Posts Tagged ‘PR’

The Future of Public Relations and Marketing

Monday, June 1st, 2009

Last week we came across an interesting article on Web 2.0 Journal calling for the end of PR.

The argument was that some 70 percent of current PR firms won’t survive the future “avalanche” of social media.

Furthermore, according to the article’s author Fuat Kircaali, 90 percent of today’s firms are only in business because of SEC rules that dictate publicly traded companies must communicate by press release.

I disagree with this theory.

While the future of the public relations landscape may not look like it currently does now, I don’t think PR is at risk of extinction.

So what will the future of public relations and marketing look like?

Big PR firms will maybe shrink in number a bit – call it consolidation. Major accounts like Nike, Microsoft and Apple aren’t going anywhere, but I suspect smaller companies will start looking internally for their PR efforts.

In-house writers and bloggers will work to create engaging content and media across a variety of online sites. Most companies already have a blog, but the rising influence of social media will probably place a greater emphasis on maintaining and updating the blog.

Companies will be looking to send prospective clients and customers to their Website via sites like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, and a blog can make for an informative and engaging landing site.

In-house “PR” isn’t of course limited to the written word. Videos can be created and uploaded to sites like YouTube and Vimeo. Images can be posted on sites like Flickr. These aren’t sites to be used for spamming, but for sharing of real content that will interest viewers.

Of course this will place a premium on creativity – something usually outsourced to a large PR firm – but having someone with a digital art and communications degree on salary can give smaller companies a more cost-effective option.

Social media accounts have boomed in recent years, led in a large part by LiveJournal and MySpace. Sites like Facebook, Digg and Twitter have followed, along with innumerous others. Some, like Facebook have grown to far surpass LiveJournal and MySpace.

While it’s important for companies to have these online profiles and identities and to keep them active, it makes little fiscal sense to have social media sent to a PR firm. Your company’s Twitter profile can and SHOULD be managed by someone, or multiple someones, within the company itself.

Keeping your image online personable and “real” is what really counts on these social media sites. Consumers can see right through blatant brand marketing most of the time, so you should approach a site like Twitter with the idea that it’s a place to communicate and share with the community at large.

The future of public relations and marketing also lies in online branding and reputation management.

Any Joe Plumber with a blog and a bit of spare time can pick apart your business if they choose to. Knowing how to monitor online buzz and how to respond is already a valuable part of PR.

But is this something that must be sent to a big firm?

Again, I don’t think so. Sites like Splitweet already exist to help the in-house public relations specialist to monitor what’s going on and being said about the company and industry. Techrigy is another great option for monitoring online buzz.

With so many available sites to create profiles, share content and participate in the community, there are equal numbers of places to brand your company, build your image and increase word of mouth advertising.

The future of public relations and marketing will also include HTML5.0 applications like the forthcoming Google Wave.

While we won’t know the full potential of such applications until they go live, as you can see from the video, the potential for a media-rich online collaborative public relations campaign is there.

So while we may see some of the bigger public relations firms consolidate over the course of the next 5-10 years, I don’t believe PR will go extinct. Press releases are only one of many tools when it comes to properly managing public relations.

We’re simply seeing the evolution of the industry.

By: Zack S.

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The Power of the Press Release for Search Engine Optimization

Monday, May 4th, 2009

In the days of old, press releases were written by powerful PR professionals in high-rise offices and then submitted directly to journalists for major newspapers. The goal was (and still is) for a major news source like the New York Times to pick up the story and print it for their millions of readers.

The internet has changed the press release landscape, though many of the same rules still apply. Press releases should still be written in proper AP style, with correct grammar and punctuation. The casual writing style of most blogs should be avoided, since many news sources quickly dismiss unprofessional press releases. What has changed is that press releases are no longer limited to the realm of big business PR…virtually anyone can do it! That being said, you must play by the rules if you want to be successful.

Each press release should have value to it. Everyone wants the opportunity to tout themselves or their company, but simply promoting for promotion’s sake isn’t effective. Online press release distributors are much more relaxed with these rules (some are stricter), so you may be able to get away with more than the Times would publish. Nevertheless, it’s important to stick with newsworthy events. Think: product launches, new hires, new services, company-sponsored events, annual reports etc.

A well written press release may not land on page 1 of the New York Times, but page 1 of Google and Yahoo can be just as exciting and lucrative.

When writing a press release, keep in mind some simple search engine optimization tactics. Use an eye-catching headline that includes one of the key words you’d like to be found for. For this blog post, I wanted “press release” and “search engine optimization” included.

An effective press release can vary a bit in length, but you should aim for 3-5 paragraphs, and most certainly fewer than 500 words. Write in clear, concise language, and be sure to include your company name and the industry you work in. If you’re releasing a new product or service, include details like when the product/service will be available and the locations they can be found.

“(Company) is pleased to announce the release of its latest (product). Available in most major electronic stores on May 15, the new (product) is expected to improve (whatever it does).”

Always, always include a company profile at the end of the press release. In it you should describe the company, how long it has been around, the business it operates, location(s) or base of operations, etc. Also include a way for readers to contact you, like a phone number or email address. Some people choose to include their Web address here too.

Once you’ve written your press release, you’re going to want to go back over it with a fine tooth comb. Cut out excess words and fluff sentences. The idea is that a news source will contact you and ask questions for more information. I’ve heard that some writers will cut out 40-50% of their writing when they edit their press releases! If you include a bunch of sales text and self-promoting sentences, your writing will be dismissed very quickly.

Next you’ll need to submit your press release to a variety of news sources and distribution sites. It doesn’t hurt to submit your story to your local newspapers and TV stations – especially if your announcement is locally focused. I also recommend a number of free online press release sites including 24-7 PressRelease, 1888PressRelease, PR.com, and many more. Premium pay-sites include Prweb.com.

When USA SEO Pros submits a press release, we usually do so to nearly 40 distribution centers. This improves the likelihood of publication (not every site will publish every press release) and will increase the sheer volume of sites that will have your information about your company!

Search engines love press releases from reputable sites because they recognize the fresh, dynamic content. Stale is the last thing you want for SEO, and a press release is a great way to remind the world that your company exists and that you’re doing some exciting things.

USASEOPros offers press release writing and distribution services to our clients and many have taken advantage of it. We take the time to research your company and your industry, and then we craft a concise, well written press release that will dramatically improve your search engine ranking position!

Any amount of quality, professional content that provides relevant information to the reader will always perform well for SEO. A press release is a fantastic way to get started! If you have any questions or would like more information about press release distribution, submit your inquiries to press@usaseopros.com.

By: Zack S.

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Posted in Blog Posts | 1 Comment »