pr briefs

5 reasons to try search engine marketing

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:56:00 -0600

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:

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.
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!
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.
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.
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!

5 point checklist for every email campaign

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0600

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.

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

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:09:50 -0600

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

- Social Media Marketing Industy Report by Michael A. Stelzner

At the end of the interview, remember. . .

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:00:00 -0600

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.

Are you using PR to market your business? Used in conjunction...

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:00:00 -0600

Are you using PR to market your business?

Used in conjunction with other marketing, public relations can reap a huge return in brand and company visibility. To illustrate this, here’s an example of newspaper coverage that was garnered by sending a news release to a reporter. If an ad had been purchased—the same size as the coverage—it would have cost $948. Additionally, this blurb appeared on the front page of a section, on which ads could not be purchased, making it even more visible and more valuable than a purchased ad would have been.

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

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:00:00 -0600

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.

When a reporter calls: 6 tips

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:05:00 -0600

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.

Fineman PR releases 15th annual Top 10 PR Blunders

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:10:00 -0600

Fineman PR releases 15th annual Top 10 PR Blunders:

Love this list compiled by Fineman PR; it’s a great tutorial on how to (or not to) handle a crisis from a PR perspective.

3 things to remember when "pitching" a story

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:00:00 -0600

One of my favorite clients doesn’t have a large marketing budget, so we focus our efforts on generating editoral coverage by pitching his story to magazines. The results have been impressive: over the past year he’s been covered in a number of local, regional and national magazines—without having purchased a single ad.

Public relations can be extremely effective but there are some things to keep in mind if you want to get results.

1. Know the publications you pitch to. Understand who their readers are. Suggest how they can use your information for their readers. For example, point out a certain section or column in which your information would fit.

2. Be helpful to the editors. Send 2-3 supporting photos (high-res), a Web site link and other information that will help them quickly assess your product or company. Get back to them immediately if they request more information or send questions.

3. Don’t be a pest. I generally track down the contact information for the editor of a specific, relevant section of a publication. They are the most likely to be interested in my client. I send a quick, polite email with my suggestion for a story that I believe would interest their readers, and offer to be their contact for anything they need.

Keep in mind that the job of an editor is not to advertise your company—it’s to inform and entertain their readers. If you focus your information this way, your chances of getting covered will definitely increase.

market unto others . . .

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:00:00 -0600

Amid the advertising, emails and calls I’ve received at the office lately, a recent, simple marketing gesture really stood out. It wasn’t an obvious marketing tactic, and it cost less than any traditional ad.

After our local newspaper ran an article about an award our agency had received, the owner of a local Chick-fil-A sent a kind, hand-signed letter and a card for a free sandwich combo. I’ve kept the card on my desk as a reminder that in today’s cluttered, fast-paced environment, small acts of kindness set companies apart from the competition.

end of year marketing checklist

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:40:00 -0600

Now is the perfect time to check and update your marketing tools and here are 5 things you can do now to improve the effectiveness of your marketing and PR for the new year:

1. Test your Web site’s visibility in the search engines. Conduct your own search for phrases that people would use when they need a business like yours. Does your company come up on the first page? If not, it’s time to talk to someone about search engine optimization for your site.

2. Update your email distribution list. Review your database and update email addresses that are no longer valid. While you’re at it make sure you have all your current contacts in your database.

3. Conduct a collateral audit. Put one of every printed marketing piece you have on a table. Do they look like they are from a multitude of different companies? If so, it’s time to work on making your sales materials consistent.

4. Set up methods to measure the effectiveness of your ads. How do you know an ad is working? If you aren’t tracking effectiveness, start doing so and you’ll see what’s working and what’s not.

5. Thank your customers and vendors. The end of the year is a good time to send a note to your clients, past clients and potential clients, as well as to your valued vendors. This kind of “touch” will give you top of mind awareness at the start of the new year.

"19% of US adult Internet users say they use Twitter or another social networking service to share..."

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:00:00 -0600

“19% of US adult Internet users say they use Twitter or another social networking service to share updates about themselves. The percentage declines as age increases.”

