Inbound Marketing Lessons from our Founding Fathers

By Laurel Miltner | Posted 07/02/09 13:35 PM | Comments ( 1 ) | Filed in: Business, Internet Marketing

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All the chatter online this week about “free” (Chris Anderson’s new book, Malcolm Gladwell’s review of said book, and many others’ thoughts on free and the future of business models), really got my wheels turning.

With the 4th of July just around the corner (and thanks to a thoughtful Facebook post from a former professor regarding freedom of the press) I started thinking about the implications our freedoms, rights, and perceived rights have on business practices — particularly online.

I started wondering what a Bill of Rights would be like if it were written for consumers today, in a time when people basically have the world at their fingertips.  What rights do we have — or should we have — as consumers, and how can businesses cater to them?

The Consumers' Bill of Rights

For the sake of this blog post, let’s assume that our ideal business exists because it offers a product or service which the company’s executives and employees truly believe solves a consumer problem, improves the standard way of doing something, or otherwise betters quality of life in one way or another.

(If you don’t know what the actual Bill of Rights entails – see the United States Bill of Rights Wikipedia page.)

First amendment

Consumers shall have the right to information; your company shall provide helpful information about your industry and products or services.

The rise of the social Web has taken the freedom of the press and free speech beyond what our founding fathers ever could have imagined.  This gives consumers the ability to heavily research any topic of interest and seek out information as they need it.

Your job is to create and share information about your industry.  Blog, publish eBooks, case studies, whitepapers, thoughtpapers — and make them free.  Let your potential customers really get to know you, and your company.  Give them the information they need to make an educated purchase decision.  When they are ready to buy, if you are the best fit for them, they will know where to find you.

Second Amendment

Consumers shall have the right to not be “sold;” your company shall implement a smart sales strategy.

By integrating analytics into your Website, assessing visitor behavior and conversion rates, and gathering lead intelligence, you should be able to get a pretty clear understanding of who your best buyers are, and what makes a qualified lead.

Instead of cold calling or mass mailing laundry lists of people, use this information to cater to your potential customers’ needs.  Talk to them about their problems and what your product or service can do to help.  Sell smart.

Third Amendment

Consumers shall have the right to join groups and discussions on a given topic and know whom they are taking to; your company shall never allow representatives to pretend to be someone they are not.

People join online communities and post on discussion boards because they care about a particular topic, they want to learn and share information with others.  Some companies think that a great way to create positive buzz online is to have an employee pretend to be a customer and rave about their product or services in these community or forum discussions.

Not only is this shady, but people often see through it.  Nobody wants phonies in their communities.

Fourth Amendment

Consumers shall have the right to find the information they are looking for online quickly and easily; your company shall help them in this task, authentically.

Everyone knows that most people these days use search engines when looking for information.  Make sure that your Website is optimized for search engines and for searchers.  Don’t fall into the black hat SEO trap of trying to manipulate your rankings.  Eventually, the search engines will recognize this and penalize your site, but more importantly, your potential customers will not appreciate you trying to scam them into considering your company.

Fifth Amendment

Consumers shall have the right to know what your company truly stands for; your company shall operate ethically and stay true to its core values.

We’ve all heard stories about leaked memos, people saying things online without thinking, and other business horror stories.  When hiring, make sure you only invite people that you trust to join your team, and that your employees adhere to the company’s core values.  Don’t let phony people jeopardize your brand or incriminate themselves by acting foolishly.

Sixth Amendment

Consumers shall have the right to share their opinions about your company online; your company shall listen and join in conversation.

Remember that gross Domino’s video that hit YouTube a few months back?  Remember how long it took for the CEO of the company to respond?  Sure, it was only about two days later, but by that time, millions of people had viewed the video of Domino’s employees desecrating customer’s food.  Your company needs to monitor the Web, know what people are saying about it, and when necessary, respond in a timely manner.

Seventh Amendment

Consumers shall decide for themselves if you are helpful and interesting enough to tell others about; your company shall be rewarded for doing things smarter, better, faster, bigger and more creatively than your competition.

It’s widely accepted that the number factor in search engine rankings is inbound links to your Website.  In other words, if people like something you did enough to share it, you’re doing something right.  You will be judged by the value you create.

Eighth Amendment

Consumers shall have the right to choice; your company shall not talk poorly about competitors for the sole purpose of making your stuff look better.

