Online Publicity – PR 2.0 is the way to go!

The internet is not going away. You’ve got to embrace. The Michigan Chronicle is even online and some of the editors blog there! So, how do you as an author or an aspiring – use the internet to the max? Here some tips:
1. Write a web site plan. Know what you want it to do before you build a site. Create a favorable buying experience for your ministry products. Make the web site easy to use. Provide good customer service by shipping products within 5 to 7 days. Use auto responders when people make purchases. Make your site “shopper-friendly.”

2. Attract people to your site by promoting it through frequent email campaigns linking back to the site. Have your site content-rich to keep visitors at your site, wanting to share it with others. This is called viral marketing.

3. Capture names of visitors by using a “squeeze page.” Offer something for free like a CD or booklet if they provide their contact information. Get their email address at the very least so you can send the booklet in a PDF file or the CD as an MP3.

4. Publish a regular online magazine called an Ezine. This is a motivational tool for people to look forward to receiving. It has the ministry updates in it.

5. Include recent news hits in your ezine. Stream TV interviews and audio clips. Use a template from an Internet database management company like Constant Contact. I’ve used them for years!

6. Join discussion groups and nings like ChocolatePagesNetwork dot com. You can learn a wealth of information this way in any particular industry. There are groups for pastors, ministry communications professionals, Christian authors, or whatever your specialty. Look up your area of interest in Yahoogroups, connectplatform.com or Google.

7. Put banner ads on other sites that your target audience may visit. If it is Gospel Today or DetroitGospel dot com, inquire about placing a banner ad on those sites. These ads are usually very inexpensive. You can promote your TV ministry schedule or other products.

8. Update your site frequently. Current information sends the message that you are current in your ministry. It keeps people coming back to your site. Try new things on your site like podcasting or webcasting. Keep it fresh.

9. Concentrate on great content so the search engine optimization will give you a high ranking when people are surfing online via search engines like Google or AOL. Adding links is another great way to increase your site rankings and get noticed among the search engines.

10. Add a “news room” to your site. The media will access your high-resolution photo (300 dpi), get a press release, ministry history and a good bio from this section. It makes their life easier and shows you’re a pro at handling media interviews. This is also a good place to list other media hits that you have received like magazine/ezine articles, radio interviews, and columns you’ve had published.

11. Create a blog. Do this only if you have time to keep it up. A good blogger posts about 2 to 3 times a week. A blog is like a personal journal online. A blog is an abbreviation of “weblog.” It is the online version of you. It’s more personal and informal than a web site and visitors can respond directly to you. Go to blogger dot com to set one up free. See the Ministry Marketing Solutions blog. It’ll give you ideas too.

12. Use a signature at the end of every email that includes your tag line, web site, blog and contact information. Please. The best form of advertising – and it’s free!

Ministry marketing pioneer and PR Coach Pam Perry helps African American Christian authors garner publicity and leverage online strategies. As a 20-year PR veteran, she is also the co-author of
“Synergy Energy: How to Use the Power of Partnerships to Market Your Book, Grow Your Business and Brand Your Ministry.”
For a free MP3 of “What Every Author Should Know,” go to this web. She’s also the creator of the ChocolatePagesNetwork, a social network for Christian authors and the Chocolate Pages Show at Blog talkradio.
She offers free help at her blogsite with her monthly Ezine and teleclasses.

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Tags: PR, web, publicity, online

When you hear about a website owner or information products marketer using press releases, what type of questions come to mind? Do you think; why would I want to send a press release? How about do Press Releases really work or more commonly does the statement I’ve never sent a Press Release before and I wonder if it is easy to do? If you do issue a press release how much traffic can I expect?

Well to address these concerns when you think why you would want to send one, remove your old world traditional thinking and move into the world of the internet. One concern to remove is that you will be shunned like a leopard by the old the traditional world of newspapers. The answer is no, you will not be banned from the hard copy paper world for ever if your press release is not perfect or right for the offline world.

Also you need to understand that the world of the internet has many legitimate websites that people can locate, read and possible have an interest in your product. So do you really care where a customer comes from as in from the local paper or from a far way website? If they buy your product that is what is important not some false perception we harbor from days one by. A sale is a sale.

Also understand the internet provides valuable back links to your website and hence can raise your ranking and hence more traffic comes your way. More traffic more sales.

