Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
#The Power of Face to Face
I just returned to the office on the heels of two very successful client media tours. The first took me to New York City for two days of meetings which included FOX Business News, Forbes, and Dow Jones. The second was a combination of Boston and New York City with briefings at Network World, Tech Target, CRN, and Baseline. And it occurred to me, I think we sometimes get so wrapped up in pitching news and creating strategy for our clients that we forget about the importance of face to face interaction with reporters.
For one, I think the media appreciates it. It’s not often they get to sit down with a C-Level executive and pick their brain on various trends, industry happenings, etc. The conversation tends to be a bit more casual and can cover the gamut of topics. During the Forbes interview, the reporter and CEO touched upon everything from expense management to how to advertise your business to dealing with other CEO’s. Ultimately, it built a strong relationship between the two individuals and our client left the meeting feeling really good about how it went.
This leads me to probably the most important benefit of in-person briefings: the benefit to your client. The reality is, most of these meetings are either introductory or a chance to build on an existing relationship and “catch up.” Some clients may have some resistance to this if there is not a definite answer on whether coverage will result, especially if they have planned a trip specifically for the briefings. But to that, we council our clients to stay open minded. Yes, the Forbes interview was not a 100% guarantee for coverage, but we left the meeting with three separate story opportunities – one of which ran the following week! Bottom line: a reporter is more likely to remember your company and think of you as a source if they’ve had a chance to meet you in person.
So, as we approach the end of summer and you’re looking for creative ways to up-level a client and their company, get a conversation started on the benefits of face to face meetings with the media. It keeps things fresh, gets your client front and center, and can lead to some significant results!