The Byline: PR and Marketing Insights from Eiler Communications

More than ever political candidates nowadays are seeing the huge advantages of market positioning and high tech PR via social media. Once in a while a candidate comes along and is a breath of fresh air. There was no better time for Barack Obama than now. With the 2008 election finally over, to the relief of many, we can sit back and assess the impact this positioning and PR had on candidates and nominees.
We are a society of pop culture and instant downloads where information is accessed at astonishing rates. News an hour ago is not news anymore and we are constantly searching for updates.
President-elect Barack Obama is an incredibly charismatic individual and plays well into this culture. Here is my thinking: I don’t think that policy and issue play as large a role as it should have and did in previous presidential elections. Although unfortunate, I feel image is a larger determining factor for the voting population.
Using these ideas, media relations and market positioning are just a couple of ways to build a fan base that can promote a candidates influence in multiple venues. Examples of this type of social marketing would include viral videos on YouTube, vlogs, internet forums, podcasts, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Flickr, just to name a few. Videos seen on YouTube of campaign rallies were free PR on a national scale. In fact on his home website, there is a link to “Obama Everywhere”, which lists all the above and a handful more of places where you can learn and discuss Obama. His campaign took advantage of this social market positioning and used it in their strategic plan for success. He reached out to the numerous constituents and gained their attention and respect by understanding that technology is continuous and evolving.
It was in this sense that Obama was able to fundraise from micro donors (and in return allowed him to disclaim lobbyist influences in government). Furthermore, according to a CNN.com exit poll, 66% of all 18-29 year-olds and 52% of 30-44 year-olds voted for Obama. These are the same typical demographics that are familiar with and use social media as both an outlet for discussion and information seeking; the so-called “internet generation”.
The reason this is relevant in politics today is because you will not find a single candidate out there who does not have a website and/or numerous spin off sites. For example, Obama teamed up with Facebook Co-Founder Chris Hughes to create My.BarackObama.com, in which users could join an online community that boasted over a million members. Using these high tech venues one can find local events, contact undecided voters near you, and share stories via blogs. The thinking is this: candidates, especially at the presidential level, can be, and oftentimes are, impersonal. My.BarackObama.com removes that a little bit and makes him and his campaign feel more about you.
Obama positioned himself as a beacon for change. He spoke with an intelligence that articulated respect. He symbolized a new beginning or at the very least a fresh start from the turmoil of the last 8 years. Obama had a strong grasp of the power public relations and high tech devices to campaign in new ways. From my viewpoint, someone who understands the way people think and seems to have a direction definitely gets my vote.

Christian

Public relations is the art and science of establishing relationships between an organization and its key audiences. In today’s business world and economy who doesn’t need to establish long lasting loyal relationships?

It is always amazing to me that in times of hardship in a company or small business the first thing to get “cut” is public relations and marketing. When business is slow, isn’t the objective to attract more business? The pieces don’t seem to fit in the logic of cutting what drives consumers to your business.

There are many different forms of marketing to reach your audience, but the first thing that should come to mind is positioning your company. Marketing positioning strategy is when marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. In other words, try to say something that is so profound or shocking (but true) that you clear enough space in the brain of your consumer to make them forget about all of the other competition.
Sounds pretty simple right?

In most cases, it is not that simple.

That is why it is so important to use a mix of marketing methods, one of them being public relations. PR reaches your audience in a much different way because it is not a paid advertisement. It also helps you to reach an audience that you might not have been able to reach or afford to reach with traditional marketing methods. Public relations also uses diverse techniques such as opinion polling and focus groups to evaluate public opinion, combined with a variety of high-tech techniques for distributing information on behalf of their clients to the target audience.

What if you wanted to reach the audience that reads the Wall Street Journal, but your marketing budget wouldn’t allow you to spend 40k on a small black and white ad? PR will help you to reach an editor at the WSJ with a compelling story and get it published. Wouldn’t you be much more likely to read an article written by a third party rather than a paid advertisement and find more value in that?

Think about the different forms of social media these days! Blogging, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook! If you are not staying with the changes in technology then you will be left behind. All of these groups of social media are forms of PR and a good way to reach your audience or at the very least, hear what they are saying about your product directly.

Here is one more thing to think about. What if you had a major public relations crisis in your company and no one on your staff knew how to talk to the media? Wouldn’t you regret not having a PR firm?

Jenny

Eiler Communications’ CEO, Larry Eiler, published an article on Internet marketing strategies in the September issue of Focus on Small Business, the Small Business Assocation of Michigan’s magazine. Below are our firm’s insights about how businesses owners can make e-marketing work for them. To order a copy of the magazine, contact the Michigan SBA.