Let’s face it — people can see through the crap.  Instead of bashing your competition, why not build relationships with them?  I’m sure that there are a lot of things that they are doing right.  As people in the same industry, why not share your thoughts and ideas?

There are millions of people in the world — if your company is right for someone, they will know it.  But your competitor might have a different approach that is right for someone else.  Embrace competition, tell them what they are doing right, and learn from their successes (and blunders) to help make your company better.

Ninth Amendment

Consumers shall have the right to disagree with you and your opinions, and make legitimate complaints about your company, product or service; your company shall allow people to air their grievances.

The social Web is about conversations and relationships.  Not everyone is going to think that your company is the best, the smartest or the coolest thing out there.  Other peoples’ opinions matter just as much, if not more than, yours.  If someone leaves a comment on your blog telling you that you’re wrong, or they disagree with your opinion, listen to them and see what you can learn.  Respond intelligently and thank them for their thoughts. 

If someone gives you a negative comment on Facebook, or a bad review somewhere, don’t try to take it down or push it away — engage your critics and see what you can do to improve their experience with, and opinion of, your company.

Tenth Amendment

Consumers, collectively, shall decide which businesses will succeed; your company shall innovate ahead of the crowd and be the best.

This is what it all comes down to.  Consumers are connected and collectively intelligent enough to do their research, sift through the scammers, and decide what companies they want to work with.  The only way to succeed in the world today is to be the best.  

If you try to push out a mediocre product or half-hearted service, offer decent customer service and don’t provide enough value for your buyer’s dollars, people will not want to do business with you again, and they will tell their friends not to do business with you, and word will trickle down, and your business will fail.

But, if you create and offer the best services or products in your industry, provide the best customer service and give great value to your buyers, then people will like you, and they will tell their friends about you, and they will tell their friends, and so on, and so forth… and your business will be a success.

The only question is — are you up for the challenge?

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Recession-Themed Marketing: Three Lessons from Schooner Tuna

By Christina Capadona-Schmitz | Posted 06/25/09 16:00 PM | Comments ( 0 ) | Filed in: Advertising, Brand Marketing

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Get out of bed each day and chances are you’ll hear a marketing message tied to the economy.  From car companies offering to cover monthly payments for those that lose their jobs, to budget-friendly brand offshoots, trying times have created new opportunities for companies to communicate with their audiences.

With all the economy-based marketing messages out there in these conditions, “bailout” promotions and similar messages have become white noise.  It’s almost expected that companies should be doing something to help out their loyal customers during troubling financial times.

So what makes a message stand out from the competition in this economic environment? What drives consumers to spend the limited money they have now and build brand loyalty for the future? How do businesses project sincerity in the delivery of these campaigns?  Let's look at one of Hollywood's most famous economy-based ad campaigns.

The Schooner Tuna Campaign

In the 1983 movie “Mr. Mom,” Terri Garr’s character Caroline Butler is thrown back into the workforce when trying economic times remove Jack Butler (Michael Keaton) from his architecture job.  While comedy ensues on the home front, Caroline breaks through barriers at her new advertising job.

At a campaign pitch meeting for premium brand Schnooner Tuna, Caroline offers the idea of “Tuna with a heart,” based on her experiences as a stay-at-home Mom.  The pitch: reduce the price of each can of the premium Schooner Tuna by $.50 to help families through the tough times.

There are articles published each week about recession marketing, including plenty of references to Mr. Mom and the tuna ads in relation to current advertising and marketing campaigns.  I’ve gathered three simple takeaway lessons from the Schooner Tuna campaign:

1) Relate to your audience now to gain loyalty in the future.

Calling on her recent experience as a mom and housewife, Caroline was the only person in the Schooner Tuna pitch meeting that knew how to talk to the decision makers – and what they’d respond to:

A September 2008 Misery Index blog post “Schooner Tuna Where Are You When We Need You,”  explains it well: “From “Yum Yum Tuna Bits” to “The Tuna With a Heart”, it was she who brought the priorities of consumers - of moms like her - to that boardroom. She reminded Humphries that housewives didn’t need corporate gimmicks, but in fact needed a break on the high price of tuna. And by doing this, Schooner Tuna would win over the housewives’ loyalty.”

A similar reference is found in the Haggin Marketing January 2009 post “America, we’re doing this for you,”: “Caroline knew that if Mr. Humphrey lowered the price of a can of tuna so American housewives could stretch their grocery dollar, then they would be loyal to Schooner Tuna for life.”

