Four Visibility Strategies Which Work On and Off Line

As a marketing firm serving the small business community, our clients rely on us to develop cost effective marketing strategies.  Those strategies rarely include advertising, relying instead on effective  PR campaigns to deliver the key messages.

With the explosion of internet news services it is easier then ever to get messages into the marketplace.  Off line, my small business clients want to be featured in the IBJ or Indy Star. On-line they want the first position on a Google search. While the outlets have changed, the tactics for on and off line media are very similar.

For example, here are four  strategies which work on and off line.

1. Buy Advertising – Advertising is a good way to start the ball rolling and introduce your brand, but advertisements will never have the credibility  of editorial content so you will need to offer more eventually.  On-line only 10% of traffic will ever come through an advertisement
2. Relevant Content – Send press releases with new or information on hot issues, and on-line review your copy verifying it contains key words
3. Frequent Updates –   Off line I refer to this as the drip theory; sending small updates to local media so they know what is going on in your business, and have the perception you are a dynamic firm.  On-line frequent blog posts or updates to your site let Google know your site is worth visiting on a regular basis moving you up in the rankings
4. Create Links – In the off-line world this involves staying connected to other businesses who serve your client.  In the on-line world there are many ways to build links to your site including asking your friends and associates to connect to you in exchange for a connection to them or posting content on relevant sites or simply distributing press releases through on-line news sources.

Want to learn more?  Sign up for our PR on a Shoe String   or one of our other on-line education programs

The programs are FREE and include discussions on Marketing, Business Planning, Web design, and PR/Social Media  Each program includes emails, blog posts, worksheets and the occasional podcast or video.  Enroll in one today!

Sample Press Releases

At Roundpeg, we distribute hundreds of press releases each month to both local and national media outlets. How does a small firm turn out so many news stories? It is easy when you realize most press releases are relatively simple; just a few paragraphs, designed to whet the appetite of the writer.

Here are a few examples of typical press releases  you can use as a starting point for your own release.  substitute a few details about your firm, and you are well on your way to completing your release.

• New Hire Press Release
• Sample Press Release: New Product
• Press Release Sample: Special Event
• Press Release Example: Award

Want to learn more about the Art of PR?  Sign up for our FREE on-line program:  ”PR on a Shoestring”.  Simply complete the form today!

Yes, The Laptop is On Fire and Other Business Confessions

A few years ago, Dell had an issue with Laptops bursting into flames.  When it first started happening, Dell tried to keep the story quiet, fix the problem, and get on with business as usual.  But the internet community wouldn’t allow them to do that.  

Even though this occurred before Twitter gained any momentum, chat rooms and discussion boards lit up with conversations and photographs about the problem.  Within just a few days, Dell realized they needed to go public with the explanation of the problem and the solution.  The internet demanded the truth.

This vocal and viral community is both a blessing and a curse for PR professionals. The blessing is the ability to rapidly spread news we want to share.  The curse?  News we don’t want to share spreads just as rapidly, forcing companies to define how they communicate in this age of transparency.   

 Writing for the Harvard Business Review, Becky Bermont raised two interesting questions about how companies should behave in this new age.  She asks:

1. Does transparency mean the information shared can’t change?
2. Does transparency mean you need to be critiqued?

While she was focused on academia, these questions are valid for small business owners as well.  So what do you think? How transparent do we need to be?

More than a Few Words: Episode 1 – New Age PR

So this is my first pass at a podcast in what I hope will become a series.  “More than a Few Words” will be a weekly Marketing Podcast for Small Business Owners.

I expect to share tips, suggestions, and examples on how you can use nontraditional marketing, networking, social media, and pr to grow your business.  It will be the same type of content you find in written form here on Business Notes from Roundpeg, but in an audio format you can download to your iPod to listen to, on the go.

It’s only 3 minutes, so I hope you will spend the time to listen, and give me some feedback before I record too many of these. Do you like the content?   I think it  needs a little music or something to spice it up. What to you think?