The definition of marketing has recently expanded to include measurable, precisely-targeted Internet strategies that initiate dialogue with consumers. Since people use the Internet to make purchasing decisions, establishing a Web presence is crucial. Here are five ways your business can enlarge its e-footprint:

Search engine optimization
61 percent of people consider search engines their favorite tool for product research, according to a Yahoo! study, and Data Springs says 87 percent of them do not pass page one of their search returns. The demand for page-one visibility caused an explosion in search engine optimization (SEO), the business of increasing Web site traffic through natural search results.

“Achieving a high search ranking takes time and commitment,” said Linda Girard, co-founder of Ann Arbor Internet marketing firm Pure Visibility. “Successful sites are well-written, informative and easy to navigate. You are writing for search engine algorithms that comb the “key words” of your site for relevance by matching the search terms.”

Search engines don’t always recognize photos, graphics or music files; they care about relevant text. Are the terms “Michigan dentists” in your URL, page titles and site map text? If not, your chances of showing up in related search results are smaller.

Web site links are another important ingredient in SEO. Get listed in the top online directories in your industry and consider linking to companies in related industries on your Web site; they will return the favor. Every few months, evaluate the effectiveness of your key words, value of online referrals and which Web pages get the most visitors.

New media
Blogs, podcasts and content-sharing sites matter because people use them, sometimes more than traditional media. Hitwise finds more people visit the video-sharing juggernaut YouTube than the sites of all major TV networks combined. Journalists, too, read blogs to stay up on trends and story ideas.

Initiate conversation with customers by starting a blog on your Web site with a service like WordPress or TypePad. It will increase Web site traffic and bump up search engine returns. Blog about relevant articles, trends and products, and let readers post comments. Link to other relevant blogs and they will link back to you; join their online conversations and they will join yours. Make sure to officially claim your blog Technorati, a blog directory.

Create company podcasts, digital audio or video files, on your computer and uploaded to your Web site for viewing/listening. Pick topics you can educate others about. Virtual tours are popular with universities and builders; “how-to” demonstrations or executive interviews work for almost any business.

Post commercials on YouTube to establish an initial presence, but use the site to dialogue with others through interesting, interactive content. Blendtec, a company that sells blenders, did this with its viral video series “Will it Blend?” The series invited viewers to nominate new, ridiculous things to blend (like marbles). The initial campaign, which cost about $100, prompted high-profile media attention and increased sales.

Social networks
One in four people Americans use MySpace, a social networking site that accounts for a significant percentage of online retail referrals. Use popular social networks, like Facebook and LinkedIn, to connect with people in your local market. If you own a restaurant or boutique, invite people in your area to join your network for updates on sales and new products.

Online advertising
Paid online advertisements, or pay-per-click (PPC) listings, are purchased through major search engines and allow you to reach customers searching online for your services. PPC ads show up when a customer searches for the terms you’ve selected for your campaign. You pay when customers click on your site; ad impressions are unlimited. PPC programs allow you the freedom to set your own budget and track campaign success.

“Regardless of company size or budget, PPC is an effective marketing tool,” said Google AdWords Strategist Matthew Neagle. “Because ads are displayed alongside search results, a key benefit of Google AdWords and PPC marketing is the ability to target customers who are seeking your products or services when their need is top of mind.”

E-marketing collateral
Newsletters and marketing collateral have digital forms now, which are often more cost-effective and make it easier to measure effectiveness. Graphics and flash animation make e-collateral visually stimulating, and all traffic ultimately leads customers back to your Web site. Distributing via e-mail allows you to track who opens your mail and takes action.

The best way to maintain an e-marketing campaign? “Stay informed,” said Girard. “Research industry trends. Knowing about opportunities is the first step toward making them work for your business.”

More examples of how companies are using the Internet to reach consumers directly came in a recent New York Times article, “The New Advertising Outlet: Your Life.”

Several large companies were cited as creating new web sites to appeal directly to their consumers, chief among them Nike with its Nike+ site.

The idea is to use events, contests, internet search ads—all long-considered unmeasured, to reach consumers directly.

In Nike’s case, it increased traditional advertising with media by three percent to $220.5 million while growing non-media ad spending 33 percent to $458 million in the period 2003-2006.

This is a fundamental change in the way Nike views advertising and non-media activities such as contests, in-store ads and product placement.

Ads are no longer aimed primarily at seeking to get people’s attention while they are doing something else. Rather, they are taking the form of reaching people while they are participating in workouts, participating in online communities or active in sports competitions.

