Traditional PR may disappear altogether as it gives way to ‘brand journalism’, shifting the focus of a brand’s efforts from bombarding consumers with me-oriented messaging to a pull-style, content marketing approach where the brand acts like a newsroom. The future belongs to businesses that become the media, says Tim Gray, content strategist for online marketing firm Blue Fountain Media, advocating an approach where PR practitioners create content by covering their business and industry like a reporter. “‘Me’ is a losing…

# 4. Brand journalism will become a norm. Whether you are a brand journalism advocate or not, it is difficult to ignore the growth of the trend over the course of the past year. Based on the extreme success that many brands are seeing by creating their own journalistic content, we can only imagine how this trend will take off in 2013. Brands such as Cisco, Boeing and HSBC are taking advantage of the opportunity to connect with new audiences…

Brand journalism stands for combining the tenets of traditional journalism with “brand storytelling” (using the techniques of marketing and public relations). It’s not meant to be truly impartial as journalism is, but rather a genuine and engaging way to talk to customers and present your brand. Because businesses are increasingly social, it’s a way to make communications interesting and set your business apart from old-fashioned “push” marketing techniques with a perception of bias. Many businesses believe that to brand smart…

The story of your business is a starting point that should never be underestimated. It needs to be an engaging tale to get your message across – one that gets people talking and sharing. People have been telling tales and listening to stories since the beginning of time. Stories carry history, experiences and certain messages, and above all, they connect people in a way nothing else can. Good stories resonate with listeners. Great stories encourage them to share. Storytelling is…

Brands now have the ability to bypass the traditional press and tell their own story in their own voice in a unique and compelling way. As I see it, good content isn’t about storytelling; it’s about telling a true story well. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t tell their story well. In our recent survey of more than 1,000 B2B marketers (conducted with the Content Marketing Institute), we found that creating compelling content is the biggest pain point for businesses. Which is…