With executive profiling, placements, and prestigious industry awards in our wake
As we approach the beginning of Q2, the question that has been bandied around the office recently is “How is it already the end of March!” The classic trope, “time flies by when you’re having fun” can certainly be applied to this month as the team has been working non-stop to put the finishing touches to Q1 activity and keep an eye on ramping up new campaigns for our clients.
Talking of time flying by, I’m coming to the end of my first six months a part of the IBA team. Where has the time gone? It feels like only yesterday I was meeting the team and embarking on my first blog for IBA back in September. Fast forward into 2023 and look at me now – I’m drafting my fourth blog, writing tweets about risk assessment, and learning the ropes of case study writing, and drafting thought leadership articles for global placement!
But enough about me, let’s crack on with what’s been happening this month.
Put your business on the map with coordinated executive profiling
Executive profiling is an often-underused tool within the B2B space but it can be highly effective as a way for industry thought leaders to increase their credibility within target markets. Reputation has, and will always be, a massive selling tool as customers are always more likely to engage with companies they trust. So, improving your executive’s profile is crucial to building that bridge between the products you offer and the needs of potential customers. We’ve talked about it before, but trade and tech publications carry significant weight and authority when it comes to reaching business decision-makers. This is where securing placements matters the most, via a trusted leader, with credible content – because the people reading these articles are ones most likely to buy your product, solution, or technology.
This month, one of our clients has seen first-hand the importance of executive profiling as we secured interviews for just one of its industry aviation experts in no less than four top Tier 1 vertical market publications in each of their key geographies. These interviews offered our client’s subject matter expert the opportunity to share knowledge and expertise on the latest industry developments, and views on emerging technologies – all building the client’s industry reputation.
An award-winning month – forget the Oscars, think Retas!
It wasn’t just the Oscars that doled out awards this season, as our data movement client’s retail customer – one of the DACH region’s biggest grocery store groups –picked up a gong at the prestigious EHI Retail Institute Reta Award, with our client also highlighted for being a top retail tech solution provider – did somebody say move over Brendan Fraser (our client’s Canadian)! Never one to miss out on amplifying this impressive endorsement by an independent and highly respected retail institute, our team got straight to work on drafting a media alert to retail publications within the DACH region to remind them of the client’s deep industry expertise.
There’s a debate about the growing number of pay for play awards out there. Our CEO Judith Ingleton-Beer’s blog earlier on this month, addressed the often-underestimated value of top tier, highly respected industry independent awards for B2B PR and Marketing Pro’s. Award ceremonies provide a one-of-a-kind networking opportunity to evaluate yourself against your main competitors and meet a host of potential customers.
The importance of having your pitching rod in many ponds
The media pitching line has been getting some strong bites this month. Our Chairman, an avid fly fisher, explained to the team recently the comparison between media pitching and fly fishing: the more times you cast/pitch the more catches/placements you are going to get, but what isn’t catching is almost as important to understand – because you might need to try a different fly.
I saw ‘fly fishing for placements’ in action at first hand this month. We decided to mix and match for a client the pitching of two different articles – a trends 2023 article and a software UX piece across multiple media audiences – including Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Food and Beverage, IT/Business, Labelling, and Supply Chain, across two geographies – U.S. and UK. It demanded a large fly box with lots of choices, when the nibbles had been exhausted, it was time to switch the pitching focus for each article and start casting again! The result – even more “catches” across both U.S. and UK publications
I’m also learning that you have to become quickly aware that no nibbles means that you put the wrong fly on. For one of our clients, we were receiving some good hits from pitching out to our targeted IT, Business publications but felt we could go even further to maximize coverage into one or their key vertical markets. So, open the fly box, chose a more appropriate fly – one with a retail focus – the result a more targeted catch for our client!
The reason why there’s a spring in IBA’s step
But it’s not just our clients who are getting a taste of the action this month – the IBA office renovations are nearing completion and a lot has changed since we last updated you on our new look office back in January as the American Fridge Freezer has some competition! Our new kitchen bar stools and tables are seeing plenty of use as we shake-up our lunchtime setup, the conference room is now illuminated by swanky lights, and our ever-growing book collection has finally got new homes on some book trees – a new architectural and space saving approach to the old book cases. The office makeover has certainly given us that extra spring in our step as we come into work and look forward to another jam-packed Q2.
Sam Walker is a PR Executive at IBA International.
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