So with those reasons in mind, what are some of the reasons to issue a press release. Well to stimulate your thinking let’s list a few.

• Did you just launch a web site?

• Did you introduce a new product?

• Did you enter into a new collaboration?

• Did you develop a new technology?

• Did your company win an award?

• Did your company hire a new CEO?

• Did your company expand its facilities?

• Did your company reach a milestone?

These are just some of the great reasons to notify the press. Just about any business can benefit from the potential media coverage generated from a well-structured press release. An article or an editorial reference about your new product, website, or announcement in a prominent publication can assist in achieving your business objectives.

You need to take advantage of this relatively simple, easy and in most cases free resource that can help build your traffic and improve the bottom-line of your business.

Learn to build your business on the web using IOVC strategy and technology solutions like blogging, press releases, article marketing and more at this web and for a limited time, it’s all for free.

Gregory Burrus is helping people in business succeed through the use of IOVC, internet, office, voice and customer relationship technologies. Learn more about Greg at this site

Click this site

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Tags: pr, web, com, site, firm

Driving traffic to your website is one of the biggest problems of the small guy.

Nowadays it is easy to get products and create automated websites with killer sales machine. However this is a one time setup work.

But the most important part which you have to do on a daily basis is to drive thunderstorm of targeted website traffic to make some serious money.

Another problem is that traffic is expensive. It takes some serious money to attract traffic to your website.

It can cost you up to 50 cents to 5 dollars to attract one visitor to your website.

If your site is not converting well, you will be out of business in just few short months.

There has to be some alternative that can drive free website traffic that is highly targeted.

Luckily there’s one. Here you go…

Do you want publicity for your products and services? If you answered yes, get started with press releases.

Awareness about your products and services to your target market can boost up significantly using press release.

Here are 5 amazing ways to profit from PR advertising…

1. Write a Killer Title that Grabs Attention.

Your headline must attract your visitors interest and get them involved with your press release. This is a hook.

Make sure that you communicate benefits in your title. Your title can also communicate the biggest problem your target market is facing.

Answer the basic why, what, how and when related questions of your target market.

2. Create a Short to the Point Summary.

The summary includes a basic intro about the press release. It should be just 1 or 2 sentence.

Then start with your first para.

3. Focus on your First Para.

This is the hook that will get your readers interested to read your entire press release.

Therefore communicate your most important information in this area.

4. Focus on Facts.

You cannot just pitch your readers with blue moons or any of your stories or opinions. Therefore make sure you stick with the facts.

Present information as they are, never modify them with your own recommendations.

5. Give a Valuable Statement from a Top Authority.

It can be either the CEO of your company or some well known person.

Let the readers feel how this top guy feels about this latest news.

Do you want to learn how I do it? Watch this ‘FREE Report’ and Discover How I Created a Killer Cash-Pulling-Machine that Attracts 23,883 Visitors and Earns $6665.49 on Autopilot from just 20 Days of Lazy Work…

==> FREE business focusing internet Report.

Murtuza Abbas has helped hundreds of newbies ‘One-On-One’ to start their internet home business…Visit his website.

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Are you making customers, prospects, the news media and other visitors work too hard to get information they need from your Web site? They’re only going to give you a couple of minutes to make your case, so make it easy.

Here’s how: Put all the good stuff just a click or two away from the home page by creating an online “Newsroom.” You’ll make a good first — and lasting — impression.

Paste a “Newsroom” button onto your home page. Have it take visitors to a special page that includes contact information (nothing worse than having to search all over for a company’s address and phone number) and links to product and service brochures, bios, press releases, news clips, testimonials, speeches, event information, white papers, FAQs, newsletters and case studies. Also, make the documents downloadable as .pdf files where possible.

Too often, organizations — even large ones with plenty of resources — put off creating a central information page until “we finish redesigning the Web site.” No need to wait. Everything you need is probably already there. If, for example, product sheets and executive bios are featured somewhere on the site, just link to them from the press page. In no more than a couple of clicks, visitors should be able get to the information from the newsroom. That makes it easy and inviting. Your online newsroom may also function as a sales and marketing kit.

This is also a good place to link to video clips, blogs, podcasts, slide shows and other media that feature recent presentations, product demos and the like.