While bigger companies may be able to reach a wider audience through larger campaigns, small businesses could have the advantage of knowing their customers on a more personal level, thus being able to respond to the struggles the customers are facing, which the businesses may actually share. A June 9 post in The Wall Street Journal Small Business section gives a few examples of this:  In Recession Specials, Small Firms Revise Pricing - Discounts and Lower-End Offerings Help Lure Cash-Strapped Customers.

2) Offer savings without discounting the value of your product or service.

The fictitious Schooner Tuna was a premium brand.  President Mr. Humphrey solidifies this position in his commercial for the “Tuna with a Heart” campaign with the line “When these difficult times are over, we will return to our regular pricing…”
 
The last thing you want to do by offering savings or discounts, is to devalue your product or service in the eyes of current and potential customers. If you offer a premium brand or service, there’s the option to find ways that your customers’ dollars can go further, such as investing into community programs to support schools or other initiatives, without taking the leap into price lowering. However, if affordability is one of your strong suits, don’t be afraid to let it shine.

Keep in mind, that although the recession may be thought of as a temporary situation, it can have lasting effects and represent a shift in peoples’ buying habits, no matter the duration.

An example of this can been seen in the recently published story on the luxury handbag company Coach, and its decision to develop and launch a less expensive brand. The line, called “Poppy,” runs an average of 20 percent less than their normal product, while retaining the quality and luxury image associated with the current brand. 

On the contrary, Tiffany’s luxury brand was not willing to risk sacrificing its high-end status, and stated last quarter that it would not cut prices despite falling sales and earnings.

The right approach can vary from company to company, but if you are able to retain the value of your product or service in the minds of customers, they’ll be more willing to pay that extra $.50 for your tuna when the economy improves. 

3) Be sincere.

In the movie, Mr. Humphrey’s excitement in the boardroom when “Tuna with a heart” is introduced doesn’t appear to be derived from the opportunity to help his fellow man.  He has found a clever way to sell tuna.  The cheesy commercial confirms this, especially in the delivery of his closing remarks, “Remember, we’re all in this together.”

While the long-term effects of the Schooner Tuna campaign are unknown (no “Mr. Mom 2” that I’ve seen), it’s safe to say people can see through lack of sincerity, and today can search online product reviews and comments through their social networks to confirm.   This especially rings true if you offer a discount or promotion and don’t deliver on the promises.

It’s simply hard for people to take corporate spokespersons, such as CEOs of large companies, seriously when they say “we are in this together,” and actions speak louder than words. Earlier this year, Under Armour premium sports wear company CEO and founder Kevin Plank voluntarily cut his 2008 salary to $26,000 – the amount he made in 1996 when he started the company – until financial performance improved.  It could be perceived as a small sacrifice on his part, but a potentially large impact on customer loyalty.

Sincerely having interest in the welfare of customers will make it easier to generate quality messages that last through any state of the economy.  

What economy-based campaigns have resonated with you?  What could marketers do better to gain loyalty, retain value and project sincerity in their campaigns?

Additional resources:

• In February, AdWeek posted 10 Things to Remember in Marketing in a Recession
• BusinessWeek has an entire feed on Recession Marketing in the Business Exchange section
• NY Times April 2009 article: Sellers Woo Shoppers With Guarantees to Address Layoff Worries

In Search of Answers and Inspiration

By Paul Roetzer | Posted 06/21/09 13:00 PM | Comments ( 5 ) | Filed in: Business

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When was the last time you went back?

For me it was Father’s Day 2009. After dropping my dad off from brunch, I found myself drawn to Thrush Park in Cleveland.

Just minutes from where I was raised, Thrush was my place of dreams growing up. 

From the baseball diamonds to the basketball courts, I spent more than 10 years of my life at Thrush learning invaluable lessons about victory, defeat, fear, failure, passion, dedication, risk, reward, pride and street smarts.

Sometimes to find direction and focus, we have to look back on what got us where we are today.

One of the most exciting things about being an entrepreneur is the unknown. It’s the adrenaline rush that comes from taking risks and venturing down the road less traveled.  But that also means you’re often in search of answers, and inspiration. 

So, on the first day of summer, I found myself sitting at the park of summers past searching for solutions.