And such events, like running clubs, races and online communities, provide a home to trade information for those people interested in a specific subject.

This movement bodes well for PR because it includes using all forms of media to reach consumers—or specific audiences targets—and engender their participation directly. That is what the Internet means for PR today: new ways to reach consumers directly using the new forms of delivery it makes available.

Posted by Larry

We all know that media are moving and changing fast as new Internet offerings are available—blogs, podcasts, the social media of Facebook, YouTube. People are going to new media for their information because of search engines’ speed of delivery and the individual’s rapid access to immediate news.

But what has not changed, according to a recent Forbes.com story, is “The Single Greatest Marketing Tool: the allure of public relations,” which is writer Lisa LaMotta calls “the discipline of shedding benevolent light on a person, company or cause by tapping the news media,” print or online.

“PR offers a potentially huge benefit that advertising does not: third-party approval,” she explains.

The main key to reaching media is to know what audience you want to reach and then driving for stories in online or print media that reach those targets with compelling information (messages) about your business or organization.

There is no magic to PR. It is a simple process of knowing your audience and messaging and targeting writers who cover the space you are in.

Measurement is an important issue to prove the value of PR. The most common way to measure is “hits,” coverage in online or print media. And there are more subtle messages as well, such as getting your prime messages included in an article. Ad equivalency, or the cost to run ads that cover the space of the stories you get through PR, is another useful way to measure.

Posted by Larry

I am not one of those people who thinks YouTube is a good PR tactic for every company in every industry. However, I do think it can be a great way for a company to build awareness and buzz, as long as the videos are interesting enough to stand on their own and they support the brand. Case in point, the Blendtec “Will it Blend?” campaign, initiated last year.

Legend has it (and by legend I mean the Wall Street Journal) that the first director of marketing for Blendtec discovered that the CEO routinely tested the blenders by feeding them unlikely and challenging material - like 2-by-2s. The marketer instantly thought it was a great idea for a low-budget video series, and one that the YouTube audience would digg (pun intended). The videos initially cost $50 to put together. No actors, no special effects. Just the CEO, the Blendtec logo in the background, a camcorder and some creative blending recipes: marbles, a tiki torch, hockey pucks, glow sticks. Would they blend? I won’t ruin the surprise.

Soon, hundreds, then thousands of YouTubers were watching the series and writing in to suggest blendable items. Next came the media, with coverage and commentary on the Blendtec “campaign” by major national publications and bloggers. And then, with the buzz, came sales, which increased by 43 percent that same year.

What can we learn from the creativity and simplicity of “Will it Blend?”, which just updated its series with a Chuck Norris action figure special this week? Well, the videos were interesting and fun. But they also had a point: Blendtec blenders can blend anything. Except Chuck Norris.

Posted by Rebecca

My favorite episodes:

Will it Blend: iPhone
Will it Blend: glow sticks
Will it Blend: magnets

Does your PR/marketing person drone on about the upkeep of your company’s Web site newsroom opportunity? That’s likely because they know the majority of journalists research their articles and search for press releases nowadays. According to DMNews, “Corporate Web sites are a key source of information when reporting breaking news when no other primary source is available.” On a news deadline, the company with the most accessible information gets the coverage.

Web site newsrooms are commonplace by now, but you can separate yours from the masses by making it better. Here are five ways to do it:

1. Make sure the newsroom link is obvious from the homepage. If the link to your newsroom is subtle, or worse yet, inaccessible from your homepage, change it. If you were a reporter, how much trouble would you go to for your press release?

The likelihood of media visiting your site is high, especially if preparing for an interview with one of your executives. Approach your newsroom with that in mind. Does your content meet the needs of someone doing quick research about your company? Avoid the temptation to “track” media by requiring a username and password set-up to access your newsroom. It’s annoying, and if information is confidential or sensitive it doesn’t belong in the newsroom.

2. A newsroom is more than your online press release archive. Newsletters, executive speech transcripts, event photos and abstracts from recent media coverage are all appropriate additions. Think creatively about how to keep content fresh.

Post an online media kit to your newsroom for easy downloading. Include the same materials you would in a media folder: executive bios and photos, your latest company news release, a backgrounder or fact sheet about your business and a high-res logo.

3. Remember to date all posted press releases and newsroom items—readers need context. This will also force you to keep content up-to-date. Neglecting to post news as it is released wastes everyone’s time and defeats the purpose of the newsroom. Content should also be easy to navigate. Consider making your content searchable by multiple fields, like date, topic or headline, and available in multiple formats like Word and PDF.