It’s very important to keep the online newsroom and its contents up to date. If the last news release you posted is dated back in 2006, for example, it gives the impression of stagnation.

Check out the Web sites of companies you like and see how they have organized their online newsrooms. Pick one example and use it as a model for yours.

Robert Deigh is principal of RDC Communication/PR and author of “How Come No One Knows About Us?” (W Business Books), the PR guide for organizations large and small that want to win big visibility. Deigh helps organizations increase their visibility and build their brands by creating strong and positive relationships with the press and other audiences. He is also a frequent speaker and trainer on media and PR topics. Feel free to visit his website.

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Tags: pr, press, public relations, web, blog

It seems you can’t turn around these days without hearing how traditional media are in a severe decline. Newspapers’ readership is declining, radio is battling iPods and satellite radio for the listener’s ear, and digital video recording has taken the wind out of TV’s sails.

I personally have been disappointed to see articles I have earned for clients in major outlets like the New York Times and Chicago Tribune yield little to no response. In the past, such a “hit” would result in countless inquiries that could almost turn a company around overnight.

So where do you go from here if you want to engage public relations to help expand awareness of a new product, initiative, or simply just to maintain your company’s reputation? Where else but the Web? The same client who had little feedback from those national newspaper “hits” actually experienced a huge response to an article posted on CNN.com.

But it’s essential that you think creatively, strategically and consider your company’s message when you begin to explore the many tools now available online to help you spread the word. Below I’ve outlined four examples of companies who creatively used a Web technology as a public relations tool and saw great results.

Blogging With a Purpose

Everybody and his brother appears to be blogging these days on everything from their favorite sports team to their pet. And many companies are jumping on the bandwagon too quickly without a solid strategy in place to use their blog to reach their target audience.

Breakaway Adventures, a company who books walking and cycling tours of Europe, worked with my public relations firm to create a blog that would engage their potential and existing clients and provide them with helpful information.

Last year, I led a group of journalists on one of the company’s cycling tours to the small island of Gozo, part of the Malta archipelago, and I suggested that I do a daily blog detailing my experience and posting photos of our trip. This allowed potential clients curious about this little-known island to follow my trip live or read it afterward and get a firsthand account of what the trip was truly like. The blog went much further than a typical brochure blurb and presented real-life issues and a taste of the culture, while providing them with photos of exactly what they would see.

The blog was a success, with several readers following it live and posting comments. To date it has resulted in more than 1200 page views. The idea is for the company to encourage future travelers to host similar blogs that will then be archived on their Web site for visitors to read.

A Video for the Dogs

For a client who wanted to quickly expand awareness about a new product they had developed, a tooth-brushing kit for dogs, my firm encouraged them to produce a video they could post online. Since brushing a dog’s teeth can sound daunting to some, we recommended they create an instructional video to walk pet owners through the process and convey the message that brushing a pet’s teeth can extend its life.

It was important that the video be conversational, simple and pleasant to watch so it would appeal to a variety of folks online. The video could also be used for a variety of marketing purposes, such as trade shows, giveaways to clients and more.

In addition to posting the video on their Web site, www.keepitcleanusa.com, my firm also posted it to some 20 free video-sharing sites, such as YouTube, Yahoo Video and Break.com, and sent it virally by e-mail, encouraging anyone and everyone we knew to forward it along in the interest of promoting pet health. Since its posting, more than 1200 people have watched the video on YouTube alone.

Sending Fans to Facebook

With Microsoft recently buying a stake in Facebook, valuing it at $15 billion, the current buzz is all about social networking. Millions of people are flocking to sites like MySpace, LinkedIn and Facebook to interact with friends and business colleagues by sharing photos, videos and information about themselves, as well as joining groups, communicating through messages and posts and networking.

Gillette came up with a creative contest to engage Facebook users, which number about 50 million, as part of their Gillette Fusion Power GameFace College Tour. Sports fans are directed to go to the www.gillettegameface.com site where they can watch a video of Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn offering advice on how to get your “gameface” on. Fans are then directed to Facebook where they can join the Gillette Gameface group to upload a video or photo sporting their best “gameface.”

Once you join the Facebook group, you can get shaving tips, view others’ submissions, post your thoughts on the discussion board or “wall” and more. The promotion appears to have been a success with more than 1800 group members on Facebook.

