Successful PR Tactics

PR campaigns can be the difference between successful and unsuccessful ventures – and they’re the lifeblood for getting your company’s stories into the public eye.

We’ve previously posted a blog about how to write a press release, but where do you go from there? There are a couple of different strategies out there for cultivating a PR buzz both in print and online:

1. Distributing a press release

Releasing a press release is pretty easy now. There are a number of searchable databases available, such as PRWeb, PRLeap, and ClickPress, where you can upload your press release for a fee. Journalists and media members with access to these sites will be able to search databases for relevant information or story ideas. In some cases, these sites will also distribute your press release to journalists or send your release to industry-related sites or news hubs. It’s a good idea to upload your press releases to these sites so that your news is archived and available to the online community.

2. Targeting the Media

A really successful PR campaign will include directly contacting media sources. And the more respect and courtesy you show them, the more receptive they’ll be to the ideas you’re sending.

Good old fashioned etiquette and research go a long way in this business. Try the following:

  • Identify the correct local or regional media contacts and pay close attention to their style of reporting.
  • Find out their preferred methods for pitching a story – maybe they only want emails, or maybe they want to be pitched on the phone, afternoons only.
  • After identifying local and regional media contacts, broaden your range to include national, international, blog, and online contacts.
  • Review, update, and double-check your lists regularly – the easiest way to the trash bin is to send your press release to the wrong person or a deleted email address.

For more best-practice media relations tips, check out the Media Relations blog with suggestions straight from the horse’s mouth: journalists themselves.

Why Businesses Should Use Myspace

Principles that have traditionally been used for search engine optimization are now being applied to a new wave of internet marketing techniques – social media optimization, or SMO. That’s using things like Myspace, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

But aren’t networks like Myspace only for the Generation Nexters? The typical Myspace encompasses a broad demographic, since Myspace is still currently the big kahuna of social networks. Should businesses use this Myspace thing after all, or just forget it?

The answer is definitely yes, especially if you already have a social media marketing campaign underway and you have a little time to dedicate to updating your profiles. Companies who feel that they don’t have enough time for Myspace, or that there isn’t a need for a business profile on Myspace should consider the following:

1. Word of Mouth

Any business revolves around one thing: relations. Today, most companies operate using traditional modes of communication, mainly telephones and email. And Myspace can be used as just another mode of communication to link with current, past, and potential customers. With Myspace, you build your community by adding friends. And then their friends can link to your profile as well. Features like bulletins are used in the same way as email – only it blankets your entire “friend” base at once. For instance, you can post a bulletin about a current promotion and have it appear on your entire community’s homepage as soon as they log in. By providing content that is entertaining and useful, you can start connecting and building relationships with clients using new, internet-based communication tools.

2. Search Engine Optimization

Search engines pick up Myspace pages – what better way to multiply your internet presence by having an page, in addition to your website, where users can go and check out your business.

3. Pictures and Video

Engage your target audience by uploading pictures of yourself, your offices, your products, your logo, and even printable coupons or whatever you feel is relevant – it will give your audience a better understanding of who you are and what you can offer. There’s also an option for you to upload video to your page. Myspace videos can become viral, meaning that if one user likes it, they recommend it to their friends, and then their friends’ friends, and so on.

4. Company Overview

Your Myspace profile is an extension of your business. You can customize your profile to match your company’s colors, and give users a detailed overview of your company and your product offerings. Having your business on Myspace allows you to market your brand to over 100 million current users.

Ultimately, the decision is yours: Only you know your business’ specific needs and your specific client demographic. Myspace may or may not be the right fit. For more reading about Social Media Optimization and to determine if Myspace is right for your business, check out Associate Content’s article, Using Myspace to Promote a Company’s Visibility.

How to measure the results of your SMM campaign.

With all the push for businesses to invest in and create social media marketing campaigns, more and more companies are jumping on the bandwagon. And this is definitely a good thing. But there is a common misconception that a social media marketing campaign can yield highly scalable results in a short period of time. Yet this is something that needs major clarification.

The fact is, it’s just not feasible to completely quantify the results of your social media marketing campaign.

It’s an issue that www.doshdosh.com draws attention to in this blog about ROI and social media. The blog explores the benefits of social media marketing, and how to use it to your advantage. But most importantly, it says that the results of your SMM efforts are “not direct and immediate.”

What does this mean? Social media marketing is a great tool when used properly – it just takes a little time and TLC before the results can be seen. To some degree, results can be measured by paying attention to the number of hits to your websites from social profiles, social bookmarking sites, forums, and other sites where you are connecting to your audience through SMM.

However, the difficult part to measure is the “general PR effect” of your campaign – meaning you have no way of knowing who passes your information around or who remembered your brand name weeks later after reading a cool article on Digg. Unfortunately, without personally tracking each customer down and insisting they tell you exactly how your social media marketing campaign has affected them, it’s hard to get true tracking on your campaign.

So what do you do?
Even though collecting complete stats for your SMM campaign can be tricky, you can still get a good feel for what’s working. First, you need dedicate yourself to giving each SMM tactic a good run. Keep at it. Since your campaign typically won’t start a buzz overnight, push your campaign hard for six months to a year. Keep your social profiles updated, post blogs often, respond to any feedback you get, and build as many relationships as you can. The longer you push, the more of a presence you will create in the industry. Establish your brand in every way you can then “measure” which of your techniques are working best.

After a year, you should be able to concentrate on the areas that are drawing the most attention. If your online articles are getting tons of feedback, devote your time to writing more of them. If people are swarming to your LinkedIn profile, keep on connecting with them. Maximize your time and campaign by focusing on the marketing outlets that are specifically working for you, and you’re likely to watch your clientele grow immensely.