Read adaptation  of this story on Newsweek.com here

Many regard television coverage as a publicity gold standard, and with good reason. The benefits are copious and undeniable. As with traditional and organic public relations, the results of TV integrations—the paradigm of paying a TV show, station or network to book airtime—proffer comparable benefits relative to image, visibility and brand building pursuits.

TV exposure provides a means of third-party verification and credibility. So, beyond the inherent publicity value of a TV segment airing, the resulting video asset can—and should—continue to be leveraged beyond those all-powerful “as seen on” and “as featured by” logos. Following a successful broadcast, the “aircheck” video clip can often be procured from the show or station production staff as a file download with full rights and usage permissions. This will allow you to continue to leverage the PR “win” for other publicity, marketing, branding, advertising, sales, business development and other promotional endeavors. Even those for which rights to clips cannot be procured, most TV programs do post the segment video on their own website or digital platforms and that outlet-hosted content can still be parlayed in a great number of ways.

Here are eight specific per-channel ways to utilize a TV integration-born video asset to further amplify the advantages:

1. Social Media
The quickest, easiest and a highly impactful way to glean subsequent benefits from a TV feature is to share in on all of your social media platforms. The video, itself, can often be posted and shared either in whole or as spliced parts. Perhaps consider pairing it with a question or call to action that can mobilize your audience in a desired direction and boost engagement. Unlike static content, video is an opportunity to humanize a brand and demonstrate expertise, which often helps follower counts rise.

2. Public Relations
There is a saying in PR that “coverage begets coverage,” which is to say that each piece of media exposure can help drive momentum and serve future publicity pursuits. This is especially true with the larger national TV networks, which will rarely, if ever, book a guest for a TV appearance if there is no prior reference footage for show producers to vet. Video assets from prior television appearances can aptly serve this purpose, helping a brand or expert secure organic future opportunities.

3. Website
Posting integration-driven TV video, which will be rife with topics and messaging that you’ve largely controlled due to the sponsored nature of the booking, to your company website allows you to continue to demonstrate third-party credibility and endorsement. Embedding the video itself, or “as seen on” show or network logo on your home, interstitial and landing pages, is one way to go. Also placing it within your online press room with other media placements and company press releases is a powerful way to demonstrate buzz and interest while completely controlling your company’s narrative. Availing these videos and other PR wins can boost your company’s credibility, build trust with your targets and serve as a potent risk reliever. You can also record analytics relating to the content, gleaning numerous market research datapoints.

4. E-Newsletters
Digital newsletters are a well-proven and widely utilized way to connect with customers. When those newsletters come with exciting and dynamic content, brand engagement and loyalty is enhanced. Not only can TV video clips serve as a legitimate and newsworthy information source, but the inclusion can also help drive new followers to social platforms where the full video might reside. It can also help prompt viral sharing of the news, which can drive new subscribers, grow your virtual community and boost your company’s reputation.

5. Direct Email
For a great number of people, email is the preferred way to receive updates from brands and experts they have opted-in with. With benefits similar to e-newsletters, sending out company emailers is a great way to quickly disseminate exciting company news and happenings. Sharing TV footage this way also proffers control over exactly which customers receive a given email. You can further solicit recipient feedback by encouraging commenting or rating, or by including a polling or survey mechanism in the email as well. This interactive and targeted communication provides a more human-to-human outreach opportunity.

6. Webinars
Video assets from TV exposure can serve as simple, yet highly compelling, filler for a company webinar. It can be used as a lead in with the intro to build excitement, as part of the closing sign off or during breaks from the current focus of the talk—perhaps a welcome change in scenery if the audience has been in session for a while.

7. Events
Showcasing your TV media coverage “sizzle reel” at a convention is a great way to demonstrate credibility, integrity and reputation amongst people you actively network with and passersby in general. This is a strong starting point from which you can continue to build a meaningful conversation, and impression, that will last long after your initial interaction. Building these strong foundations is certainly a key outcome of event marketing and leveraging TV exposure is an effective means toward this end.

8. Sales & Biz Dev
Your company’s sales or business development teams can leverage secured media coverage when pursuing new business deals and keeping current customers in the fold. It’s an opportunity to underscore your company’s strong and trustworthy public image. A reputable TV host, show, station or network having deemed your topic newsworthy enough to grant it airtime, albeit in a paid integration capacity, carries much weight and exemplifies inherent value for your offering and the spokesperson’s ideation. This kind of authoritative exposure can raise standing and help close deals.

Utilizing any or all of these channels to leverage your company’s integration-driven TV coverage can result in demonstrable value for your company’s publicity effort and budget allocations. Overarchingly, you will have bolstered brand credibility and awareness, boosted its reputation and fostered stronger marketplace relationships. Given the number of controls before, during and post-airing, paid TV integrations are a highly strategic marketing tool that can foster significant sustained upside.

***Some or all of the accommodations(s), experience(s), item(s) and/or service(s) detailed above may have been provided at no cost and/or arranged to accommodate this review, but all opinions expressed are entirely those of Merilee Kern and have not been influenced in any way as per the disclosure policy on our “Legal” page***