A Little Bit of Everything

One of my favorite examples of smart uses of Web tools to engage an audience is NBC’s “The Office” television show. “The Office” has created lots of dedicated fans who are truly looking for ways to stay involved with the show beyond its regular Thursday night air time.

So NBC created a whopper of a Web site, sporting all kinds of cool tools that can keep fans busy for months. One of the most creative applications is the Dunder Mifflin (the name of the company in “The Office”) Infinity site, which is a social network where you can do all kinds of fun tasks related to the show. You can “apply” to be an employee of the company and get assigned an official position. Then, you can perform various jobs, just like the characters do on the show, such as developing a local ad campaign, a task they completed on a recent episode. According to a recent article on MediaPost, this network now has 100,000 “employees.” Not bad.

Two of the quirkiest characters are Dwight Schrute and Creed, and you can read their deepest thoughts on the Schrute Space or Creed’s Thoughts blogs regularly updated on the site.

The show also offers plenty in the way of video, allowing visitors to download past episodes, watch deleted scenes and Webisodes only available online, see interviews with the characters and more. They also offer a real hodge podge of other nifty activities to keep you returning, like chat rooms, silly contests, virtual office basketball and subscribing to the Scranton (the city in Pennsylvania where their fictional office is located) newsletter and more.

The same MediaPost article reported that “The Office” section of the NBC Web site has had more than 800,000 unique users visit to date. I’d say it’s a hit.

All of these examples provide great lessons and hopefully inspirational ideas for the wide range of possibilities you have when marketing yourself on the Web. So, don’t just blog to blog, post any old video on the Web, or create a profile on MySpace which you never go to again. Be smart, strategic and innovative, and you will be rewarded with new and better customers.

About the Author: Lyn Mettler is the president of Step Ahead Web Strategies, a company that offers clients a comprehensive online strategy from a public relations and marketing perspective.

The company helps businesses and organizations expand their Web presence beyond their Web site, engaging the latest and most innovative technologies, including online video, social networking, search engine optimization, blogs, Podcasting and more, to reach their target audiences with the right message. She also owns Mettler Public Relations, a Charleston, S.C.-based PR firm, and is a freelance writer for a variety of publications.

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Tags: pr, web, technology, blog, facebook

For years, businesses are using various techniques to establish a better relation with their consumers. Press release is also a vital part of every publicity campaign as it speaks volume about your business thought through the strongest mode of communication i.e. media. With ever-increasing use of internet it becomes essential for businesses to be present on web with same alacrity and aptness. Various news search engines are availing businesses the platform for perfect online business approach. Whether it is a place in editorial listing or a sponsored link, a good rank in search engine listing can bring heavy traffic to your link. Many press releases fail to attract readers just because their content does not support the keyword that makes their online presence noticeable. To avoid such problems press release optimization can be used so that your press release may solve its purpose.

Press release optimization is the greatest way to optimize the content of press release. It includes keyword research and page optimization with enhanced online press release distribution techniques. Its proper implementation can radically increase online market shares, press coverage and business revenues. For successful online business it is must to have press releases with content that hit the psychology of consumers. One must understand and provide what consumers want to read not what you want them to read. Simply, the purpose of press release is to let them know about what you have in your stock of their interest. It is futile if your press release is not able to make consumers aware of your new product, launch or achievement. Press release optimization is the best way to assure that your message has been successfully conveyed to authentic consumers and readers as it makes your press release available whenever someone searches for it.

There are many firms that offer the service of press release optimization. A wise decision of press release optimization can leverage the existing PR of your company. It is quite possible that you are having a tremendous public relation and marketing communication but it is not proving beneficial for your online business, in such a situation you can better utilize your offline goodwill with the help of press release optimization. With a little modification, this goodwill can be turned in to your online success. Your available documents can be used to solve the purpose of press release through optimization to match the high value terms and phrases that your target audience uses every day. From the business point of view this is able to add great value to your business so that it my flourish on web also.

It is proven fact that search engines are playing a vital role in developing a new concept of public relation improvement. In the present era of technology, it is no more difficult to establish a better communication channel with consumers. Press release optimization is the finest way to bridge up the gap between a business and its consumers as it makes every announcement readily available on web. Therefore, move ahead and make your promotion concept available worldwide.

