• 7 Steps for Building an Effective Speaking Strategy

  By Paul | Posted Jul 30, 2008 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Public Relations

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  A sound speaking strategy can have a dramatic effect on the growth of your organization, and the impact of your publicity campaigns, while also positioning your company's experts as thought-leaders and innovators.

  Here is a step-by-step guide we often use to help clients looking to build speaking strategies that deliver results.
  

  Step 1: Identify Topics

  Speaking topics establish the foundation for a sound speaking strategy.  These topics, which will evolve over time, support the identification and pursuit of venues and opportunities. 

  Step 2: Select Audiences

  Define, segment and prioritize target audiences. 

  Step 3: Define Objectives

  Establish quantifiable objectives to provide direction to the program and define success. These may include: number of appearances, leads generated, media coverage and attendees.

  Step 4: Research & Evaluate Opportunities

  • Identify venues for potential speaking engagements, including: colleges, trade shows, conferences, seminars/workshops, career fairs and professional-organization events.
  • Establish a valuation system to rate each opportunity based on defined criteria (e.g. event organizer, audience, topic, date, location, objectives, etc.)
  • Create an event calendar of opportunities at targeted venues.
  • Contact venues to inquire about submission guidelines.
  • Pre-qualify high-value engagements through media coverage, past speaker status and feedback, attendance history and projections, and first-hand experience with venues.
  • Monitor and assess trends to identify timely opportunities with targeted venues.

  Step 5: Positioning & Placement

  • Create a speaker’s packet, including: biography, by-lined articles, testimonials from past organizers and attendees, demo DVD, topic list, photos, contact information, A/V requirements and rate card.
  • Research and evaluate membership in professional speaking organizations.
  • Build the speaker’s resume through preliminary appearances within an existing network of business and trade organizations, as well as academic institutions.
  • Enhance credibility and value through publicity programs, including the submission of relevant, by-lined articles to targeted media outlets.
  • Utilize the event database built in Step 4 to pursue high-priority speaking opportunities.
  • Maintain communications and relationships with all targeted venues.
  • Define protocol and prepare responses for declining unsolicited opportunities that do not meet defined criteria.

  Step 6: Preparation

  • Attend targeted and scheduled venues to assess defined criteria and support presentation development.
  • Publicize appearances through targeted media outlets.

  Step 7: Evaluation

  • Establish a grading system to measure the return-on-investment (ROI) for speaking appearances. 
  • Assess and grade each appearance and venue.

   

   

• Public Relations in Web 2.0: From Impressions to Inbound Links

  By Paul | Posted Jul 17, 2008 | 1 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing, Public Relations

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  The public relations industry is rapidly evolving. Technology is redefining the profession, and Web 2.0 — the new online world of mass collaboration and consumer-generated content — has given unfiltered access to the opinions and perceptions of target audiences (i.e. employees, customers, prospects, competitors, media, etc.).
  
  Plus, through the use of blogs, optimized press releases, podcasts, videos, forums, social networks and other Web 2.0 tools, companies now have the ability to connect with their audiences in a more authentic, human voice.
  
  For the PR industry, which traditionally has relied on pitching stories to mainstream media (i.e. TV, print, radio) in the hopes of landing editorial coverage and generating impressions, Web 2.0 has given us the ability to consistently produce a more measurable outcome — inbound links.
  
  Through social media, search engine optimization (SEO) and self-publishing, wired PR firms are building inbound links, driving qualified Website traffic, generating leads, directly influencing consumers and having a measurable impact on the bottom line.
  
  Here’s a snapshot of three public relations trends changing the industry:

  1) Social Media

  This is the most obvious and talked about trend in the public relations industry. PR professionals are communications specialists, and blogs, forums, online video and social networking offer the ability to communicate more affordably and efficiently than ever before.

  2) Search Engine Optimization

  Placement of targeted keywords throughout your Website, as well as generating inbound links to your Website, play an essential role in how your site ranks on major search engines, and in turn, directly impacts the quantity and quality of Website visitors. While SEO is not a traditional public relations practice, PR firms that don’t quickly integrate SEO principles into their services will become obsolete.

  3) Self-Publishing

  Press Releases, blogs, eBooks, white papers, by-lined articles, newsletters and online magazines are now being written with keyword-rich content and distributed with the goal of building Website traffic, inbound links and leads.

   

  Web 2.0 has leveled the playing field for many organizations. It’s no longer about the size of your marketing budget, or how many impressions you can generate, rather it’s about how intelligent and innovative you can be in adopting emerging online technologies.
  
  By concentrating on the activities that build inbound links, drive Website traffic and convert visitors into leads, your organization can grow smarter and faster than the competition.

• Join the conversation (Part 3 of 4)

  By Laurel | Posted Jul 16, 2008 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Brand Marketing, Internet Marketing

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  (This is part 3 of a 4-part blog series on Managing Your Online Reputation)

  Now that you know what people are saying, and where they hang out online, it’s time for you to join in.  That’s right, my friend, if you want to manage your online reputation (come to think of it, manage may not be the right word, as it implies control… but I’ll run with it) you have to participate.
  
