Archive for Best practices
Too much focus on SEO and content?
Posted by: | CommentsCan anyone argue that the buzzwords for 2009 and 2010 aren’t “search engine marketing,” “search engine optimization,” and “content, content, content”?
Frank Strong has written a nice post on writing for search engines and optimizing your client’s online presence. Adding links and using key words are some of the tips he offers to help you be more “findable” on the web.
Have we forgotten the other critical aspects of PR, however? I wrote my book, “Press Releases are not a PR Strategy,” to counteract the prevailing thought that issuing press releases at periodic intervals was all there is to a PR strategy. In that vein, I would like to see equal emphasis on the other components of a successful PR campaign that often get little mention. They involve research (studying up on an individual blogger’s style, reading books and articles on a particular industry) and outreach (meeting with reporters and bloggers for coffee or as part of a press tour or trade show).
PR is such a complex field. It’s not just content, and it’s not just press releases.
Photo courtesy of dyoz
Are PR professionals afraid of the “New Rules”?
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If you haven’t read “The New Rules of Marketing and PR” by David Meerman Scott, you’re missing out on a top guide on how public relations has changed and “how to use social media, blogs, news releases, online video and viral marketing” to reach your buyers directly. You can find the book at his website www.webinknow.com or from Amazon and other online bookstores.
I re-read the book this past weekend (the revised 2010 edition), and there’s one section that I didn’t feel represented PR professionals properly – or, at least, not the PR professionals I know, most of whom are in Arizona. In chapter 7, “The New Rules of News Releases,” he writes that “many PR professionals have a fear of the unknown. They don’t understand how to communicate directly with consumers and want to live in the past, when there was no choice but to use the media as a mouthpiece….I also think there’s a widely held view about the purity of the press release as a tool for the press. PR professionals don’t want to know that hundreds of millions of people have the power to read their releases directly. It’s easier to imagine a closed audience of a dozen reporters.”
The book is brilliant and has helped completely change the way we look at public relations. I don’t think he has quite captured the issue here, however. Granted, he travels a lot more than I do and talks to way Read More→
Use Twitter to help break a story
Posted by: | CommentsDon’t forget that social media tools such as Twitter are helpful for reaching the circles of influence on your target demographic. Search Engine Marketing Specialist Anthony Kirlew has the guest post today about his experience helping a friend see the journalistic benefit of Twitter:
Anthony Kirlew
Recently, I was speaking with a friend who is looking to launch a new website for his business. He is extremely sharp when it comes to business but he is not fully dialed into the Web or social media. His new business is an RV Park, so he immediately told me that he did not think that his audience would be on Twitter, due to the demographics. I assured him that having a presence on Twitter may be more valuable to him than he might initially expect.
First, I told him that I could do some searches for him to find out if (and what) people were tweeting about RVs and RV Parks in the area he is looking to launch, and if so, what they were saying. I also mentioned that lots of journalists are on Twitter and Read More→
Where do you stand on accuracy in PR 2.0?
Posted by: | CommentsAs more and more “citizen journalists” go online via Twitter, Facebook, blogs and other social media, there is greater likelihood of typos and misspellings. In the online world as opposed to traditional media, there are no formal editors to proofread work. Where do you stand on accuracy in PR 2.0?
Peter Faur
My friend Peter Faur of Phoenix-based “Right Point Communications” and I are of like mind. In his blog, RightPoint, he writes about communications and includes a helpful grammar tip at the end of every post. I asked him to provide his input on grammar and spelling, and he shared with me this guest post:
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“The Miami Herald’s ombudsman, or reader’s advocate, recently asked a veteran teacher to review the Jan. 18 edition of the newspaper for grammatical errors. He was shocked that Elaine Kenzel found 133 errors. Read More→
Podcasting can provide compelling content
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Farrell Kramer
Our guest blogger today is Farrell Kramer, founder and president of the PR firm Farrell Kramer Communications. We first met a couple of years ago when he conducted a podcast about my book, Press Releases are not a PR Strategy. He has been podcasting for himself and for clients since early 2006. You can find him on Twitter as @farrellkramer.