Steve Waganer has specialization in Web Marketing. He is expert in Search engine optimization,Search engine marketing, Press release optimization To get the Search engine marketing tips for your website to get high rank and top position in major search engines visit this Site

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Tags: pr, online, press release, business, web

What is a press release? It is a letter that is sent out to the media, such as newspapers, magazines, radio and television about your business.

Exposing your business to the media through a press release can be a very effective advertising method. News media such as newspapers and television depend on press releases to provide interesting stories for their customers.

The media is all over the internet so why not take the time to interest them in your business? Read a few press releases before you start writing yours. It is important to use the correct format so visit free-press-release.com and prbuzz.com for some excellent examples.

Writing a press release is much different then writing an article. A press release should be brief, yet include enough information so that a journalist could put together a short article using just the information that you provide. It should not be an advertisement or a sales brochure.

Here are some press release writing tips:

1. A press release should look and sound like news.

2. Only send your press release to the media that is related to your topic.

3. Keep your press releases short. No more then one page in length.

4. The top of your release should contain your contact information and the date.

5. Try to use short sentences and double space in between lines.

6. Capture your readers attention with your title and the first few sentences.

7. Include the basics – who, what, where, when and why right from the beginning. Get to your point immediately.

8. Make sure there are no grammar or spelling mistakes. Proofread over and over.

9. End your press release with a summary.

Anyone can distribute a press release, but to be successful a press release needs to appeal to a broad audience, be professional and most of all it must be news worthy. Press release marketing may be one of the most cost effective as well as powerful forms of advertising available today. A well written informative press release will help show your readers that you know your business and will also help to brand your company or website.

Many entrepreneurs think that their online business is not newsworthy.

What might you consider newsworthy?

- A new service or product that you are offering on your website.

- The results of an online survey.

- A new website.

- An online award that your website or business has won.

- A new ezine or newsletter that you are publishing.

- Any give aways that you may be offering.

- A new ebook you wrote.

A news story can generate more business then any other form of advertising. If your fist attempt does not get much attention, keep trying until you find the right combination.

Writing a press release is something that has to be learned. The more you practice, the better you get at it.

Develop your writing skills, tell a story about something you love, like your business and the rewards can be huge.

Copyright 2007 Joe Rispoli

There are many proven, free advertising techniques available to anyone who would take the time to learn how to use them.Visit Joe Rispoli’s website at UcanTo.com, to find out how you can advertise your business for free.

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Tags: online, marketing, press release, pr, web

Public relations is defined as the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc.

There was a time when it was enough to simply have an online presence. Potential customers tended to ignore the various flaws and mistakes of online content. That trend is rapidly changing as consumers begin to expect, and in some cases demand, better quality content.

Large corporations and small businesses know that an online presence is a requirement in todays competitive environment, and successful businesses also know that attention to detail is key to grasping and holding the attention of visitors.

However, much of the attention that is paid to public relations issues excludes careful study of the company’s website content. Everyone makes mistakes but it is a given that distractions can kill a sell very quickly. It doesn’t have to be a glaring error to interrupt readers and kill the sell. All it takes is something like a misspelled word, a grammatical error, a punctuation error that breaks the readers natural flow or a simple lack of clarity on a key point, and the sell can be gone.

The company website is often the most accessed piece of a public relations material and it interacts with potential customers more than most public relations managers. The heart and soul of public relations is effective communication and a website is a communication tool. To ignore the need for having a website that can fulfill the role of a perfect communication device is the equivalent of flushing a percentage of your company’s public relations budget down the toilet.

One must understand that for many businesses, the website is the spear head of public relations. The website is where the customer gets to slow down and focus on what you are really saying. Write it incorrectly and your customers see it.

TypoBounty allows companies of all sizes to put many public relations dollars back into their pockets, while gaining the perfection of their web properties and drawing large numbers of potential customers.

Companies are able to offer small cash rewards to consumers that are able to locate and report errors that exist on their web properties. This departure from the philosophy of errors are O.K. is a great PR move. It tells your potential customers that you care about what you present to them and that you are committed to providing them your very best.