4. Set up an RSS feed so media (and others) can subscribe to your site’s updates. An RSS (Really Simple Syndication), like Feedburner, is free and downloadable as an icon to your Web site. RSS feeds “read” the sites their users subscribe to and send an update when new content is posted. In other words, journalists can subscribe to your RSS and receive a prompt on their homepage when you post a new press release.

Many journalists actually prefer RSS subscriptions to receiving press releases via e-mail, because it allows them to “opt-in” to your news and provides real-time updates. In 2005, Robert Scoble (Microsoft tech evangelist) notoriously blogged that any marketing person who did not add an RSS feed to their Web site should be fired. Harsh. But it’s a valuable tool we should all be using.

5. Identify one media contact in your newsroom and provide his/her contact information on the Web page, not just within press releases. Generic “info@” e-mail addresses or request-for-information survey pages are disconcerting for journalists who may be on deadline and want to contact the right person in a timely fashion.

The moral of the story is to evaluate your newsroom from a journalist’s perspective: someone unfamiliar with your company’s history, leadership and chain of command. Does your site paint a clear picture of your corporate identity? If not, it may be a good idea to do some housekeeping; statistically it is the most popular place people go to learn about your company.

Posted by Rebecca

I like to study left brain/right brain issues because when you build your business you need people with complementary strengths from each side of the brain to make it work well.

The left side of the brain is generally regarded as more logical; the right more creative.

Most creative firms have long been dominated by right-brainers with creative orientations, not left-brain people. But that is changing fast.

I’ve noticed a trend to left-brain thinking in marketing because managers want to measure results of their PR and marketing campaigns to determine return on investment.

Deliverables are being sought and metrics are being applied to see who is reading information and what they are doing about it.

This left-brain movement is bringing some science into PR and marketing to help measure results.

Posted by Larry

Awards are great PR tactics because they build credibility and visibility. Pursuing award opportunities can enhance industry leadership and build your company’s market recognition. Furthermore, awards serve a third-party endorsement of the quality products or services you offer (i.e. America’s Most Respected Companies, Best Places to Live America’s Favorite Cookie, etc.). That credibility accomplishes more than any advertising campaign.

Given the power of awards, it’s also important to understand where to look for them and how to pursue them for your organization. The diverse array of awards available might be daunting at first, but that’s a good thing. Different awards allow you to highlight different aspects of your business. Here’s a quick overview of some of the major award types and how they help you:

Industry awards recognize your company’s excellence within its primary area of expertise. You can apply for these awards for reasons including recent innovation, new product or company growth. Depending on the size of your business, you might be the best darn software development firm in the country, you might fall into the top 50 or 100, or you might fit a more specialized industry award, like “best developer of public transit tracking software” or “best manufacturer of polyester shoelaces” rather than best footwear manufacturer overall. Look to your trade publications and national industry organizations to find these opportunities.

Local media awards allow your company to showcase a strong suit other than its industry expertise. You might be the industry’s best developer of public transit tracking software, but you might also be one of your region’s “coolest places to work,” “best and brightest,” “fastest growing private companies,” etc. Check local business publications for announcements of these awards.

Professional organization membership awards acknowledge your contribution to the community of colleagues in related professions. Detroit’s Automation Alley, for example, has an annual awards gala to recognize the best member individuals and companies. Your member newsletters or the organizations’ websites are a great place to find out more about the awards they offer.

Awards for individuals within your company highlight employee excellence. Often, top-level executives are submitted for these awards based on significant victories, contributions or characteristics. Crain’s 40 under 40, for example, showcases one member of your team, but brings a measure of clout to the business as a whole. Not only that, these awards are often a morale booster; they show you recognize your employees’ contributions. Available on local, national and industry-wide levels, these opportunities can be found through professional organizations and it many trade and business news publications.

Awards for specific activities, generally given by professional organizations, recognize very specific areas of excellence. PRSA’s Silver Anvil Award for Crisis Communications, for example, awards member agencies based on documented strategic development and execution of one specific project. Consider pursuing awards for your web site, a successful ad campaign, company newsletter, new product design, etc.

Awards from clients, like “supplier of the year” and “certified partner,” allow you to demonstrate trends of excellent service—a plus when seeking new business—and help build your company’s recognition through association with other, often high-profile, clients. Explore these opportunities among clients with whom you have a positive, long-term relationship.

If none of these works for you, you can create your own award. This technique brings recognition to companies or individuals you think are doing something good, and it brings you recognition through association. Not only that, you’re also showing your company appreciates the contributions of others; something leaders at all levels do regularly. Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award is a great example of successful award creation. NuStep, Inc., an Ann Arbor-based maker of recumbent cross-training machines, gives its Pinnacle Award to exemplary health and wellness centers each year.