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The explosion in Twitter and Facebook by communicators of all types has created a desperate need for compelling content. In today’s world, you’re only as exciting as your last tweet or status update. But a steady diet Read More→
Search engine optimization and social media in 2010
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Sheila Koefkorn, President of KEO Marketing
At the recent #SMAZ conference in Phoenix, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel of experts that included Sheila Kloefkorn. She is president of KEO Marketing, a firm in Phoenix, Arizona that provides online marketing strategy and execution, including SEO, search engine marketing and social media. Her clients are in the U.S. and more than 100 countries around the world.
I asked her for some SEO tips for this coming year. Above all, she says, focus first on the content and the message, and don’t get so wrapped around the axle thinking about the social media vehicle.
“You’ve probably heard it said that there is nothing certain but change. Well that is certainly true of Search Engine Optimization and Social Media in 2010. Google is launching a new architecture for the back end of its search engine, code named Google Caffeine, in early Q1. While the details are kept private by Google, we do know that the algorithm, or mathematical formula, of how Google determines first page ranking for search queries, will favor ‘new, fresh, relevant content.’
This is great news if you have a content strategy that is focused on frequently updated useful information and if you are leveraging social media to get that word out and develop community.
Facebook news feeds on public company and fan pages, twitter streams and LinkedIn status updates are indexed by Google, Bing and some other engines in what is nearing real time. Blog posts are frequently showing up in search results within minutes and hours of being posted. Product reviews and comments on local search listings and sites like Yelp and Merchant Circle are also showing up quickly.
Today, effective search engine optimization and social media means having a content and engagement strategy that includes not only your website but all of the sites where your customers and prospects hang out online.
If you listen, you are authentic and helpful, and make your content compelling and easy to consume, you will reap dividends in both B2C and B2B marketing in 2010.”
Beware the “big bang” theory in PR
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A college class I took on medieval imagery (ah, the freedom of a liberal arts education!) introduced me to Boethius’ consolation of philosophy. if you’ve never read it, it’s an interesting view of the wheel of Fortune and how fate can turn on a dime.
When I watch some of the “big bang” PR tactics of tech companies, whether it’s a big sudden splash through print/broadcast advertising, an opulent holiday party, or a self-serving charitable donation to a national crisis, I think of Boethius. Those big, splashy PR moves are a harbinger of lean days to come. How much better it is to grow slowly and methodically, and wait for your natural turn on the wheel of Fortune. And to remember that what goes up must come down.
For more info on the imagery, check out this Brown University website.
Resolution for 2010: more blinking
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There’s a great line in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink: “We live in a world that assumes that the quality of a decision is directly related to the time and effort that went into making it.” Yet as he points out, some of our best decisions are made in the blink of any eye, without much forethought. They are gut reactions, way down at the base level.
My resolution for 2010 is to do more “blink”ing – and see where it takes me.
I’ll share my successes and failures with you – we’ll see how powerful (or not) this kind of “thinking without thinking” really is…
Why CEOs suck at PR
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Seth Godin, who writes about all things marketing (as well as very philosophical observations), has a post today that reminds me of why CEOs suck at PR.
Check out “How to lose an argument online.” Point number 1 reflects the attitude of a lot of executives with whom I’ve worked:
Have an argument. Once you start an argument, not a discussion, you’ve already lost. Think about it: have you ever changed your mind because someone online started yelling at you? They might get you to shut up, Read More→
A bad economy demands great PR
Posted by: | CommentsI’m happy to spotlight guest host Bill Prickett, APR (accredited public relations). He has been successfully involved in Public Relations/Communications for more than 20 years, primarily in the nonprofit arena. He currently has his own PR Consulting business called Write You UP! (www.WriteYouUp.com) A prolific writer, he has had numerous articles published in national magazines and newspapers and wrote a quarterly PR column for a national trade publication targeting small businesses. He’s also a published novelist and a blogger. (www.write-you-up.blogspot.com) He lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.
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Bill Prickett, APR
In case you haven’t heard, the US economy is in bad shape. Not sure if you’ve read some of the news reports, but companies are hurting and laying off employees at an alarming rate. That is, those business that are even staying in business. Unemployment is out of control, and not expected to recover until late 2010.
In the midst of this meltdown, it’s my hope that our profession and professionals would rise to the occasion and provide some much needed expertise in crucial business areas:
Encourage the Employees. If you don’t think your employees are concerned, you are mistaken. They are worried about their jobs, they are probably overworked and they are stressed about everything from finances to healthcare to job security. They are asking tough questions about their future with the company or Read More→