Companies have employed declarations of commitment to quality for years. However, most consumers view many of these verbal business cards as nothing more than a clich given because there was space to fill on the website. Placing a bounty on errors through TypoBounty.com says We will give you our best and pay you if you show us where we fall short. That is a much more powerful public relations statement and it actually promotes the loyalty in the customer base that typical mission statements used to.

When image is everything, a few cents per error is nothing.

The author, John Reed, has 15 years business experience and has had the opportunity to use and review multiple online marketing strategies. You can read more about avoiding the money trap of marketing and advertising online at http://www.cheap-online-advertising.com

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Tags: public relations, budget, business, web, communication

Unless you live under a rock, in the last few months, you’ve probably heard the words blogs, MySpace and Podcasts more times than you care to remember. Because some of these new Web tools have gained popularity so fast, lots of folks are jumping on the bandwagon, implementing them into both their personal and business lives without a solid strategy behind it.

While there’s no harm done if you’re cruising MySpace for a date or blogging about the day to day trials of raising twins, there can be plenty of harm done when you incorporate them into your business without a broad base of knowledge and research into who you’re trying to reach, what you’re talking about and why you’re even using these technologies.

That said, there are lots of important reasons to make these Web 2.0 tools a part of your public relations arsenal with a solid base of research and strategy backing up your plan.

Reach Reporters

One of the biggest reasons I have begun offering Web PR as part of my company’s services is to engage journalists in a new way in an effort to secure media coverage for my clients. While much of these new tools have not gained mainstream acceptance outside of the younger set, journalists are one group of professionals who have embraced these tools to search for information and ideas for articles.

Many journalists subscribe to RSS Feeds, which are a handy way to scour all the information you need from different sites all in one place. By setting up your company news releases as RSS Feeds, for example, you allow journalists to subscribe to your news by choice instead of sending it to them unsolicited. They can also review it along with all their other chosen news in one place.

Plenty of journalists are also reading blogs to get story ideas. By pitching bloggers and getting them to cover your news, your Charleston tour company, for example, may also be reaching that reporter at the Wall Street Journal who’s doing research on the most interesting ghost tours in the U.S.

Zero in on Your Target

Blogs, Podcasts, MySpace and others offer ways to really zero in and target a specific demographic and subset of people. If you specialize in hats for dogs, find the Podcast that talks about people who love to dress up their pets and you can bet you’ve got a loyal set of 100 or so listeners who will truly be interested in your product.

One downside, of course, is that you’re not reaching the huge numbers that newspapers, magazines, radio and TV offer; however, at the same time, you’re bypassing all those people who are never going to be interested in your product no matter how many times they see your ad.

Also, there has been much talk of late about the decline of traditional media. Newspapers are being displaced a bit by online news sites; radio is feeling the pinch thanks to satellite radio and the popularity of MP3 players; TV is losing some advertisers due to DVRs and the ability of folks to fast forward through the commercials. Blogs are an alternative media source and certainly should be factored into any PR plan.

Another complaint I hear often about blogs is that they are uncontrollable and less trusted. That is definitely true – it’s all about free speech, but they do have a format for response should you need to clarify any incorrect information about your company. I also suggest going to sites like Technorati.com to find the highest ranked blogs in your industry/topic, because if they have a large following, they’re likely more legit and certainly able to reach a wider crowd.

How do you pitch a blogger? And will they really consider your PR pitch? The answer is: If you approach them the right way. I simply ask them politely if they would like me to add them to my news distribution list for a particular client, and about 90% have responded yes, noting that they have to produce a lot of content (some multiple times per day) and need any and all ideas I can send their way. Of course, as with any PR pitch, you want to present usable/newsworthy information, not blatantly promotional ideas.

Get an Inside Perspective

Blogs also provide another useful service for businesses. They give you insight into what the general public is saying about your company. It’s like being able to listen in to your audience’s conversations.

I encourage all businesses to monitor blogs regularly for mention of their name, so they can stay on top of the “chatter” and address anything negative as soon as possible. A benefit of having a blog specifically for your business, written by an executive or employee, is that it provides a forum for people to post negative comments about your company or product. Why would I want to hear that, you say? Because, it’s much easier to address and manage criticism on your own blog than it is to try to find and manage it elsewhere on the Web — and in the world.

When you find negative information on other blogs; however, you should address it as best you can, clarifying any misunderstandings or inaccuracies. If the talk is all good, leave it alone and let the chatter continue.

