Media Relations is the process of working with various media outlets for the purpose of producing news and feature articles in the mass media. The goal of media relations is to maximize positive coverage without paying for it directly as with advertising.
Most companies in the HVAC and Plumbing Industry do not have a department or employee dedicated to writing news releases and/or feature articles with a focus on submitting them to trade magazines for publication. Trade magazines such as The Wholesaler, Supply House Times, Water and Waste Digest, Plumbing Systems and Design, just to name a few, welcome feature articles that highlight accomplishments, technological advances, improvements in customer service, new products and services and green environmental articles.
The benefits of getting your articles released in trade magazines will pay dividends for your business for years to come. First and foremost, your company will be viewed as an expert in your field and will gain a credibility factor that paid advertising does not provide. Second, an article in a trade magazine will generate great leads that may lead to that big sale. Third, the marketing collateral produced from a published article will benefit salesmen during tradeshows, during sales calls or during that big presentation. Next the articles you produce can later be used in your newly designed company newsletter that is both mailed and emailed to your customer list! Finally, your articles can be used to market your company via social media.
When deciding to write an article for a trade magazine it must be objective and not advertorial. We recommend hiring and experienced marketing firm who specializes in feature article writing with a flare and understanding of the HVAC and Plumbing Industry. The writer must have that ability to communicate on a level that will grab the attention of an engineer but while maintaining the interest of all other readers.
So the next time your company is considering how to spend its marketing dollars, tell them to hire a marketing consultant well-versed in your industry to pitch thought-provoking articles to the trade magazines.
