Blogging

We’ve made the case for integrating media relations, SEO and social media into a digital PR program as well as covering some of the basics. Now we can drill a bit deeper into blogger relations and social media monitoring.

The advent of digital PR and the technology tools that serve as compliments means changes in the way agencies provide client consulting and practice management. In the case of TopRank, we’re running both a internet marketing agency and a public relations practice, so we’ve always counseled our clients on the use of targeted keywords during interviews and in communications with the media as well as with content published to the web. In a push and pull PR strategy, keywords are used to optimize content and digital assets to enable the media to pull themselves to a client’s news.

Optimize your media relations training. For media relations coaching with keywords, the phrases to use in interviews (along with the brand message) are the keywords the company news content is optimized for. When the interviews or articles are published on or offline, many readers will remember the topic, but not the names of all the companies mentioned. More often than not, readers will go to go to Google and search the topic of the article whereupon the company has prominent visibility in the search results. The traffic this tactic generates includes both consumers searching for products/services as well as journalists researching stories.

I’m a blog. Can you relate? Another emerging practice area for many digital PR practitioners is Blogger Relations. Pitching in media relations is similar in many ways to individual link building. Pitching bloggers for PR purposes or as part of a link building program can be a slippery slope when approached with traditional tactics. Most bloggers don’t respond well, if at all, to a mass distributed email pitch. For successful blogger relations, more effort must be undertaken into qualifying bloggers to determine their degree of influence, topics that are important to them and their readers. Pitching is customized and personal by default, not as an exception.

Spin cycle to transparency. Most tenured PR professionals grew up in the industry on spin so it takes a bit of re-training to get more experienced media relations staff in the habit of social participation and transparency. Blogger relations is a never ending task of practice and refinement as is link building for search engine optimization. PR is still about persuasion though, so there will always be some aspect of the pitching effort designed for a particular messaging outcome just like there is an intended outcome for a link solicitation with SEO. That’s not “spin” as we know it today, but it is still about influence, a “sale” to be made, a media “hit” to score.

Social crisis management. Another change with the increasing popularity of digital PR is how public relations practitioners handle crisis communications and the rapid spread of information online. In the past, PR professionals could call their contacts within the media to keep a negative story from getting coverage. With more and more editorial decisions in the hands of user generated content, there’s nothing any company or PR professional can do to stop negative news from being posted, ranted, commented and spread amongst blogs, Twitter and instant messaging.

Listen to the brand conversation. Today’s participatory web requires companies to be involved with online communities in order to gain any kind of foothold on what’s being said and discussed about their brands. The notion that, “Conversations are happening with or without you, so get involved or get left behind”, rings true for brands and PR as well as for advertising and marketing.

Brands need to be monitored continuously and when dissention is detected, it must be qualified and responded to quickly before it becomes a full blown crisis. Kryponite locks are a classic example of this and with the Bic pen fiasco still occupying top five search results, they could seriously use some SEO expertise with Search Engine Reputation Management.

It’s about people, technology and keywords. Corporate PR and communications need to allocate ongoing software (social media and brand monitoring) and human resources (Community Manager) to this end in proportion to the value of their brand equity. The bigger the brand, the more you have to lose by not paying attention to what social communities and the blogosphere is saying. Social media monitoring is keyword based, so understanding keyword research from a SEO and branding perspective can be instrumental in an effective listening effort.

As companies should “listen” to the social web for negative sentiment, they should also listen for evangelists. Reaching out to brand proponents and energizing their efforts with recognition and communication tools goes a long way towards building a brand online. It’s also the foundation for building community.

Is it really about “Adapt or die”? When it comes to digital PR and the integration of online PR, social media and search engine optimization, it’s a critical moment for PR agencies and corporate PR departments: embrace the social web or it will embrace you. New methods of online communication and influence require new tools and skill sets on the part of online marketing and PR practitioners. Listening, participating and engaging with less direct message control mean agencies must adjust their organizations in order to adapt. It also requires new models for managing client expectations.

