• Is There Hope for Print Media? A New Model Emerges

  By Lyndsey | Posted Mar 30, 2009 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Business

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  In a rapidly changing industry — amidst printed publications folding all around us — print media are scrambling to adapt their models in an effort to survive.
  
  In recent years, newspapers across the country have begun to collaborate to share news stories and features to cut costs while maintaining quality. However, a new model is beginning to surface: entrepreneurial ventures, focusing on industry niches, are providing quality content to printed publications through paid subscriptions.
  
  One such example is MedCity News, a Cleveland-based medical industry news service “focusing on business, innovation and influence in health care,” according to its Website, www.MedCityNews.com. Chris Seper (Twitter: @chrisseper; LinkedIn: Chris Seper), a former journalist for The Plain Dealer who accepted a buyout last year, co-founded the business in January 2009 because he saw “the media space changing.”
  
  The model works through syndication. MedCity develops and publishes content on its Website for online, print and broadcast-media paid subscribers to use in their mediums.

  

  Are ventures such as MedCity News, VentureBeat.com and Politico.com the much-needed answer to support printed publications by allowing them to cut costs and outsource their quality? Seper thinks so.
  
  PR 20/20 sits down with Seper to learn more about MedCity News and his views on the future of the newspaper industry.
  
  
  PR 20/20: What was the influencing factor for launching this entrepreneurial venture?
  
  Seper: We think the media space is changing. In order for traditional mediums to continue to thrive, they need to collaborate more. They can do the medical news just as good as we can, but they can’t afford to do it all. We think that’s critical. We’re not reinventing the wheel; we just created a model that shrinks the costs for printed publications, while allowing them to maintain the quality of content produced.
  
  PR 20/20: What is the main focus of your business?
  
  Seper: The No. 1 revenue source is through syndication. We see online advertising as secondary. We also can create custom content where we would oversee the freelancers for an exclusive story.  
  
  PR 20/20: Do you think your company focus will shift in the future?
  
  Seper: I think this is the future of the industry. I always compare what’s happening in media to what’s power in oil. So, though we use wind for power and energy resources, nothing takes the place of oil (big media). We’re a part of the future. It’s just too hard to focus on big picture issues that will never be on the radar screen. Local politics, sports and entertainment will be more compelling, whether it’s a double murder or LeBron James.
  
  PR 20/20: Why a narrow focus on health care?
  
  Seper: One of the more important things is to have a narrow focus. For example, Venturebeat.com covers private equity and technology. Health care is a major economic engine in the country; it’s complex and needs full-time attention and I think it can be monetized. If you have a small nimble operation that produces the news, you can do it well.
  
  PR 20/20: Is the idea of newspapers finding news niches a foreshadowing of what’s to come?
  
  Seper: I think newspapers and big media with a large geographic area will become a repository of information that the newspaper doesn’t always create. They will need to rely on more people to fill the space.
  
  For example, The Plain Dealer would always cover local courts, sports, book reviews, etc., that could be covered by other people. Newspapers are used to creating the bulk of content, but it’s just too expensive to do it. You’ve got to cut costs.  The PD joined the Ohio News Organization last year to collaborate with the state’s largest papers to share stories and save costs.
  
  PR 20/20: Do you feel companies such as MedCity are the wave of the future?
  
  Seper: I’m in the minority that believes print still has a long life and traditional media just has to change what they do, and who they trust to do it. Things are transforming. Some advertising works well in local media. Yes, some ads have gone, but when the economy improves, much of that will come back. Newspapers will have more people who design it, but fewer who create the content in-house.
  
  
  MedCityNews.com was launched Jan. 17 and is still in beta form. As of this interview, there were no subscriptions yet. However, after two months of publishing, MedCity was more than halfway toward its six-month traffic goal due to social media participation and an SEO campaign.

  Lyndsey Walker is a Consultant for PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. After five years in the journalism field, she is happy to have made the switch to public relations. Follow my updates on Twitter: @lyndseywalker.

• Have You Met Your Online Brand?

  By Paul | Posted Mar 25, 2009 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing

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  “Your brand is what Google says it is.”

