Like a B2B SaaS company scales by pulling those magical growth levers, public relations programs embark on a thrilling journey to maturity as comms teams expand their efforts, sophistication and results. But PR maturity doesn’t happen overnight! It’s an adventure through three key stages: laying down a rock-solid foundation, nailing consistency and finally reaching the summit of true PR maturity to build brand awareness, credibility and inbound interest.
Building a Foundation: The PR Starter Pack
In the foundational stage, a SaaS company must assemble the core elements of an impactful PR program – think of it as your PR starter pack! This includes designating and training a bench of spokespeople, clearly defining your ideal customer profile and competitive landscape, articulating your company’s mission and unique value proposition, and ensuring your PR messaging is integrated across channels like a well-oiled machine.
In this stage, companies should start building a treasure trove of thought leadership content and dropping news about product innovation and leadership hires. With this groundwork in place, your company is ready to level up its PR game!
Creating and Maintaining Consistency: The PR Marathon
Next up is the challenging task of achieving consistency – the PR marathon, if you will. SaaS brands at the consistency stage secure steady, on-message media coverage and owned and shared content that’s so good it’ll make your competitors green with envy.
At this stage, brands start earning external thought leadership through podcasts and trade publications and begin building relationships with tech and business media through bold subject matter commentary. Inclusion in analyst reports, high-quality backlinks, and measurable website traffic from PR efforts are all key indicators that you’re crushing it at this stage. And, consistent programs have detailed reporting that proves to company leadership (including the board) just how awesome your PR efforts are.
Reaching PR Maturity: The Ultimate Boss Level
Finally, with persistent effort and refinement over time, a SaaS company can reach the coveted stage of PR maturity – the ultimate boss level! Hallmarks of this stage include:
- Consistent media coverage across trade, podcasts, business and tech media for company moments and thought leadership.
- A noticeable uptick in branded search terms and organic traffic that’ll have your SEO team high-fiving.
- Inbound interest from media, investors and events that’ll make you feel like the belle of the ball.
- Customer participation in the PR program – because nothing says “we’re awesome,” like happy customers singing your praises.
- Company subject matter experts are recognized as influential voices in the space – the ultimate stamp of approval.
- A regular cadence of proprietary data and insights that’ll make your brand the go-to source for industry knowledge.
By understanding this maturity model, B2B SaaS companies can benchmark their current PR efforts, identify areas for optimization, and strategically level up their PR program over time. While reaching full PR maturity takes some serious elbow grease and time, it pays off in spades by building a robust and recognized brand that’ll make your competitors say, “Dang, I wish I thought of that!”