you have good management of your accounts and the site you are interested in constantly updates their profiles, in addition to generating conversation with their followers, you can contact them through direct messages. The message can be the same as the contact form, only changing the last part, since technically here you can see if your message was read or not. The tone of this conversation is usually more informal and brief, so you can preferably request an email so that the negotiation of the publication can be carried out through that means.
What should you look for when outreaching?
This strategy can have various benefits for your store, or even personally as a content author.
- Link building. If you have been approved for informative content, you cannot obviously include a promotion towards your store and/or products. That is why, thanks to the fact that you have surely carried out keyword research beforehand, you have knowledge of the keywords that will help your store to position itself in search engines, so try to include at least 5 of those words, in a that they have coherence, and do not miss the opportunity to include a link to your home page in one of them.
- Link claim. If other sites have posted about your brand and/or products, you can politely ask them to include a link to the keyword you spot in the content, which can even be the name of your store.
- Brand awareness. The more content you share on the network, the greater the brand awareness that users have towards your store and/or products.
reputation as an author. If your content is good, the first content will be searched for by you, but the others will arrive on their own. If you manage to write excellent articles, the same site owners will look for you to continue writing for them, since you generate traffic on their site, and you obtain reputation in the market niche to which you belong and brand promotion.
Make sure that at least all the contents add a link to the home page of your site and/or to its social networks. If what you are looking for is to be known as an author, then include links to your personal social networks, but try to have good metrics and be constantly updating.
Are there tools for outreach?
Outreach must be done manually, but to begin with, I recommend these two tools that will help you carry out a successful outreach.
- Link Prospecting. This tool is the first one you should use. It is in charge of finding the sites that you are going to contact through the keywords of the topics that you consider relevant.
- Buzzstream. An excellent platform that allows you to create a database of contacts that you already have located, and provides you with contact information, whether it is email and/or social networks. Learn all about this platform in the following article.
So, you already have the basics to think about outreach and take your first steps in the world of digital public relations. If you want to know more about the subject, do not hesitate to follow our publications, since this will be the theme week of public relations, so that you can make more sales, both virtual and physical.