What I discovered were lessons learned as a child that have taken on entirely new meaning as an entrepreneur:

• Don’t be intimidated by larger, stronger competitors. Be willing to take risks they can’t, or won’t.
• If you want to be the best, don’t waste your time (and others) talking about it. No one cares about what you’re going to do, so just focus your energy on doing.
• It’s more exciting when the odds are against you. Always fight like the underdog.
• There’s no substitute for practice and experience. No amount of studying and academic achievements will give you the street smarts and common sense needed to succeed in business, and in life.

Where do you go for answers and inspiration?

I’m always fascinated by what motivates people. I’d love to hear about the places, events, books, music and people that inspire you, and help you solve the challenges of business . . .

Paul Roetzer is founder and president of PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. He can be found on Twitter @PaulRoetzer

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Top PR Firms Fail to Make the Grade Online

By Paul Roetzer | Posted 06/17/09 13:30 PM | Comments ( 5 ) | Filed in: Public Relations

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PRWeek recently released the 2009 Agency Business Report, ranking the top 156 PR firms in the industry by 2008 U.S. revenue totals.

According to the report, “Total growth for all companies that filed this year and last was 6.8%, notably down from the 15% of like firms in 2007.” And these numbers don’t even account for the 48 firms that submitted rankings last year, but did not do so this year.

Meanwhile, Forrester VP and principal analyst Shar VanBoskirk reports that interactive budgets, including: mobile marketing, social media, email marketing, display advertising and search marketing, will reach $55 billion by 2014, at a compound annual growth rate of 17%.

So what are the top PR firms doing to capitalize on the explosive growth of interactive marketing, the incredible influence of the social Web and the oasis of opportunity in content marketing?

Well, considering that 61.5% of PRWeek’s top PR firms don’t even have a blog, it appears the industry at large is struggling to integrate social media, SEO and other interactive strategies.

WebsiteGrader.com Highlights and Agency Scores

To get a true feel for how PR firms are performing online, we ran PRWeek’s list through Website Grader, and pulled scores for each agency. The scores are on a 1-100 scale, with 100 being the best. Reports for each agency were run the week of June 8, 2009.

As we wrote in the Dawn of the Inbound Marketing Agency, the social Web has given savvy PR firms the ability to dramatically expand their service offerings in the areas of content publishing, social media, blogging, search marketing, pay-per-click advertising and Website development, but apparently there is much work to be done in order for that to become reality.

While a number of the top firms have strong Website grades, it’s clear that collectively the Websites are below average (49.1/100), and firms are failing to grasp the importance and impact of blogging (96 out of 156 do not have blogs).

WebsiteGrader.com Scores (1 – 100 Scale)

Website Grader is a free SEO tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of a Website. It provides a score that incorporates things like Website traffic, SEO, social popularity and other technical factors. It also provides some basic advice on how the website can be improved from a marketing perspective. A score of 49 means that of the more than 1 million URLs scored in Website Grader, 51% have scored higher in terms of marketing effectiveness.

All sites were graded using the Website Grader tool within PR 20/20's HubSpot account during the week of June 8, 2009.

• Avg. Website Grade (all firms) = 49.1
• Avg. Website Grade (top 10 firms) = 77.7
• Avg. Website Grade (top 50 firms) = 60.0
• Avg. Website Grade (top 100 firms) = 56.1
• Grade of 90 or better = 6 (3.8%)
• Grade of less than 75 = 130 (83.3%)
• Grade of less than 50 = 78 (50.0%)

Alexa Traffic Rank

Alexa is an online service that measures traffic for millions of sites on the Internet in a similar way to Nielsen television show ratings. The lower the number, the higher the volume of traffic to a site.

• Avg. Alexa Rank (all firms) = 4,493,700
• 22 firms (14.1%) in the top 1,000,000
• 11 firms (7.1%) in the top 500,000

Blogs

Website Grader shows how blogs currently rank with Technorati. PR 20/20 checked each of the 156 sites independently to confirm whether a blog was hosted on the domain or not. Therefore, only blogs hosted on the agency’s primary domain as either a subdomain (blog.agency.com) or subdirectory (agency.com/blog) are included in this report.

As with Alexa traffic rankings, the lower the Technorati ranking, the stronger the blog.

• No blog found = 96 (61.5%)
• Blogs in top 500,000 Technorati ranking = 2 (1.3%)

Google Indexed Pages

This shows the approximate number of pages that have been stored in the Google index. Search engines tend to like lots of fresh and relevant content, so the more pages, the better.