- Pew Internet & American Life Project, October 2009

This tactic is 3x more powerful than your company's ad

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:00:00 -0600

A 2009 survey (Edelman Trust Barometer) showed that, of people surveyed in 20 countries, 62% say they trust corporations less now than they did a year ago. With this credibility problem, how can you build the trust that is needed to attract new customers? The number one way is to let your clients share their positive experience. In the PR world, “editorial” about your business (information written by a third party such as a journalist) is considered three times more credible than an ad you’ve purchased yourself. The same holds true, to an even greater degree, of having an actual buyer tell their positive experience from their point of view, as compared to the same information from your company’s perspective. Ask your happy clients to put their experience in writing and get permission to use the information in your marketing.

Bigelow Tea uses social media to supplement ads

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:12:42 -0600

A recent article in DM News written by Cara Wood shows how Bigelow Tea used a blog, Twitter, MySpace and Facebook to attract more visitors to the company’s Web site and better engage them. Company president Cindy Bigelow felt that a blog could help her hear from customers better than advertising, and social media could supplement their traditional ads. Bigelow’s Tea Talk Blog has yielded insight into tea’s distinct market segments, writes Wood. “The social media presence especially came in handy last year, when a subset of customers was outraged at the discontinuation of the Fruit and Almond Tea, and Bigelow—the person—answered.

3 things you should know about the people on your email list

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:58:00 -0600

If you want to put together an email that really performs, it’s good to know some basic information about the people on your list. Here are 3 things to consider before you create and send your eblast:

1. How do they get your email? Computer, Blackberry, PDA, iPhone? Knowing how most people get your information can help you make sure they can read and interact with your eblasts.

2. Have they opened your eblasts in the past? If you keep sending but few people are opening, then it’s time to test your format and message or update your recipient list.

3. Are they clicking through? Even with a high open rate, if people aren’t clicking then your eblasts are probably not driving sales and inquiries.

Use email statistics to see not only who is opening your eblasts, but what they are doing after they’ve opened. Listen to your audience and test new subject lines, content and graphics. Then use the information to improve the performance of your email marketing.

"To comply with CAN-SPAM you must include an “unsubscribe” link and your postal address..."

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:26:43 -0600

“To comply with CAN-SPAM you must include an “unsubscribe” link and your postal address in your emails, and make sure your email headers and subject lines are not deceiving.”

Branding: put your best foot forward (and don't change your shoes!)

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0600

There are few things as important as your brand when it comes to marketing your company. Your brand communicates your unique identity and value through consistent messaging and graphics so that others recognize your company whether you’re reaching them through advertising, social media, signage or your invoices. Strong branding is your company’s “promise” of value, quality and consistency.

Clients often ask me if it’s okay to change their brand. The most effective branding is the result of years of consistent use. In fact, the most recognizable brands have been in place for many years, even decades (think McDonald’s®, or Coke®). For your business, consistent and long-term use will give your branding ample time to become ingrained in the public’s memory.

7 ways to improve your online sales

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0600

Your Web site’s design can significantly improve (or hinder) your online success. Great Web sites are intuitive and easy to navigate, helping visitors, regardless of the type of information they’re seeking, quickly find what they’re looking for. And good navigation leads visitors to respond, not just browse. Here are some great tips from Kintera:

1. Help people find and do what they want quickly.

2. Make it easy to respond. Repeat key action elements (like “Donate Now” or sign-up links across multiple Web pages.

3. Use the upper right for key action items. This location is the place to highlight desired activity.

4. Utilize buttons to draw attention and drive response.

5. Keep it simple: usable is better than pretty.

6. Don’t let “search” feature drive people away. Failed searches lead to a high abandonment rate, so if you include this feature on your site, don’t put it in a high response location like the upper right.

7. Test and adjust for greater impact. Use analytics to see what pages people are visiting, let your visitors tell you what they like.

If you're not seen, you won't be heard

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:33:59 -0600

Publicity is a great way to promote your business, and email is the most popular means for getting your news in front of reporters to land precious coverage. But what if your news never gets to the journalists? The vast majority of emails sent to journalists never get read. It’s estimated that 82% of all emails are filtered out by spam filters, and this may include your news release!

To a spam filter, your email pitch may contain trigger words and suspicious phrases that automatically prevent your email from getting to its destination. Common trigger words and phrases, compiled by wordbiz.com, include a subject line that starts with “free,” certain words like “GUARANTEE” in all caps, even words like “unsubscribe,” “leave,” and other list removal phrases may block your email!

Learn how spam filters work and you can lessen the chances of your email getting blocked and improve your chance of getting a reporter’s attention.

"A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time."

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:17:53 -0600

““A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time.””

- Henry Ford