In B2B PR, lesser known SMEs often struggle to find the really big stories that will get the attention of the well-regarded journalists and publications they want to be in. It can be difficult, with the resources and content available, the scope of PR knowledge and fundamentally the awareness of the organisation, to be noticed and reported on at the level they’d like to be. Of course at Skout we espouse our natural PR approach regularly, as the strategy that will get lesser known names noticed, but there are other useful tools in the kitbag too.
One of these is collaboration. Sharing the stage with another B2B company such as a partner, a key customer with a better known name, or a broad range of other third parties, adds an extra dimension to PR which is often what the media are looking for – validation of your claims or an independent perspective on what you say.
Many of Skout’s Manchester based B2B PR clients have seen joint success through collaboration. In the tech market, Thinspace worked with Lancaster University students to build a Total Cost of Ownership comparison model for its thin client solutions, which resulted in outstanding IT media coverage for its launch. Wax Digital has shared the stage with a number of organisations, including Durham University for its study into public sector procurement and the deficit.
SMES often need to think more creatively about their approach to PR, sourcing content that is original, authentic and gives the media something exclusive and different. Collaboration can be the key to raising the bar of press coverage and marketing value.