More than a Few Words – Episode 1 – New Age PR

And if you like what you heard, you can subscribe to our podcast feed so you can keep up with the newest content.

Technology Will Enhance a Good Plan

More than twenty years ago, I took my first ( and only) computer programing class. We spent weeks documenting manual systems. Why? Because my professor believed you could not fix bad processes by automating them, you just made the problem worse.

I think the same is true for PR.  Right now, there is a mad rush to embrace social media and on-line PR.  But good PR transcends the medium, and is built the premise of delivering messages to a specific target audience.

While I love “new media” it is not right for every application. To be effective, do your homework and create a well thought out PR  plan which considers target, message and medium.  Without a solid plan,  no technology can save you.

Other Side of the Lens

Written by Melinda Cooper

Writing press releases is not as easy as it looks. Formerly, I worked at the Indy Star, where I received hundreds of press releases daily at the calendar desk. I always thought to myself how easy it looked to write a press release… just throw together some company facts, what they are up to and send it out. Sounds easy, right?

It’s not.

Recently, we were sent the “Write the Perfect Press Release in One Hour or Less” press release. Still trying to learn this skill myself, I thought why not read it (without my boss noticing of course since I am attempting to come across as the intern know-it-all).

The release states:

Step 1 – Choose the Topic of the Press Release

Ya… sounds easy enough. What are we talking about here? How about… my (fake) new Web site.

Step 2 – Write the Headline

Hmm.. okay “Melinda Cooper Launches Fake Web site”

Step 3- Write the Body of the Press Release

Oooh I should be able to do this! It’s news writing. The 5Ws and 1H from elementary school. Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? But throw in some sales pitch language like you hear on infomercials to encourage people to go to the site.

Wait a minute…. this release says “Opinion, fluff or hype is not appropriate. Statements about how the product or service is the most amazing innovation ever invented should not be included. It is important that readers form this opinion by themselves by reading the details (facts) in the press release.”

But why will people go to my new Web site if I don’t hype it up? Won’t they just write it off and never know about my fake company? Apparently not (at least according to this).

Alright. Let’s try it.

Fake Company launched www.fakewebsitehere.com, a fake Web site today. The fake site features a blog to keep up with my business life, a business idea submission form, updated Web format and graphics by Taylor Brough of Roundpeg.

About Fake Company:

Fake Company was started Sept. 8, 2009 by Melinda Cooper at her desk at Roundpeg. Fake Company teaches lessons to interns about how to write press releases. It also proves that even though you have a college education does not mean you always know what you are doing.

###

Contact:

Me at Fake Company

(555) 555-5555

fake@fakewebsitehere.com

.. that wasn’t so hard. Did I pass the test?

Step 4 – Verify that the Basic Press Release Rules were Followed

- Was your press releases written in third person?

*think think think* Go back to English class… third-person is when someone else is narrating right? Right.

- Does your press release focus on your announcement or news rather than selling something? Your press release should never resemble an advertisement or sales letter!

Well… I did mention who did my fake Web site graphics to give credit….

- Did you include a media contact name, email address and phone at the bottom of the press release?

Yes.

- Did you include at least three links to your web site?

Yes! I love links.

- Is there any way that you can make your press release more interesting, timely or unique?

Maybe… if it were real, I would have more to say?

- Is your press release more than 200 words and less than 500?

Ouch. No, it is less than 100. Note to self: Find more to say in press releases.

- Did you add ### to the bottom of the press release to signify the end?

No. It’s added now!

- Is your headline clear and to the point? Can it be shortened without losing anything?

I should probably change it from Melinda Cooper to Fake Company.

- Are all details of the “Who, What, When, Where, How and Why” covered in the body of the press release?

Maybe I should focus more on the how and why for more text?

- Have you looked at other press releases to make sure yours looks correct and does not leave out any information?

Not today. Maybe the key to writing great press releases is experience. I can tell you it is not a degree in Journalism OR reading them multiple times on the press side.