  Participate in forums.  Comment on people’s blogs.  Join social networking groups.  All those questions you found on LinkedIn and Yahoo! Answers — answer them if you can.  Prove your expertise. 
  
  As people have more access to information, they will find it, and use it.  Sell your company not by selling, but by being helpful and showing that you are the expert.
  
  If no space exists online for something you’re passionate about, something that your company is an expert in, create a community. Chances are, there are more people out there who are just as passionate about your industry as you are — and these could be your star customers, future employees and biggest advocates. 
  
  How do you create a community?  Start a group on Facebook or LinkedIn.  Heck, create your own social network with Ning. 
  
  Oh, and if you want to be a thought leader — start a blog. 
  
  In short:  Participate.  That’s what social media is all about.

   

  Managing Your Online Reputation Blog Series Links

  
  Part 1 - Managing Your Online Reputation
  

  Part 2 - Are you listening?

  Part 3 - Join the conversation
  

  Part 4 - Web 2.0 is like kindergarten.  For people to like you, you have to share. 

   

• Are You Listening? (Part 2 of 4)

  By Laurel | Posted Jul 16, 2008 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Brand Marketing, Internet Marketing

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  (This is part 2 of a 4-part blog series on Managing Your Online Reputation)

  What’s worse?  Having people say negative things about your company, or having people say negative things about your company and you being the last to know about it?
  
  There are a number of tools you can use to scour the Web to learn what people think about your company, what they are saying, etc.  Here are a few tips:
  
  1.  Act like a customer. 
  Pretend you’re a customer at different stages of the sales cycle.  Do some Google searches for your industry, your products, your company.  What shows up?  Search blogs the same way with Technorati, or a Google blog search.  Use BoardTracker to search forums (or search Google with “forum [your industry/company here]”).  Search Amazon for specific products when applicable.  Find out what people want to know by browsing questions in Yahoo! Answers and LinkedIn. 
  
  2.  Trend Tools
  Google Trends and Facebook Lexicon give you some neat graphs if you input a keyword.  Try inputting your company name, competitor name, products, services, or industry terms to see when people talk about these things, and when they search for them most.
  
  3.  Inhale the Web
  This one is really neat.  And quick.  Input a query (like your company, product or service, a compeitor, target keyword, event you're involved with, etc.)  in the search field, and Addict-O-Matic will “inhale the web” and deliver the most recent updates in popular sites that contain your query – like Digg, Summize and Flickr.

  Here's an Addict-O-Matic sample screenshot where I searched for "inbound marketing summit"

   

  

   (You can also search each of these sites independently, of course.)

  It’s a good idea to set up a Social Media Resource Guide to constantly monitor key sites and keywords, so you always know what your customers, employees, potential customers and other key publics are saying.  By listening to their needs, desires and complaints (yes, those too), you can basically get some free market research from the people who care the most.
  
  In short:  People are talking about you, your company and your industry.  Don’t you want to know what they’re saying?

   

  Managing Your Online Reputation Blog Series Links

  
  Part 1 - Managing Your Online Reputation
  

  Part 2 - Are you listening?

  Part 3 - Join the conversation
  

  Part 4 - Web 2.0 is like kindergarten.  For people to like you, you have to share. 
• Web 2.0 is like kindergarten . . . for people to like you, you have to share (Part 4 of 4)

  By Laurel | Posted Jul 16, 2008 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Brand Marketing, Internet Marketing, Social Media

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  (This is part 4 of a 4-part blog series on Managing Your Online Reputation.)

  The beauty of public relations in Web 2.0 is that you create your own content, and you can publish it yourself.  No more hoping on a middleman to get the word out about you, your company or your service.  Isn’t that exciting?  It should be!
  
  The key, though, is your content has to be good.  Some argue that everyone is an expert at something.  You should be an expert on your business.  Think about what your customers want to know about (hint: use some of that research from part 1 of this blog series) and create content that they will find valuable.  Package it for them in ways they want to see it.  Write press releases, eBooks, white papers and case histories (and distribute/publish them online).
  
  Now… how to get the information out to others? 
  
  Tell your new friends in the forums, blogs and communities about your awesome stuff that you know they’ll want to read about.  Share your knowledge. 
  
  Think your email signature is already long enough?  Think again.  Throw in a link to download your new eBook, a link to your blog, a link to your LinkedIn page… whatever you think the people you send emails to will actually care about.
  
  Include RSS feeds on your blog, so that people don’t have to come to you to get your content.  Instead, you send it out to them.  Put share tags on your blog posts to encourage people to submit your content to sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Sphinn and del.icio.us.
  
  (If you want some tips on why it’s not a good idea to always submit stuff yourself, check out this blog post on the unspoken rules of social networks.  I really can’t do it justice.  Seriously, Daniel Scocco has included charts and everything.)
  
  In short:  Be genuine.  No one likes a braggart, but if you have good content, share it, and encourage others to do so as well. 
  

