London Packaging Week is not my usual conference opportunity. Typically, I attend TV or advertising industry events, but this week, it was all about packaging. One of my clients has written a book about connected packaging, and I'm proud to support her in raising awareness about her new book and expertise in this niche marketing arena.
So, what can we learn about events like London Packaging Week? Packaging is at the coalface of sustainability and climate action. Just think about how much packaging you put in your recycling or your rubbish bin...
Connected packaging offers a great opportunity to scan a QR code to get recipe inspiration, play a fun game, collect money off vouchers, or even just find out nutrition information. It enables product information to be accessible to everyone. New rules coming in across the EU around packaging regulations are aplenty, so it's also at the forefront of policy and change.
But, why as business owners, marketing specialists and entrepreneurs, should you care? Well, there are a number of lessons that specialist events can teach us. These include:
Be a big fish in a small pond.
There are a multitude of benefits in being a niche expert or being an expert in a niche area. It's an excellent example of a brilliant PR strategy. Too often, as small fishes in giant ponds, businesses don’t get the (deserved!) attention.
But if you are an expert in a niche area, you're often a big fish in a small pond. This instantly gives you more attention and, with more attention, comes more business opportunities.
Leverage specialist publications
There are often good quality vertical or specialist publications which support businesses in any and every given industry. For example, in the packaging industry, I have a list of over 300 titles which covers packaging, retail, drinks, food and much more. These are all trade or business-to-business publications. They are all interested in connected packaging news.
Some like The Grocer, Retail Week or Packaging Europe are well-known, good quality titles, with excellent journalists. Others are smaller, more niche titles, but still have value for and are interested in, experts in that specific arena.
The specialist or ‘vertical’ publications are your ‘bread and butter’ as a PR person. They're the people that you want to keep happy. The ones you want to share your news with regularly and encourage your spokespeople to build really great relationships with. They’re the ones you give news early, or a behind the scenes look, perhaps an opportunity for an article, feature piece or an interview.
Build credibility through consistent coverage
Specialist titles will regularly run your news and articles, which will build you up as a credible expert. And the more you're published, the more credibility you have.
It's more content to share on your social media feed. It's more content to talk about and showcase to prospective clients. It’s an outlet to showcase the work that you're doing for current clients.
It gives you a level of authority that wouldn't develop if you hadn't invested time in those niche titles. And the more often that you're featured in specialist titles, the more likely it is that the major titles will be interested in you. Not only because you showcase your knowhow, which in turn shines a spotlight on your business, but they might also read those titles.
Supporting and contributing to specialist publications can help raise your profile across a wider range of influencers, journalists and industry leaders. This will ultimately help to educate and influence prospective customers.
Supporting your industry
Building brilliant relationships in a niche specialist field will not only help you build credibility and raise your profile but, even more importantly, it will help you support your industry.
The industry that you as a business owner or leader are investing in, operating in and trying to find new customers in – that’s the industry you want to support as far and widely as possible.
It's always worthwhile supporting your key niche industry, because you ultimately want the wider industry to thrive, as much as you want your business to thrive. They’re not mutually exclusive – remember you operate within a wider ecosystem. So, support the publications that report on your favoured industry.
Supporting niche events
Attending specialist events like London Packaging Week is a great place to network, talk about your wins, new products and new customers. Get on the stage to join panel sessions, support the stands, share your attendance on social media and overall, contribute to the wider industry.
It also provides a source of new content, fresh ideas, social media content and cross-pollination opportunities. You can follow up with new contacts you've made or prospective clients that you've met. It’s an opportunity to share content about any session you found interesting, the overall experience, or your learnings from the day.
While chasing those big ad campaigns, national press articles or viral social moments to catch the eye of prospective customers, don’t neglect the smaller specialist niche opportunities. Those big moments can be important, but investing in your key industry champions will deliver long lasting results.
Investing time to build solid credentials within a niche industry, and sharing your expertise with its specialist publications, will help build a solid foundation of credibility to propel your business to success. Supporting your industry is always mutually beneficial.
Victoria Fairclough is a PR & Communications Consultant at Fair Communications. For more information, please visit: www.faircommunications.co.uk
Comments