pr briefs

Tide’s Web site is worth a visit

Our agency has learned that the key to building a great Web site is to focus on the needs and desired action of the site’s visitors. Unfortunately we’ve found that many businesses hire a programmer to create a digital version of their corporate brochure.

A good example of potentially wasted Web site real estate is the “About Us” page, probably the least visited section of any business site. Put your mission and strengths right on the home page where people can see them immediately. Consumers visit a Web site for one reason and it’s not to read about you, it’s to find information they need.

Much better to do build a Web site that people want to find, like Tide did.  Their new “Stain Brain” section is a central resource where visitors can search through Tide’s solutions for removing stains. Everybody has stains. Visitors can even contribute a tip of their own.

If you’re developing a new site, think “outward” rather than “inward” and include features and information that the people you want as customers are looking for.

10am

ethics in PR—6 core principles

Some people may not think of PR as an ethical industry. We public relations professionals have been labeled as “spin doctors,” “sensationalists” and worse. As a public relations professional I consider ethical judgment a top function of my job. And there are occasional dilemmas in which ethics are challenged. A “gut feeling” generally tells me to take a closer look at a request that I might question. Fortunately the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has compiled a list of common ethical principles that serve as a working guide for the PR industry.

Their Code, created and maintained by the PRSA Board of Ethics and Professional Standards, sets out principles and guidelines built on core values. Translating values into principles of ethical practice, the Code advises professionals to:

• Protect and advance the free flow of accurate and truthful information.
• Foster informed decision making through open communication.
• Protect confidential and private information.
• Promote healthy and fair competition among professionals.
• Avoid conflicts of interest.
• Work to strengthen the public’s trust in the profession.

10am

Social influence marketing—what is it?

Social Media Marketing for Dummies defines social influence marketing as being “about recognizing, accounting, and tapping into the fact that as your potential customer makes a purchasing decision, he’s influenced by various circles of people through the conversations that he has with them online, when he shares his own social media and consumes theirs.” Social media marketing rests on the belief that we humans are influenced by those around us when we make a purchase, donate to a cause, vote for a candidate.

What someone we know (or don’t know) says about a product can have an impact on whether or not we purchase that product. In a retail environment, more and more companies (Anthropologie and WalMart are two examples) include a product rating system in their online catalogs. Once thought to be a possible deterrent to sales, the availability of opinions—both positive and negative—builds confidence in a purchase. In fact, studies show that people are more likely to buy a product that has a small percentage of negative feedback mixed in with the positive.

5pm

5 reasons to try search engine marketing

In 2008, North American advertisers spent $13.5 billion dollars on Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and the World Advertising Research Center estimates that SEM will increase by 30% by the end of this year. Why should your business invest in Search Engine Marketing (and what is it)?

SEM promotes your Web site through paid ads on search engine results pages like Google, Bing or Yahoo. The benefits of SEM are vast, but some of the most important are:

1. The ads are highly targeted and reach the right people—they will show up when someone searches for information about your service. In essence, you’re marketing directly to someone who’s looking for you, practically waving a flag in front of someone who needs you.
2. SEM is extremely cost-effective. You can drive traffic to your Web site and raise awareness of your business, products and services for as little as one dollar a day!
3. The results are measurable. Using campaign analytics provided, you can directly measure your advertising success in real time. You can track how many people responded by clicking to your site and even how many actually performed an action, like purchasing or signing up.
4. Changing direction is easy—if you want to respond to a trend or change your promotion, you can easily modify your SEM message on the fly, without paying to reprint a brochure or worse, waiting up to a year to change a phone directory ad.
5. SEM can by far outreach most other forms of marketing—millions of searches are conducted on the Internet each day, giving you the opportunity to capture any segment of a regional, national or worldwide audience that is looking for products, services or information. 

Every small business should include SEM in their ad budget. Most consumers actively use the Internet to guide them in their buying decisions, and for such a minimal cost, you can’t afford to miss out.

—Special thanks to Brittany M. Miller, guest blogger!

2pm

5 point checklist for every email campaign

Emma Web-based email service put together an easy to use checklist to help you make the most of your email campaign (excerpted):

1. Does your subject line entice readers? They’re the most important 8-10 words in your campaign. Make sure yours is a clear, concise introduction that entices your readers to look inside.

2. Are you making the most of the preview pane? At first glance, many of your recipients will just see the first few inches of your campaign, so make your point—and your brand—stand out there.

3. Is your email easy on the eyes? With simple, intentional font and style choices, you’ll help grab and keep your readers’ attention.

4. Does the message come through even without the images? Since many email clients don’t automatically display images, balancing yours with text will help you make your point in any display possibility.

5. Does the email have a personal touch? Whether it’s with a personalized greeting, warm tone or specialized content, make sure your email feels like a conversation with people you know, not a “blast” to a list.

Our agency is a huge fan of Emma. The program is simple to use and takes care of ensuring our email marketing is compliant. The analytics enable us to measure the success of our campaigns and over the years we’ve been able to use this data to improve the open and click-through rates of our emails.

10am

A significant 64% of marketers are using social media for 5 hours or more each week and 39% for 10 or more hours weekly.

2pm

At the end of the interview, remember…

Getting an interview with a reporter is an opportunity to give your opinion, promote a cause, make an announcement or introduce an idea. When the interview is over, make your case and restate it. Reporters will often ask if there’s anything else you’d like to add. Use this opportunity to repeat your message—redundancy will help the reporter accurately get down your information and lead to more informed readers/viewers.

10am

News coverage: who has final say on what’s printed?

Don’t expect the opportunity to approve the text of your interview with a reporter before it’s printed or broadcast. Journalists are not obligated to share their stories with you or even read back your quotes, although they may ask you to repeat specific points to ensure they have taken down the correct information.

What do you do if a mistake is made in a news story?

Don’t expect a retraction for a minor inaccuracy that doesn’t change the integrity of the overall story. But if there’s a serious mistake, immediately contact the reporter to report the error and discuss a retraction or correction.

If you feel you were discredited or seriously misquoted, you have the option of writing a letter to the editor. Send a concise correction, and include facts to back it up. Don’t attack the reporter or the newspaper in your letter; it’s not necessary and will distract readers from your information.

10am

When a reporter calls: 6 tips

Communicating information to the media requires a good strategy and an understanding of what the media expects from you. Here are six tips to help you be prepared when a reporter calls:

1. Call back promptly. Last week someone I know got a request from an editor and replied with an email that he would “send his response by the end of the week.” If there’s a reason for a delay, let the reporter know. Otherwise, prepare your response and get back to the reporter immediately.

2. Ask what information the reporter is seeking and what information he or she has already obtained. This will help you respond fully without sending more than what is needed.

3. Determine whether you’re the most knowledgeable/responsible person to speak on the subject. If you’re not, help the journalist get to the right person.

4. Clarify exactly how the info will be used if possible: does the reporter need a simple quote, or does he/she need background information for a large article?

5. If the reporter wants to conduct an interview with you, take the time to prepare yourself beforehand. Call the reporter back immediately and schedule a time for the interview that allows you some time to compose your thoughts.

6. Find out the reporter’s deadline and give them as much time as possible before the deadline to prepare their story.

2pm