• More than 1,000 = 7 (4.4%)
• Less than 100 = 67 (42.9%)

Inbound Links

Search engines view each inbound link as a vote of confidence for your site, and they have a direct impact on how your site ranks in the search engines. The more links, the better.

• More than 1,000 inbound links = 40 (25.6%)
• Less than 100 = 30 (19.2%)

Website Grades for PRWeek’s Top PR Firms

Following are WebsiteGrader.com scores for the top 25 firms in order of 2008 revenue totals, according to PRWeek’s Agency Business Report. 

1. Edelman — 98
2. Waggener Edstron Worldwide — 78
3. Ruder Finn — 94
4. APCO Worldwide — 73
5. Qorvis Communications — 74
6. Schwartz Communications — 86
7. ICR — 67
8. Text 100 Public Relations — 91
9. DKC — 40
10. Taylor Global — 76
11. WeissComm Group — 28
12. Gibbs & Soell — 51
13. Padilla Speer Beardsley — 89
14. PCGCampbell — 18
15. Outcast Communications — 53
16. Peppercom — 88
17. Davies — 23
18. French/West/Vaughan — 72
19. PainePR — 28
20. Allison & Partners — 63
21. RF/Binder Partners — 45
22. Capstrat — 84
23. 5W Public Relations — 74
24. Coyne Public Relations — 62
25. KCSA Strategic Communications — 42

Download the complete Website Grader report (PDF file) with scores for all 156 firms. The report includes: PRWeek ranking, URL, Website Grade, Google PageRank, Alexa Traffic Rank, Technorati Blog Rank, Inbound Links, Bookmarks, Google Indexed Pages and Blog Presence.

About the PRWeek Agency Business Report

Holding company figures: The 2009 rankings do not include the majority of agencies owned by the following holding companies: Interpublic Group, Omnicom, WPP Group, Havas, and Publicis Groupe.

Data: Revenue is defined as fee income earned in the US, mark-up on billable items, and, when applicable, advertising commissions up to 10% of fee income. Revenue from subsidiaries and affiliates was not included if there was less than 50% ownership, while n/a denotes not applicable, where the agency did not submit the figure.

Visit PRWeekUS.com for additional information.

Paul Roetzer is founder and president of PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. He can be found on Twitter @PaulRoetzer

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8 Crucial Elements to PR Education

By Tracy DiMarino | Posted 06/15/09 11:30 AM | Comments ( 0 ) | Filed in: Public Relations

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“Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.” — Albert Einstein

Unfortunately, the majority of colleges take this approach with PR curriculum.

In our post, “10 Public Relations Trends That Will Change The Industry Forever,” we discussed how inbound marketing, such as Internet-based services, the social Web and search are changing the face of PR. As a result, PR education must also evolve.

Times have changed for graduates. In addition to traditional media relations, graduates are expected to be well versed in all things social Web and SEO related. However, most curriculums have not adjusted their teaching methods to accommodate these changes.

To create PR pros for the 21st century, educators must bring the social Web into their classrooms, while simultaneously taking their classrooms to the Web. As a recent college graduate, I discussed this topic with some of my peers and gathered their suggestions on how to adjust PR education to fit today’s industry. Here are a few of their responses:

1.    Make Twitter a Part of Classroom Discussions

Twitter can drive participation, especially in large lecture classes, where a few outspoken individuals can dominate the conversation and time constraints prohibit everyone from sharing their opinions. In this situation, Twitter can provide an outlet for all students to express their opinions and share resources.

An example of this can be seen at my alma mater, Ohio University, where a professor designated the hashtag #ouj412 for his Journalism Ethics class to encourage classroom participation. While I was not part of the class, below is a snapshot of the conversation:

2.    Share Classroom Resources Via Social Bookmarking Sites

Social bookmarking sites, such as Delicious and StumbleUpon, are an ideal place for students and instructors to share relevant articles and blogs about classroom topics. Storing the information in a centralized location online makes it readily accessible to all students 24/7. It also enables students to share content with each other and encourages active learners.

3.    Incorporate Blogging into the Lesson Plan

Educators should substitute blog posts for some traditional-writing assignments. For example, instead of having students write a two-page opinion paper about an industry trend or concept, why not have them write a blog post? Writing blog posts on a regular basis familiarizes students with the platform and its features. Also, by encouraging students to subscribe to and comment on each other’s blogs, students will learn how to participate in the blogosphere.

