[…]

Last month, I delivered a presentation before some public relations professionals representing some of the biggest universities in the country. And when I suggested that they should consider using social ads to convince people to subscribe to their digital assets by Liking their pages on Facebook, or buying views on YouTube using their ad platform, many rejected the idea like I was passing them a plate of AIDS. Interestingly enough, Mr. Weintraub outlined some ways that public relations specialists or marketers assigned to acquire publicity can use social advertisements to target journalists, writers or reporters based on how they classify themselves and post their professional titles as an interest. He simply instructs his readers to target Facebook ads by listing keywords, such as blogger, editor-n-chief, correspondent, news editor, writer, columnist, and dozens more in the interest field.

On social media or other advertising platforms, I always aim to advertise for life-time value; meaning, I like to advertise to acquire contact information and/or have people subscribe to my digital assets like a Facebook business page, or email list. This way I can keep subscribers abreast of everything I’m communicating or marketing. With an engaged following, you create an endless line of opportunities to recoup your investment in the advertising every time you publish new content. Moreover, now that everybody’s a “journalist,” with the immediate ability to tweet, post on Facebook, or launch an online publication with WordPress or other type of open source content management system, when something is worth citing, you’ll have an active user base of publishers that are likely to link to your content. I have also managed email lists to which writers of mainstream media outlets are subscribed; thus having them on board also increases the chance of securing publicity on iconic publications. Mr. Weintraub’s approach, however, allows you target journalists that are not subscribed to stay abreast of your content. He argues that since social advertisements look like organic posts, media stakeholders are more likely to simply click and cite the piece of content to which they’re exposed.

Mr. Weintraub will delve further into how brands can leverage Facebook and other forms of social advertising during his upcoming talk at Search Exchange, in Charlotte, North Carolina in July.