Sometimes great things happen in business – expected or unexpected – that lead to buzz.  It could be an interview in the media.  It could be that an event or product from your business gets picked up by an influencer.  It could be a celebrity sighting at your location.  Whether this fortuitous event was planned or you just happened to be in the right place at the right time, one thing remains true: You want to prolong this good fortune as much as possible.  So, how can you maximize the exposure your business gets from exciting moments of media coverage or influencer marketing?

First, it is important to be realistic.  No one mention by itself is going to mean you are “set for life” in your business.  These things actually have a tendency to fizzle out fairly quickly.  They are thrilling and busy for a short time, and then suddenly you drop back off the radar.

Have a plan for the best case scenario. #influencermarketing #marketing #business #smallbiz Share on X

It is those who can leverage the exposure of the initial media coverage or influencer marketing that come out the big winners.  You want to take the original exposure and parlay it into more exposure.  If something this exciting happens for your business, you want to be ready.  It helps to have a plan for the best case scenario.

You want to take the original exposure and parlay it into more exposure. #marketing #smb Share on X

Here are some things to include in that plan:

  1. Save the original mention. Wherever it was.  It may get deleted, moved, or buried under more current news as time goes on.  You will probably want it later, so it is on you to save it.  And, while you are at it, keep doing searches for the next couple of weeks to see if any new mentions come up.  Save those, too.
  2. Turn the mention into content. Print it, frame it and hang it in your shop.  Download it and turn it into a graphic.  Pull out quotes and turn those into graphics.  You can use all this content on social media or for sharing in newsletters and direct emails.
  3. Create a contact list of the people who should know. You can even do this in advance.  This list should include different tiers of supporters, such as investors, local media, local chambers or business associations, employees, volunteers, customers, etc.  Send out emails to let them know about the great news.  Include shareable content like a link to a relevant social media post.  Give them a call to action on how to share the news, who to tag, what hashtags to use, etc.  You can even use a newsletter platform to send the messages in bulk with your branding.  Create a formal press release to get this out to local media.
  4. Share it on social media. And don’t just mention it once. Find different ways to highlight the content.  Any graphics you created, any quotes from you or the influencer/media, any testimonials you receive in congratulations.  If you share the content and it gives you a record amount of engagement, share that statistic.  If it gets picked up other places, share that.  Tag any influencers or companies that are involved in any way – and tell them you did it too, to encourage them to retweet or share it themselves.  You can even create a hashtag to help you track the traffic.
  5. Share it in a newsletter. Update your whole newsletter audience with the event and the aftermath.  Don’t just tell them about the one moment.  Tell them about all the other amazing moments that were generated from it, too.  Give them a call to action if you can that allows them to continue to be part of the process.
  6. Make it evergreen. Turn this special moment into timeless news.  It’s not really evergreen, but you can make it feel like it is!  Use all that content you created for throwback posts, stats, etc.  Put images prominently in your shop, on your website, or on a social media profile to be able to permanently celebrate the momentous occasion.  Keeping this memory at the forefront means that you are showing social proof that your business was worthy of this much attention.
Turn this special moment into timeless news. #influencermarketing #marketing #business #smb Share on X

It is great when a great thing happens in your business, but don’t let the excitement die down as quickly as it built.  If your business gets picked up in media coverage or you have influencer marketing exposure, you need to act quickly.  Create a plan for yourself now that involves these steps and more if you can think of them.  Having a plan gives you a chance to not only maximize the original exposure, but to generate even more avenues for further exposure.  If nothing else, save this post for when the best-case scenario happens to you!

For more ideas on how to get the most from your marketing campaigns – planned or surprise – read here!