4.    Use Wikis for Group Projects

Group projects typically involve collaboration. As a recent college graduate, I remember all too clearly emailing a document to multiple group members for their feedback and then having to consolidate each person’s edits into one final paper. Wikis can simplify this process by enabling multiple people to edit the same document, saving valuable time for everyone involved.

5.    Substitute eBooks for Textbooks

The growth of eBooks online is making the purchase of textbooks less important. eBooks are published regularly so they often include new trends that textbooks may not, and using eBooks exposes students to the formats, layouts, etc. that are most effective in displaying content online.

Here are some example eBooks that I’d recommend to PR students and professors:

• The New Rules of PR
• How to Use Facebook for Business
• How to Use Twitter for Business: A Beginner’s Guide

6.    Create a Class YouTube Channel

According to Nielsen’s Three Screen Report, the use of online video is up 53-percent in the last year. Instructors should dive into this trend and incorporate online videos into the classroom. With a YouTube Channel, instructors can post videos of lectures online for students to access after class, have students create their own videos as part of class projects and upload related videos created by others as secondary resources.

7.    Encourage Networking With Industry Professionals

Social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are a great way to network with industry professionals. By teaching students best practices, they will begin to build their personal online brand and make connections that could lead to a job.

8.    Teach the Basics of SEO

In today’s world, people go to Google first to find information. According to TechCrunch, 85 billion searches were done on Google in the last year, indicating the importance of search today.

Therefore, before a research project, instructors should teach the basics of search engine optimization in determining the strength of a Website. While students are searching for information, they will begin to take note of what sites appear for which keywords and how optimized sites typically rank higher. They can also use this information to determine how strong a particular source is based on the SEO factors such as inbound links and traffic.

In addition, instructors could have students incorporate keywords into assignments (press releases, case studies, etc.) so students are skilled in creating optimized content.

By making small tweaks to their teaching style, educators can help students build networks, locate and share information and, become familiar with the tools that are changing the PR industry. With an education revolution, more students will fit the description of an Emerging PR Pro, making them more qualified job candidates.

So, what do you think about the future of PR education?

What should students be learning about in class? Tell me some interesting ways classrooms are incorporating social media.

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Photo Credit: Jeco

The Press Release - Past, Present and Future

By Laurel Miltner | Posted 06/03/09 16:00 PM | Comments ( 0 ) | Filed in: Public Relations

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Press Releases.  These concisely written news announcements have been a mainstay of public relations since the industry as we know it existed.

The press release was invented in 1906 when the Pennsylvania Railroad had an accident and its PR consultant, Ivy Lee (often considered the Godfather of PR), sent out a statement to media representatives, inviting them to hear about the accident first-hand.  While I admit I’m not 100% clear on this, I believe it was sent out by mail.  He invited the media to travel to the scene of the accident by train.

Think about how communication has changed since 1906.

• Mail delivery became more reliable due to advents in transportation, such as the mass production of the automobile and airplane.
• Telephones and telephone service were adapted and improved and, therefore, became more widespread until they were adopted by nearly every home in America. 
• Cell phones came into existence and people could talk on the phone anytime, anywhere. 
• The Internet connected the world. 
• Smart phones gave people the ability to access the Internet anytime, anywhere.

Yet, for most people, press releases really haven’t changed that much . . . unless you count media distribution via wire service and email.

It’s time for the PR industry to rethink the press release, and remix our old friend into a powerful tool once again. 

With the advent of new technologies, companies now have the ability to: A) create, publish and leverage their own content, and B) reach media in a much more personal, authentic and targeted manner. As PR pros, it’s time to accept that the role of the press release has changed, and adapt our services and campaigns to reflect this shift.

For example, at PR 20/20, we write optimized press releases — press releases that announce company news and are optimized for search engines. We use a wire service to send the news online and provide links back to the company’s site.  This serves two purposes:

1. If a reader is interested in more information, they can follow the link to the company’s site (where we may host multimedia content like photos, video and audio files, and ask people to share information via social tools).
2. By embedding links in the release that is syndicated online, the company’s site authority with Google and other search engines has the potential to increase.

Other PR pros are embracing the social web by turning news announcements into Social Media News Releases (SMNRs). These include multimedia content and offer readers a way to share the information through social tools.  Wire distribution services will even send out your SMNRs online.