  I believe Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine and “The Long Tail” first said it, but it has never been more true than today.
  
  Do you know what Google says about you, your company and your employees?
  
  When was the last time you did a vanity search on Google? If it’s been awhile, you might be surprised by the impact social media has on your online brand and reputation.
  
  Here’s mine from March 23, 2009. All 10 results on the first page of Google are social-media related links:

  • 2 = Twitter
  • 1 = PR 20/20 blog
  • 1 = PR 20/20 Media Room post 
  • 1 = LinkedIn profile
  • 1 = Social Media Club Cleveland profile
  • 1 – Twitterholic ranking (apparently I’m 13,024th)
  • 1 = Mention in a PR Squared blog post
  • 1 = Presentation on SlideShare
  • 1 = Interview with Rick Burnes of HubSpot

   

  

  

  What does Google say about you and your organization? What proactive steps are you taking to manage your online reputation?

  Following is a four-part blog series from PR 20/20 consultant Laurel Miltner (@laurelmackenzie) published in July 2008. This is a good place to start.

  "By understanding what others are saying, joining the conversation, and actively participating in social media, you can push the most relevant content to the top of Google.  Or at least get a word in edgewise. . . ."

  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.

   

  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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• The 3 Things PR Professionals Need to Forget

  By Laurel | Posted Mar 23, 2009 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing, Social Media

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  If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you probably have a good understanding of our thoughts on the public relations industry — that traditional agencies unwilling to adapt and embrace social media (and not only the tools, but the generally accepted tactics as well) will not survive… or at least thrive… in our increasingly connected, online world.  
  
  However, we also believe that PR professionals are in a unique position to thrive as businesses continue to build presence online.  As trained copywriters and masters of communication, by embracing the rules of inbound marketing, and adapting our practices from the stodgy days of spin, we can really help our clients connect with their customers on a level never before possible.
  
  This should be exciting.
  
  Instead, I was reminded today that there is a lot of un-learning that needs to be done before PR firms can really adapt into social media-savvy agencies.

  Some firms just don’t get it

  
  I saw an article today by ZDNet blogger Jennifer Leggio regarding the Social PR Research Report she recently released.  The report analyzed data that Leggio collected from more than 600 respondents of a survey asking professionals about their work with PR firms.
  
  Titled, "PR agencies: There’s been a terrible miscommunication," the article states that several agencies mentioned in the report spun the report's messaging, and started making false claims that ZDNET “named us a top ten PR agency for social media” or that “more companies are switching to us versus other agencies, according to ZDNet.”  (These come from the report stating that 10 agencies were mentioned most frequently by survey respondents, and six were named as “viable considerations for clients considering an agency switch.”)
  
  Leggio uses the article to dispute these claims, saying that A) these claims are not what she wrote, B) the survey was not scientific, but meant to be informative, and C) neither she nor ZDNet endorsed any agency in the report.
  
  Is anyone else seeing the irony here?  These PR firms are breaking the rules of social media while trying to claim their expertise.
  
  Maybe I’m just lucky to be a young professional, and learning the New Rules along with the old ones.    Maybe people who’ve been in the industry longer have to let go of tactics and strategies that have worked for them, successfully, for years.

  So… what do PR professionals (and agencies) need to un-learn in order to make it online?

  
  1.    Spin.  I feel like I say this in just about every blog post I write, but the old PR habits of tweaking quotes and spinning external messages do not work online.  The person being (mis)quoted will find out if they are even remotely online savvy.  Most likely, they will call you out.  (And not all as nicely as Ms. Leggio.)
  
  2.     Spam.  As my colleague Christina outlined so well in her post on Despamming Publicity Campaigns, “Strong communications and relationships… are at the core of every successful publicity campaign.  It’s not about the numbers… it’s about the quality of the connections you create.” 

  Tailor your messages. This applies not only for the media, but for customers as well.  No one likes being shouted to, but just about everyone loves being listened to.  Read articles and blog posts from target media contacts, find your customers online and listen to them.  Only then you can do the talking.
  