With all these options, the question becomes “where do I begin?” As with all successful PR tactics, some strategic planning with bring you closer to success. Establishing an award pursuit strategy involves three key actions:

1. Set goals! The pursuit of awards should support a defined purpose and work hand-in-hand with your business goals. Decide what you’d like your business to be known for and among whom and only pursue awards that will allow you to meet those goals. If you’re a baker, you might decide you want your bakery to be known locally for its great food and ambiance, and within the industry for its inventive recipes. You would apply for “top restaurant” or “best of” awards in local publications and “croissant recipe of the year” in trade publications. You wouldn’t apply for an unrelated award, like “best campfire sing-along leader,” even if you’re the undisputed champion, because it doesn’t further your business goals. Choosing award opportunities that suit your business makes you more likely to win.
2. Create an award database! Once you’ve defined your goals and audiences, it’s time to do some research. Find out about relevant award opportunities—application processes, deadlines, contact information, etc.—and keep all of that information in one central document. Try building an annual database so you’re aware of future opportunities and you can easily search within your master document for upcoming deadlines and other information. This saves you time in the long run; any additional research will supplement your master document, but you wont have to re-create it until next year. Your opportunity database should be comprehensive enough to allow for more than one award application in a defined period.
3. Apply consistently! You might decide you want to pursue one award per quarter, per year, etc. Whichever time frame you choose, make sure you are consistently applying for, and winning, relevant awards. If you decide to adopt award pursuit as a PR strategy, you should commit to it; make awards as much a priority as any of your other tactics and don’t wait for the opportunity to come to you. This will ensure your business is consistently recognized as excellent, not just a flash in the pan.

Posted by Nicole

We’ve recently entered an era of new media techniques and nontraditional marketing. It is now possible for anyone to exhibit the most creative and out-of-the-ballpark promotion and marketing strategies that would have easily been shot down five years ago. With these creative advancements in our marketing world, anyone can get the word spread about their product, company, television show or even themselves.

New media plays a major role in the e-world—be it podcasts, blogs and social networking sites. Take a look at this article by Stephanie Kang and Suzanne Vranica of The Wall Street Journal about year-old online forum Twitter MTV used Twitter as a promotional tactic to talk up the Music Awards show on June 3rd and they also plan on using it for the upcoming Video Music Awards in September.

Nontraditional marketing is all about two-way communication these days. Crest is asking consumers to choose the next flavor of toothpaste. Recently, MTV asked viewers to vote for the final roommate on the upcoming season of The Real World. Companies are getting consumers involved in the planning stages in hopes of increasing their loyalty.

The same is true for self-promotion. MySpace and YouTube allow users to upload videos, music files and photos, which has proved highly advantageous for aspiring musicians, comedians and models. Having an agent, label or recording contract doesn’t mean much these days—you can join a social network and get potentially just as many people to listen to your music, see your work or hear your stand up routine as you would after being “discovered.”

Above is a great example of how these new media promotional efforts work — Mia Rose. Up until December 2006, only locals had heard of Mia, and then she decided to post videos on YouTube of herself singing her own music. After 20,000 viewers subscribed to her music channel, Mia Rose now has a solo career and a strong international following.

OK Go, an alternative rock band from Chicago, is a second example of YouTube leading the way to their success. The band formed in 1998 and did not have much of a following until the above video was filmed and uploaded to YouTube about a year ago. To date, the video has been viewed over 20 million times. OK Go earned the Grammy award for “Best Short-Form Music Video” in 2007 and the YouTube 2006 Video Award for “Most Creative Video”.

My favorite nontraditional tactic would be The Simpson’s Movie craze that has been occurring lately. Actress Archives and The Seattle Times mention several of the tactics 20th Century Fox Film Corp. is using to market the July 27th opening. We still have all week to find out if the marketing hype was successful with box office sales or not.

Take Snakes on a Plane, which opened last summer, for example. By going to the Snakes on a Plane website, you could send voicemail messages from Samuel L. Jackson to yourself and friends reminding them of the upcoming release. The movie was hyped up all summer long leading to the mid-August big screen release, turns out Snakes on a Plane was number one at the box office through August even though the movie was continually getting low ratings. Just like the promotional rage for Snakes on a Plane release last summer, it will not matter if the movie is rated ten stars or one star, The Simpson’s will probably be number one this upcoming weekend and weekends to follow.

Nontraditional marketing is making vast advances by involving the audience in the promotion. Creative and nontraditional strategies will help keep you one step ahead and generate a whole new following.

Posted by Danielle