Recently, our friends at HubSpot released the findings of months of research on press release distribution as it stands today.  They compared the success rates of SMNRs vs. optimized press releases¹.  To be clear here, by success I mean syndication levels, or how many sites picked up the releases in full. 

Not surprisingly, HubSpot found that more sites syndicate optimized press releases than SMNRs.  This makes sense because without the multimedia content, it is easier to post the information.

Many people disagreed with HubSpot’s apparent promotion of optimized releases over SMNRs, arguing that the point of SMNRs isn’t necessarily syndication, but sharing and encouraging interaction with the news.  That’s fair.  But, I agree with HubSpot’s logic that if you’re going to have people interacting with your news and sharing your content, wouldn’t you rather have it hosted on your own site?

That being said, here are my three main thoughts on the Press Release of the Past, the Present and the Future:

The Past: Traditional press releases, sent out via mass distribution and on the wire in hopes of getting press coverage, don’t work.  Or, perhaps more accurately, they rarely do. 

The Present: Optimized press releases offer a great tool to spread company news (that most people won’t care about enough to share) online and give your site some SEO credit through inbound links.  They can, however, become cost-prohibitive and don’t offer incredible results (average number syndication per release was about 7 after 3 months – Rebecca Corliss, please correct me if this is wrong.  I had to do some math.).  Also, there is a fair chance that Google and other search engines will begin limiting the SEO credit they offer to sites that post nothing but press releases.

The Present & The Future: When you have news, new ideas or other content that is actually interesting enough to share through multimedia content like videos and photos — content that people would actually want to interact with and share — host it on your own site.  Put it in the style of a SMNR if you want, but put it on your site.  Then, share it with your social network and let them do the rest. 

Side note: It’s rather difficult to complete a post like this without talking about new resources with which many PR pros are finding success.  For example, Pitch Engine is a website that hosts SMNRs for many companies, and allows journalists (or any possibly any interested party) to receive feeds of news releases in topics of interest. 

A lot of people love Pitch Engine and find tons of value in the service.  While I can see the benefit of housing information in a place where media reps know they can find it, I can’t let myself ignore the importance of hosting your best content on your own Website.  Maybe a combination of both is key, especially as Pitch Engine and similar services gain in popularity with media and other influencers.

So… what do you think about the future of the press release?

• PR pros – how do you handle press releases and news announcements with your clients?  How do you see this evolving in the next year?
• Journalists/media/analysts/bloggers – where do you look for news announcements?  What kinds of press releases (if any) catch your attention?  How do you want companies to share their news with you online?

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¹HubSpot referred to these as “traditional” press releases in the report.  Because they included keywords and links, for all intents and purposes they can be considered optimized press releases.  (Have you ever seen a footnote in a blog post before?)

The People and The Moments

By Paul Roetzer | Posted 05/22/09 07:15 AM | Comments ( 0 ) | Filed in: Business

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Boston (Sept. 8, 2008) — The PR 20/20 Team following Inbound Marketing Summit 2008.

It’s 5 a.m., Friday, May 22, 2009, and sleep hasn’t been an option for hours, so I write.

The toast from last night’s dinner, delivered by Julius Mason, The PGA of America’s senior director, communications & media relations, runs through my mind:

"Life Is Not Measured by the Number of Breaths We Take, but Instead It Is Measured by the Moments That Take Our Breath Away."

We all have them. Those moments when time slows just enough for us to recognize there is something incredible and unique about the experience.

It may be the place, the people, the circumstances or the significance, but there is something uncommon that leaves an indelible mark on our memories.

That’s what I love most about being an entrepreneur — the people, and the moments.

Westfield Group Country Club (July 14, 2007) — Final night of the Westfield Junior PGA Championship.Old friends celebrate one last time on the veranda.

Creating the Moments

There is no formula, but I’ve found that many of the most significant times in my professional life resulted more from these principles, than any one particular action or decision:

1. Build your business around clients and employees that appreciate and value loyalty, trust and friendship.
2. Pursue opportunities that inspire you. 
3. Get out of your comfort zone. Some of the most memorable experiences in my life have happened when I let go of my fears and anxieties. 
4. Seek to create, embrace and cherish the moments, and never take for granted the people that make them so memorable.

San Francisco (April 29, 2009) — Paul Roetzer, Tracy DiMarino, Brian Halligan, Jim Wilson and David Meerman Scott at The Fillmore.

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Paul Roetzer is founder and president of PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. He can be found on Twitter @PaulRoetzer