The Internet is Forever – Four PR Tips to Stay on Top

The internet has changed the way we write press releases.  Why? Because today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s birdcage liner, but the internet is forever.  As a result it is more important to me that a story work well in the on-line world.

While traditional press releases are often written leaving the reader wanting more, on-line releases are complete, written with an eye toward search.   Here are a four tips to improve your release:

Short Headlines.  - Google results display only the first 63 characters of each headline and with Twitter limited to 140 characters, you want to have room for the headline and the link in your Tweet.

Remember the human reader - Search is important, but you want the reader to stay when they arrive. Don’t miss the mark by writing copy that’s overly repetitive, spammy or unreadable.

More Short Topics – As releases age, they tend to drift lower in the search results. You will get more bang out of a campaign of several releases spread over a period of time rather than one single longer story. Multiple releases create multiple links to your site, more opportunities for people to find you.

Being Part of a Community Takes Work

About a month ago, my good friend Doug Karr, creator of the Marketing Technology Blog invited me to become part of the team, and write the occasional blog post as a member of his community.  I was excited, and flattered, but challenged as well.  Now in addition to writing almost every day for Roundpeg ( I do enjoy when a member of my team writes a post, and gives me a day off) I have to develop relevant content for his audience too.

Sometimes it is tough, because the same story will be a fit for my audience of small business owners, and his tech community, so who gets the post? How do you decide because Google doesn’t really like duplicate content.   I finally came up with a compromise, I am going to quote myself.  (Ok, a bit of ego, but it is a good post)  I gave Doug the original, and I am simply going to point anyone interested in a short case study on rallying your fans to the post.  Here is an excerpt:

In the end, this was a great case study in how companies should use social media to manage their online brand and reputation. You cannot prevent or control negative comments. They will exist. But if you have an army of loyal fans, they will spring to your defense, and help you manage the situation. In addition, instead of hiding in the sand, proactively reaching out to unhappy customers or critics in a public forum, will strengthen your reputation overall.

PR and Publicity

I bookmarked this post by Seth Godin about the differences between PR and Publicity.  In it he says:

Most PR firms do publicity, not PR. -

Publicity is the act of getting ink. Publicity is getting unpaid media to pay attention, write you up, point to you, run a picture, make a commotion. Sometimes publicity is helpful, and good publicity is always good for your ego.

But it’s not PR.

PR is the strategic crafting of your story. It’s the focused examination of your interactions and tactics and products and pricing that, when combined, determine what and how people talk about you.

I think there is a time and place for both.   When you launch a new webiste, relocate your office, or hire a new employee, a simple press release will do, and in that case, what Seth defines as publicity will suffice.   On a weekly basis, we distribute 10 – 15 press releses for small businesses here in Indianapolis.  The objective,is to get a mention in the IBJ, IndyStar, or on Inside Indiana Business. More important then the ink is the additional bonus of on-line visiblity that lasts and lasts, as web pages never go away, so neither do the links! 

But everynow and then, we have a client with a great story.  A story too big for just a press releaase.  And that calls for real PR.  Those are the fun projects, when we get to brainstorm about how to best tell the story.  Those don’t come around as often, but they are fun when they do. 

Do you have a story to tell?  Then we would love to talk to you!

Public Relations

PR is the glue which ties your marketing together. We help you craft consistent messages, weave them throughout your marketing, and distribute those messages to a range of media outlets to increases your visibility and reach. Our services include:

• Press Release – Development or distribution only

• Case Studies – With or without a corresponding press release

• Ghost Writing – Articles and blog posts
  

• Comprehensive Media Strategy – Development and execution
  

What people say

“With Lorraine ’s experience working in high places for such mega-corporations as Carrier and Conseco, she brings wealth of experience not normally possessed small marketing firms. Make no mistake, while the organization may be small, their efforts are very sharp and to the point. Many small marketing firms use a scatter-gun approach to marketing – hoping each shot will at least hit something, with precious little accountability built into the process. Roundpeg hires marksmen and they always hit what they shoot!”

Marla M. Williams, Managing Member,

ASSOCIATED IMAGES.

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