  Managing Your Online Reputation Blog Series Links

  
  Part 1 - Managing Your Online Reputation
  

  Part 2 - Are you listening?

  Part 3 - Join the conversation
  

  Part 4 - Web 2.0 is like kindergarten.  For people to like you, you have to share. 

   

• Top PR Firm Accused of Social Media Misconduct

  By Paul | Posted Jul 11, 2008 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Crisis Communications, Social Media

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  This may be one of the more absurd cases of professional misconduct I have ever seen in the public relations industry.
  
  Apparently fueled by incompetence, 5WPR, “the nation's fastest growing public relations firm three consecutive years,” (according to their Website), is being accused of ignoring the number one rule in social media — participation must be authentic.
  
  In a story that first broke on July 9, 2008, the powerhouse PR firm appears to have been busted for blatantly impersonating people (including a prominent rabbi) online on behalf of its client, Agriprocessors.
  
  Take a few minutes to read the following posts, but here are excerpts from Gawker.com that provide a snapshot of the situation:

  • After being hired for its Internet PR expertise, 5WPR attempts to plant fake comments from both supporters and (most deviously) critics of the kosher slaughterhouse on various websites.
  • This scheme unravels because the company doesn't bother to leave its office or mask its IP address when posting.
  • PR firm blames an unnamed, unpaid "intern" for the fraud. Says this "intern" has been fired.
  • This story starts to unravel because, as blog Failed Messiah notes, the first two impersonation posts appeared in February, "well before any summer interns were working at 5W."

  Scheme To Blame Intern For PR Fraud Unravels — Gawker.com (July 11, 2008)
  
  5W faces accusation for blog misconduct — PR Week (July 10, 2008)
  
  5WPR Scares Holy Man With Sock Puppet, Blames Intern — Gawker.com (July 10, 2008)
   
  Flacks for Agriprocessors Admit Online Impersonation of Meat Company’s Critics — Jewish Daily Forward (July 10, 2008)
  
  5WPR Flacks Get So Freaking Busted Impersonating People Online — Gawker.com (July 9, 2008)
  
  5W PR Illegally Impersonates Hechsher Tzedek Founder Rabbi Morris Allen — FailedMessiah.com (July 9, 2008)
  

• Paul Roetzer Featured in July Inside Business Magazine

  By Paul | Posted Jul 8, 2008 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Media Coverage, Media Room

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  Paul Roetzer, PR 20/20 founder and president, is featured in the July issue of Inside Business Magazine. The article by Amanda Stephenson, entitled Vision Quest, talks about the launch and growth of the Cleveland-based PR firm.

  "PR 20/20 opened in November 2005 after more than 21 months of planning, with a pricing menu of more than 100 PR and marketing services.'It was a challenge to standardize a service-based business because it hadn’t been done before,' Roetzer says. But there was clearly a demand for it. . . ."

  Check out the full Inside Business article.

• Selling to the Future (Part 5 of 5): Don't call us, we'll text u

  By Christina | Posted Jul 1, 2008 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing

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  (Part 5 of a 5-part blog series on Selling to the Future)

  Why walk when you can run, and why talk when you can text.  More and more, younger generations are focused on speed and results, and demand both…yesterday.
  
  Whether it’s advancing in their career, having the highest speed Internet connections, or shopping on Websites that display personalized product selections pages.  This fast-paced, instant gratification-craving lifestyle helps explain the explosion of text messaging as a preferred communication tool. 

  Consider the North Olmsted, Ohio teen currently working toward sending 18,300 text messages in one month.  A June 28 Cleveland Plain Dealer article interviews the seventeen-year-old Drew Acklin, who talks about his texting behaviors in the social context, as well as the possibility of establishing a Guiness World Record. 

  The article states that as of December 2007, the U.S. telecommunications industry had handled 48.1 billion texts.  The article also refers to surveys from comScore M:Metrics, a Seattle audience-measurement company, that state of those 13 to 17 years old, 52 percent say they text daily, and the number jumps to 56 percent for 18- to 24-year-olds.
  
  According to a March 2008 Pew Internet & American Life Project study, 58 percent of adult Americans have used a cell phone or PDA to conduct non-voice data activities like texting, emailing, pictures, mapping or video.
  
  Of those ages 18 to 29 that have a cell phone or PDA, 85 percent send or receive text messages, 82 percent take photos, 38 percent play music and 31 percent access the Internet for news, sports or other information. 

  With the world at our fingertips, it seems nothing is worth the wait.  Understand this and you may start to understand the popularity of the Twitter social network.  Twitter answers the question "What are you doing?" by keeping people connected through the exchange of short and frequent messages. 

  

   

  When it comes to selling to the future, keep it simple, keep it relevant and keep it coming.

   

  Part 1 - Connect to convert
  

  Part 2 - Learn your XYZs

  Part 3 - Facebook is life for college students and beyond
  

  Part 4 - Blogging in business

  Part 5 - Don't call us, we'll text u

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