  3.    Control.  Gone are the days when every message about your (or your client’s) organization is carefully crafted, revised and perfected before reaching the mass market.  Any customer, employee or stakeholder that has a bad experience now has countless venues to trash your brand. 

  As every marketer knows, a happy customer will tell one person, but an unhappy customer will tell 10.  Online, that 10 can turn into tens of thousands.  (It’s worth noting, though, that it’s easy to spread the good word online, too, but only when a brand experience is truly great.) So while you can’t control all the messages about your brand online, you can at least influence them — I’d start by sticking with the two rules above.

   

  Laurel Miltner is a consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Laurel on Twitter @laurelmackenzie.
  

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• Managing Your Online Reputation: A College Student’s Perspective

  By Arielle | Posted Mar 20, 2009 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Social Media

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  Looking for a job in this economy is tough, but looking for one when you don’t understand social media and reputation management makes it near impossible.
  
  People are quick to engage in Web 2.0 and set up profiles on social networking sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, in order to stay connected with people and trends. However, some don’t take the time to think about the repercussions if these sites are not used in a responsible and professional manner.

  Social Networking Gone Bad

  • The Tech Brief featured an article on the Top 10 Lives, Businesses and Reputations Ruined Due to Facebook.
  • A young medical professional got denied a job at a hospital because of some questionable pictures of her at a party that were posted on Facebook. 
  • The popular social networking site, “Juicy Campus.com,” was shut down because of millions of borderline slanderous things students were posting about one another in attempts to purposely ruin people’s reputations. 
  • One of my professors, Bill Sledzik, wrote a blog post about a communication mix-up that happened on Twitter involving some social media gurus and an unsuspecting young PR professional.

  As a senior public relations major at Kent State University, my professors have covered various topics and issues related to social media over the past four years. I was forewarned at the beginning of my job search that your social media footprints can and will be tracked.

  A Few Things to Keep In Mind With Social Media and Reputation Management

  • One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is even if your Facebook profile is set to “private,” guess what? It’s not. Privacy settings can only protect you to a certain extent, but nothing on the Internet is off-limits.
  • Once you put something into cyber space, it will remain forever.
  • Prospective employers will look you up on social networking sites to find out more about you before interviewing or hiring.
  • People need to be more careful about how they portray themselves in the social media world. It’s important to always think twice before clicking those “update” and “tag” buttons. 
  • Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want to be seen doing in public. 

  Advantages to Using Social Media

  This doesn’t mean we’re all doomed to be ruined by Facebook or Twitter. Here are some positive ways to use social networking sites:

  • Twitter is a great way to follow industry professionals and make valuable connections.
  • Creating a LinkedIn profile allows you to post your experience and credentials while networking with influential professionals.
  • Facebook provides opportunities to keep in touch with people and express your personality through groups, photos and other applications.  

  However, it’s a good idea to regularly clean up your profiles and practice good behavior. If you wouldn’t want your boss, clients, professors or grandparents to see it, then don’t post it.
  
  Arielle Williams is an intern at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. She is a senior public relations major who is eager to begin her professional career. You can follow her on Twitter: @ArielleWilliams.

• Despamming Publicity Campaigns

  By Christina | Posted Mar 11, 2009 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Public Relations

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  Strong communications and relationships with the media are at the core of every successful publicity campaign. 

  It’s not about the numbers — contacts in your media database, emails sent, pitches made — but rather it’s about the quality of the connections you create.
  
  Today’s transparent social Web, combined with the evolution of email into a spam machine, makes it more important than ever for PR pros to tailor their campaigns and reach media contacts with information targeted to their beats, blogs and interests.

  Bad PR Exposed
  

  Forrester Research VP Josh Bernoff recently published a post on the Groundswell blog examining three examples of publicity spam, as well as an informative follow-up post on email titled, “Three quarters of the PR email I receive is irrelevant. Why?”
  
  As the mass market catches up to technology and social media, the acceptable ways of distributing information are increasingly targeted and personalized. Unfortunately, this concept isn't always perceived as a sound strategy for generating publicity, even though it can lead to stronger opportunities.