Whether it’s optimizing news content for SEO, digital asset optimization for media and news assets or an integrated Push/Pull PR strategy involving both optimization and media/blogger outreach, new corporate “neural pathways” must be laid in order for companies to realize their place in the social web.

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Digital PR and SEO Series: Part 3

Yesterday we talked about the opportunity for combining search engine optimization, social media and digital public relations. Today’s entry will discuss how to start going about it.

Leveraging Low and High Tech for Social Media Relations

“Fuzzy”. That’s how I would describe most companies’ thinking on social media, SEO and PR. How can marketers and companies start incorporating the new rules of the social web into a digital PR effort?

The answer to that question starts with understanding the social web and the technology that connects audiences. Forrester often refers to this social connectivity as “social computing”. The socialized web provides media relations practitioners and search marketers with an array of tools to make it easier for journalists and the media to cover their clients’ news, promote content and attract links. They key is knowing which tools are most appropriate and effective and which are simply “shiny new objects”.

Start with the fundamentals. RSS content distribution, blogs, social networks and microblogging (Twitter) for example, provide excellent channels for social message and news distribution. Establishing each channel as part of an organization’s news platform is a good first step in a digital PR program. Transparency is important, so such efforts should be branded appropriately and involves social media savvy staff that participate, not just push and pitch.

Speaking of push - From a Push PR perspective, social distribution of news provides opt-in networks the opportunity for updates on their terms and can also provide content for search engines. Making information available in different formats makes it easier for Journalists and bloggers to monitor information sources according to their preferences. A 2007 study by Bulldog Reporter/TEKgroup International reports 64% of journalists research stories through Google News and Yahoo News. 70% read at least one blog regularly and 44% visit a social media site at least monthly. Optimizing content for visibility in these channels increases the opportunity for the media to pull themselves to news content and when that information is used for a story, it can be just as beneficial for a client as the outcome of a media pitch. From a SEO perspective, links from articles on authoritative publications and blogs can deliver twofold value: traffic and a positive influence on search engine visibility.

What’s social about a news release? Another example of using technology to help improve PR/journalist communications is the social media news release. The premise of the SMNR is that traditional press release formats do not meet the needs of today’s journalists. In a fast moving world of short attention spans, micro content and the tendency to socialize information, the SMNR deconstructs the traditional news release format into essential information such as quotes, bullets and media elements. Links to share, bookmark and comment on the release are also often included. While the SMNR has yet to be accepted as a standard format by all of the major wire services, it has been adopted as an option by some and has gained popularity in tech savvy sectors and with bloggers.

Get in the media with media – Individual components of what make up the social media news release can be leveraged independently. For example, pitching and blogger relations that involve audio and video can be particularly productive. When reaching out to a particular publication or journalist, including links to a short podcast , video interview or demo can provide more engaging information about the news being promoted as well as sound bites. A link to a traditional press release is included as well for those not tuned in to a multimedia experience.

And now the pull
Hosting audio and video media using blog software in the form of an online media room allows those digital assets to be repurposed and optimized for search. Employing keyword optimization with news content can improve discovery on its own via traditional search as well as through specialized search channels such as blog, video, audio and social media. Employing a digital asset optimization effort with news content ensures each media type is keyword mapped and promoted on relevant channels.

Low tech is still important, if it’s social - Despite the digital and new media flavor of these Digital PR posts, some of the most effective online PR tactics are not necessarily about Web 2.0. Email and smile ‘n dial pitching as we know it may be on the way out for many of the social media PR evangelists, but journalists will always benefit from reputable story ideas and/or sources relevant to their publication’s readership. Sometimes it’s a matter of doing what it takes (reasonably and in a relevant way) to get attention. There is no substitute for voice and personal contact. Combined with an adept understanding of keyword optimized content and the social web makes low tech tactics even more effective with a Push/Pull PR strategy.

