How can you use strategic partnership to build your public relations strategy?
I am so excited to be part of Y.E.C. Women started by Natalie MacNeil and Scott Gerber of the Young Entrepreneur Council. Check out my first piece on FORBES about boosting your brand with strategic alliances here!
FORBESWOMAN
One of the most vital things you can do in your first year as an entrepreneur is form strategic alliances and partnerships, either with leaders of your industry or media gatekeepers. But when it’s time for brand building, building alliances and leveraging relationships are still powerful tools.
Before I started Ruby Media, I held more than 13 internships with communications, public relations, and marketing firms. While Ruby Media was my first independent launch in the industry, I had gained critical experience in traditional public relations on national accounts.
An internship may seem like working without pay (let’s face it, paid internships are a rare and beautiful find), but I completed all of mine while in college and the industry experience was more important than brand building at the time. But when its time for brand building, building alliances and leveraging relationships can still be powerful tools.
Here are some ideas on where to start.
Connect with Industry Leaders
If you are unsure of how to begin building vertical partnerships, join small business councils within your community or contact your local chamber or commerce. Use social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Meetup.com to find new partners. When you get the opportunity to work with an industry leader, engage and use your social media channels to connect, so they can stay up to date with your most recent work and portfolio.
Create a partner section of your website dedicated to showcasing your media partners, sponsors, and corporate strategic alliances. Don’t be afraid to ask them to link to you as well; appropriate cross-linking can be a powerful search engine authority booster.
Become the Source
Media alliances such as column writing, TV appearances, radio segments, or guest podcast interviews can be invaluable to building your brand early on. Build positive relationships with reporters and other media gatekeepers by sharing your industry knowledge and providing valuable content. If you develop enough brand equity, you could quickly become their go-to expert and source on related topics in your industry.
Share
Sharing content isn’t only relegated to large legacy media gatekeepers. Partnerships with industry and thought leaders with popular newsletters or powerful networks you want to be featured in are powerful brand boosters.
How do you get someone to promote your work in their social media, e-mail blasts or in-person networking groups you want to get in front of? Share information you think will be valuable to their network.
Don’t be afraid to send partners a link to a piece of content you think their network would benefit from and mention that they should feel free to share it. Your note can be sent by email, Facebook message or a direct message on Twitter. Avoid being overly promotional and make your message informal and short. Always remember to be very gracious and appreciative when partners promote you in their networks. Even if you are an up-and-coming media tycoon, no one wants to work with someone who lacks humility.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kris Ruby is the President & Founder of Ruby Media Group, a Public Relations, Personal Branding, and Social Media Marketing Agency. Kris also leads national speaking engagements on branding for Microsoft and the ABA has been featured on MSN Money, AOL Small Business, FORBES, CBS, ABC Good Morning CT, NBC and News 12. Kris is a columnist for Forbes Woman & Westchester Magazine “Nightfly” and was the youngest ever to be chosen for the Business Council of Westchesters “40 Under 40″ Rising Stars. Most recently, Kris was named a 914INC Wunderkind and “24 Under 30″ in Westchester County.
Co-Founded by Natalie MacNeil and Scott Gerber, Y.E.C. Women is an initiative of the Young Entrepreneur Council, a nonprofit organization that provides young entrepreneurs with access to tools, mentorship, community and educational resources that support each stage of their business’s development and growth. Y.E.C. Women’s members are successful female business owners, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders.
KRIS RUBY is the CEO of Ruby Media Group, an award-winning public relations and media relations agency in Westchester County, New York. Kris Ruby has more than 15 years of experience in the Media industry. She is a sought-after media relations strategist, content creator and public relations consultant. Kris Ruby is also a national television commentator and political pundit and she has appeared on national TV programs over 200 times covering big tech bias, politics and social media. She is a trusted media source and frequent on-air commentator on social media, tech trends and crisis communications and frequently speaks on FOX News and other TV networks. She has been featured as a published author in OBSERVER, ADWEEK, and countless other industry publications. Her research on brand activism and cancel culture is widely distributed and referenced. She graduated from Boston University’s College of Communication with a major in public relations and is a founding member of The Young Entrepreneurs Council. She is also the host of The Kris Ruby Podcast Show, a show focusing on the politics of big tech and the social media industry. Kris is focused on PR for SEO and leveraging content marketing strategies to help clients get the most out of their media coverage.