  Do This and Don't Do That
  

  There are several simple concepts involved with starting to despam your campaigns. In homage to author David Zinkzenco’s "Eat This, Not That" healthy food choices section in Men’s Health magazine, below are "Do This, Don't Do That" recommendations to create effective and social Web-acceptable publicity campaigns.

  • DO: Create a targeted media database, based on solid research, social networks and media relationships. Consider a news wire service if mass distribution is required.

  • DON’T: Create a mass media database adding as many contacts as you can find; or adopt a “see-what-sticks” attitude.

   

  • DO: Introduce yourself to key media contacts, ask them how they prefer updates, and give them the opportunity to opt-in and/or subscribe to your company’s blog or media room feeds. In short, run permission-based publicity campaigns.

  • DON’T: Place your release on wires without checking out distribution policies, or post the same news to multiple wire services.

   

  • DO: Compose a press release that is clear, concise and relevant.

  • DON’T: Produce a solely promotional release using various gobbledygook words.

   

  • DO: Provide links in the email body so recipients can voluntarily access supplemental documents, relevant Websites, photos, videos and further information. 

  • DON’T: Attach documents, photos, videos or other large files to your email without request from the media.

   

  • DO: Compose personalized emails containing the release information when appropriate.

  • DON’T: Send form emails to individuals that appear as personalized greetings.

   

  Integrating these recommendations into your publicity campaigns not only keeps your clients’ best interests in mind, but also gives you the chance to experience the benefits of permission-based marketing.

   

  Christina Capadona-Schmitz is a PR 20/20 consultant, who has been with the Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm since March 2006.  She can be found on Twitter @christinacs.

• Will Traditional PR Firms Survive?

  By Paul | Posted Mar 4, 2009 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Public Relations

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  I recently read the PRWeek article, “Efficiency Is Crucial in Agency Review,” which provides further proof that the traditional PR agency model is shifting, possibly towards the inbound marketing agency model of value-based pricing on services designed to build Website traffic, inbound links and leads.
  
  According to the article, “Agency reviews in the last several years have often led to clients consolidating their PR firms, but today's deepening recession has accelerated this trend as clients seek to cut budgets and economize.”
  
  While PRWeek concentrates on major brands such as Coke, Pfizer, eBay and Philips, the lesson apparent in the article is that organizations of all sizes are expecting more results on tighter budgets.
  
  Here are a few of the more telling excerpts from the piece:

  • “The recession has acted as a catalyst, pushing clients to stretch their agencies across more disciplines.”

  • “Traditional advertising isn’t a particularly healthy field, so that’s not a good place to broaden services.” (Jerry Swerling, director of PR studies and the USC Annenberg Strategic PR Center and management consultant)

  • “I’m seeing clients saying they don’t feel like they’re getting as much bang for their buck.” (senior level source at procurement firm)

  • “. . . Some clients are responding by eliminating AOR agencies and working with firms on a project basis. . . .”

  Is it time for the Inbound Marketing Agency?

  In September 2008, we published a blog post titled, “Dawn of the Inbound Marketing Agency,” stating that a mass-market revolution had begun that threatens to make traditional PR agencies obsolete, and spawn a new generation of industry leaders and influentials.

  “If you’re a PR firm, you can’t ignore or resist where the market is taking us. It’s time to expand our knowledge and services. Think critically about the value we deliver to clients. Consider the state of MSM, and the future of our industry.”
  

  Here’s a snapshot of the inbound marketing agency from the original post:

  • Staff: Expert copywriters (as most PR professionals are), who function as Internet marketing consultants. All employees/consultants are heavily engaged in social media.
  • Services: Content marketing, social media, search engine marketing and Website development, as well as evolved forms of publicity, brand marketing and crisis communications.
  • Pricing: Value-based instead of prohibitive hourly rates. 
  • Results: Truly measurable and meaningful outcomes, including: inbound links, Website traffic, leads and sales.
  • Infrastructure: More agile, scalable and tolerant to risk than most traditional PR firms.

  Is it possible that the recession has accelerated the need and demand for these agencies?

  
  Read the full post: “Dawn of the Inbound Marketing Agency”

  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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