Another reason to monitor blogs is because many of them come up high in the search engines rankings. For example, when you search for the company name of one of my clients, several blogs who have written about them come up in the top 10 list on Google. So, you’d better pay attention to what these guys are saying, because you can bet potential customers are reading them when they search for you. If the comments are negative, at least your post clarifying the issue will appear below and potential customers can read your side, as well.

Building a Buzz

Finally, when you put some of these Web 2.0 tools into your public relations plan, they serve as a great complement to other tactics such as media coverage, community relations and advertising. And in fact they all feed off one another, creating an Internet buzz that will likely raise you in the search engine rankings and drive people to your Web site (of course, your site had better be engaging and appealing once they arrive there, but that’s another article).

Newspapers and magazines are increasingly publishing more of their content on the Web, and when you receive coverage, particularly national, bloggers often use that content for their own stories, and as we mentioned earlier, journalists do the same with bloggers. This creates a loop of journalists and bloggers feeding off one another, putting more and more content about you on the Web. The more links to your site and the more people who go there, the higher up you appear in the search engines, and the bigger buzz you generate. Plus, when your potential or current clients search for you, they’re likely to see all that media coverage and “talk,” providing you with automatic credibility.

The most important point to take home here is not to write a blog, just for the sake of writing a blog, or post a page on MySpace just because everyone else is. Get to know these tools, sign up for accounts, make them a part of your daily life and learn the etiquette and environments they operate in. Then, take that information and come up with innovative and informative ways to use them to increase awareness about your company among an audience you’d like to target. I think you’ll find, if you take the time, the results can be pretty amazing and can give you an edge on the competition in a way that never existed even just six months ago.

Lyn Mettler is the owner of Mettler Public Relations, a public relations firm based in Charleston, S.C., that specializes in Web PR and media relations. Also a freelance writer and former magazine editor and TV newswriter, Lyn brings a journalist’s perspective to the world of public relations. Clients run the gamut from travel and tourism to real estate and retail. For more information, visit here

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Tags: web, technology, tool, pr, business

Custom web page design is a term you will hear many times during your quest to find a company to handle your web page development. Many companies offer custom web design but then pick from a bunch of templates and hope you wont notice, you need to check with your web page designer to see if they will use templates for your web site graphic design. Custom web design should mean exactly that custom web design. The is also an upside to using professional templates for your internet web site design that is that you can pick your style in advance, which will save you money on design time, while the designer tries to create a style for you. Your custom web site design web site designer can also take your template and have a finished site a lot quicker than building a custom site from scratch, you need to decide what is important to you price, timeframe or having a site that no one else has.

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In the five minutes it takes to read this article, more than 100 new blogs will be created. Perhaps the hottest topic in the public relations industry, blogs have emerged as the most important new communications tool since e-mail.

In the five minutes it takes to read this article, more than 100 new blogs will be created. Perhaps the hottest topic in the public relations industry, blogs have emerged as the most important new communications tool since e-mail.

Weblogs — personal online journals written by anyone from celebrities to chief executive officers — have created a world of “citizen journalism,” where news reporters and editors are no longer the only ones to determine what is news. According to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 27 percent of U.S. online adults read blogs. A majority of those readers are young, media-savvy consumers in their 20s and 30s.

Many companies and organizations have already started using blogs to communicate with stakeholders. Why? Once dismissed as fads, many blogs have proven to be very powerful alternatives to mainstream media. And, as key media such as MSNBC continue to create their own blogs, the new channel becomes increasingly integrated with established media.

Another key reason blogs should be on your radar: more and more journalists are receiving streams of blog content via automatic feeds called RSS (Really Simple Syndication). RSS feeds deliver relevant content directly to a personal news reader, similar to a wire service. It’s an easy way for journalists to wade through the blogosphere and follow their favorite companies or topics.

Locally, blogs are also gaining momentum. In April, the Rocky Mountain News announced plans for YourHub.com, an ambitious network of community Web sites that will rely on the community to share news, photos, opinions and event information. For Colorado public relations pros, a new medium like this represents a terrific opportunity to reach local audiences.

