If you think the first and the second days of INBOUND16 were mind-blowing, then the third day was mind-(wait for it)-boggling. Not only was there a keynote from Anna Kendrick to look forward to, there was also a session by Iliyana Stareva, the Channel Consultant at Hubspot, on ‘Why Inbound PR is the Future of PR’.
Are you ready to step up your game? Here are the highlights:
This was a session that a lot of people were waiting for eagerly 😉
About to hear how Inbound PR is the future of PR with @IliyanaStareva #INBOUND16 pic.twitter.com/NOZQfZLOz0
— Pippa Adams (@Pippaadams) November 10, 2016
Public relations involves creating a relationship of trust with your audience using comprehensive communication skills. Unlike advertising, where you are saying your product/service is good, PR is about getting someone else to say it about you.
Advertising is saying you"'re good, PR is getting someone else to say it for you @IliyanaStareva #inbound16 #hubspartner #hubspot pic.twitter.com/xxebyjbpts
— Sharen Murnaghan (@sharenmurnaghan) November 10, 2016
Wondering what inbound PR is? PR people excel in content but suck at measurement—says Stareva. To fix this, let’s get PR (content) and inbound (measurement skills) married. In short, with inbound PR, we get strong content, as well as strong measurement skills.
Combo deal!
#InboundPR = content/storytelling (PR strength) + measurement (inbound strength) @IliyanaStareva #INBOUND16
— Devan Meserve (@devanrosey) November 10, 2016
See, told you so. Not our words 😛
The struggle though. @IliyanaStareva #INBOUND16 #inboundpr #prsa pic.twitter.com/pVqIdATp4b
— Amber Kazalbash (@libertydenied) November 10, 2016
To answer this, Stareva gave these reasons:
Brands have too many stakeholders. The digital world is evolving much faster than any brand can handle. So, the need for inbound PR is greater than we can imagine.
We are all influencers in one or the other. So, we need to buck up and get good at content as well as measurement.
Outbound PR cannot reach all and is interruptive, whereas, inbound PR attracts people using content.
"…doing your own PR with your own content on your own channels." #InboundPR by @IliyanaStareva #INBOUND16 pic.twitter.com/kyFCeV4icy
— Megan Leonard, CMP (@MegansMeetings) November 10, 2016
The stakes are high, and our standards should be too.
Today 80% of a purchasing decision is made before speaking to a salesperson. @IliyanaStareva #INBOUND16
— iContact (@iContact) November 10, 2016
To start with inbound PR, you need to nail your personas, define their journey, create content keeping them in mind, promote it on the channels they visit, build inbound media relations, nurture your media leads, and finally, measure the result.
You know the inbound process. Here’s the inbound PR process.
If you have embraced Inbound for customers – you will love this – embracing Inbound PR #INBOUND16 @IliyanaStareva pic.twitter.com/4JpKth5mZ1
— Pippa Adams (@Pippaadams) November 10, 2016
7 Steps to Start the Inbound PR Fire
7 steps to starting Inbound PR – nice familiar process to Inbound for customers. #INBOUND16 @IliyanaStareva pic.twitter.com/lqfRSbVZ0d
— Pippa Adams (@Pippaadams) November 10, 2016
Be prepared with your personas.
Getting schooled on inbound #PR with HubSpot's @IliyanaStareva. #inbound16 pic.twitter.com/ZWV3bRZdKl
— Rabecka Krill (@RabeckaKrill) November 10, 2016
Ending her session, Iliyana advised planning with outcomes in mind instead of output. Her session was so enlightening that people couldn’t help making extensive notes.
My notes on @IliyanaStareva's excellent session on her pioneering concept: Inbound PR. #INBOUND16 #sharenotes pic.twitter.com/s0ndPP82Ag
— Jonathan Michael (@JonathanMichael) November 10, 2016
Do I even have to say that her Loveology formula for Inbound + PR earned her a lot of love from inbound lovers all over the world?
@IliyanaStareva based on Twitter, you killed it yesterday! Well done #INBOUND16 pic.twitter.com/8oKVXJO191
— Thierry De Vynck ? (@ThierryDeVynck) November 11, 2016
Stareva left an everlasting impression on the audience and made them re-think their PR strategy. In fact, this quote might summarize the whole session pretty well.
"It's about time for PR to grow up, adapt and do things with measurement in mind."
–@IliyanaStareva on her concept of inbound PR #INBOUND16
— Illumine8 Marketing & PR (@Illumine8PR) November 10, 2016
Check out Stareva’s slide deck below.
Future of PR at #INBOUND16 from Iliyana Stareva
What do you think about inbound PR? Share your thoughts in our comments section. You can also catch up with other INBOUND16 sessions right here.