If you haven’t considered blogs as part of your comprehensive public relations strategy, it’s time to take a closer look. To get yourself up to speed on blogs, try the following:

- Try It: Download a news reader of your own, add your own feeds and see for yourself how it all works. News readers are available for free download on sites such as FeedReader.com and NewzCrawler.com.

- Do Your Homework: Spend some time searching the Internet for blogs that post content of interest to your company or clients. For help, find an expert who already knows the most influential blogs and how to find them. For many organizations, a good first step is to conduct a blog audit to see what is posted about your company or industry.

- Create Your Own Blog: For many organizations, it makes sense to create a blog that functions as an authority on industry issues or communicates with stakeholders. For help, find an agency familiar with blogs that can help you assemble a blog, brainstorm topics and create updates.

- Know Your Blogger: Reaching bloggers can be a tough prospect. If the blogger is a journalist, you may already have an existing relationship. In any case, be sure to approach bloggers with a spirit of sharing information, rather than traditional “pitching.” Remember, blogging is more about conversations, and less about “pushing” information. That’s also why they’re so popular.

Like any new communication tool, it remains to be seen just how deeply blog relations will become rooted into public relations strategy. But for now, it’s essential that organizations recognize their impact. One thing is for sure: with more new media outlets than ever, organizations who do the best job of communicating with customers in a variety of creative ways will be this decade’s big winners.

J.D. McCartney is CEO of Xstatic Public Relations. For more information check this site.

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Tags: communication, tool, media relations, blog, web

If you’re an online business using public relations (PR) to help increase traffic at your site, you’ve found a great way to gain exposure at little cost. And before you know it, the day will come when you are invited to do an interview with a reporter. It’s exciting, but scary. What do you do? How do you prepare?

First, be prepared when the telephone rings. If you sent out a release recently, have it at your fingertips.

Get some information yourself before you answer any questions: Ask the reporter:

* his or her name?

* the name of the news outlet?

* his or her phone number?

* what exactly is the story they are working on?

* are they coming on-site to do the interview or will this be a phone interview?

Then buy yourself some time. If this is an onsite interview, it you’ll already have time to prepare. If it’s a phone interview, you need to ask for the extra time you need to get ready.

Most reporters deadlines aren’t immediate but within a couple of hours. Ask the reporter what his or her deadline is. If you have some time tell them you’ll call them back in 15 minutes or half-hour, so you can gather what you need.

Here’s some tips to get you ready for your 15 minutes (or more) of fame.

Before the interview:

1. Practice your answers to the questions that will most likely be asked – both the easy and the difficult ones. Prepare and practice so your statements will flow smoothly.

2.Consider the main messages that you want the audience to receive. Make a list of three major points, and practice saying these three points to yourself until you can speak them smoothly and confidently, without stumbling.

3. Be prepared to tell brief anecdotes and short stories. Find a way to mix one or more of your three main marketing messages into each anecdote.

4. Avoid trying to be humorous or telling negative stories. Both will most likely backfire, making you look like the fool.

During the interview:

5. Try to include your three main points as much as possible. Your interview is likely to be edited prior to publishing or broadcasting. By repeating your main points, you reduce the possibility that your preferred message will be edited out.

6. Speak in plain English. Remember the average newspaper’s reading level is at grade six. Using jargon or trying to sound more important or educated by using big words will only make it hard to use your sound bites or quotes.

7. Don’t lie. Ever. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so, but offer to find out the answer and get back to the reporter.

8. Remember, there really is no such thing as ‘off the record.’ Everything you say to a reporter is fair game to use. Don’t say anything to a reporter you wouldn’t want everyone in the world to know about!

9. When you’ve made your point, stop talking. Silence by a reporter could mean two things: either they are taking notes and haven’t caught up with what you’re saying, or it’s a tactic to get you to say more than you want to reveal.

10. Don’t ask if you can see the story before it goes to print. It’s the most insulting thing you can do to a reporter. After all, they are the experts in their jobs, you are not. How would you feel if someone challenged your expertise?

Shannon Cherry, APR, MA helps businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations to be heard. She’s a marketing communications and public relations expert with more than 15 years experience and the owner of Cherry Communications. Subscribe today for Be Heard! a FREE biweekly ezine and get the FREE special report: “Be the Big Fish: Three No-Cost Publicity Tactics to Help You Be Heard.” Go to this site.

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Tags: public relations, web, traffic, online, tips