This is not the end - Beginning a digital PR program that’s optimized for search and social media means a real effort towards understanding the social web, SEO and the technologies that make them work. It also means listening, participating and not completely foregoing some traditional tactics. In the end, engaging the social web can only facilitate what’s been important for the media since day one: Find reliable sources and interesting story ideas that help the publication serve their readership and advertisers.

The last post in this 3 part series on Digital PR and SEO drills deeper into blogger relations and social media monitoring.

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Digital PR and SEO Series: Part 2

What exactly, does Web 2.0, social media and even SEO have to do with public relations? Everything!

You’d be hard pressed to find any modern public relations agency practice that isn’t researching or already implementing a digital PR strategy including search engine optimization, blogging/blogger relations and social media. The winds of change are here and many Public Relations practitioners are scrambling to adjust to the opportunities presented by shifts in both consumer and journalist behavior online.

Look no further than popular Public and Media Relations conferences like PRSA International or some of the Bulldog Reporter events to see exactly how the PR industry is making a concerted effort to educate itself on how to adjust to new opportunities with Web 2.0., SEO and social media.

The Point of Connection is coming. In fact, I will be doing a half day, pre-conference workshop for the PRSA International event October 25th (1-5pm) on search engine optimization for news content. News SEO is distinctly different from SEO for lead generation since the desired outcome is not a new customer or a sale, but to be a source for a journalist writing a story and possibly an ongoing collaboration. News content optimization folds in nicely with digital asset optimization as we’ll be identifying the kind of content and assets most PR departments can best leverage for optimization.

Embrace the social, not the drive by. Some PR agencies have been able to fully embrace these shifts at their core, and not only become successfully involved with online communities but have been instrumental at facilitating PR’s role in the various online channels such as social networking, blogs and search. These agencies are best prepared to represent brands in a win-win situation over those firms that skim social media with drive by pitching and promotion tactics and without a full understanding of the medium.

Avoid the “dand bramage” of sloppy social. Not fully understanding social media communities for example, has resulted in far more brand damage rather than audience engagement. There’s an unfortunate history with some PR agencies of brand embarrassments as a result of fake blogs, user accounts on social news sites and fake social network participation. Apparently, when SEO consultants do this en masse, it’s perceived by some as an acceptable risk and by others as a bad marketing decision. Trying to fake the social web with an established brand is very risky and in my opinion, just plain stupid.

Get busy with Digital PR and public relationships. PR and media relations consultants and organizations are now charged with embracing the online culture of user generated media and the social web. Participation, transparency and conversation are the buzz words for the future of PR as in “Publicly Relating” or “Public Relationships”. The question is, “How to best start incorporating the new rules of the social web into a digital PR effort?”

To start answering that question, be sure to read tomorrow’s post in this series on leveraging high/low tech for social media relations.

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Digital PR and SEO Series: Part 1

Content is King and links are Queen. Together with a nice dose of marketing they make a nice little kingdom. But what if you have trouble generating new content on a regular basis? How can resource strapped bloggers and busy web site owners leverage what they’re already doing for the benefit of their online audiences and better search engine visibility?

The answer to those questions lies in an analysis of the content creation processes within the overall organization. Companies like TopRank call that process consulting but in the meantime, here are 5 tips for those active in an industry to re-purpose content for the web.

• Get more power out of PowerPoint - Turn PowerPoint decks into articles and/or blog posts and vice versa. It’s smart marketing anyway, to build supporting editorial visibility to a topic you’re speaking on at conferences, with prospective clients or other situations requiring PowerPoint. Why not leverage the effort put into a PowerPoint presentation for inspiration to create a contributed article offered for republishing to other blogs or industry publications? Same goes for transforming a PowerPoint into a single or series of blog posts.Conversely, a great article that speaks well to your key strengths with research and examples can be a perfect outline for creating an effective PowerPoint presentation. Two birds, one stone. Nice.

• Let interviews do the talking - lf you’re fortunate to be interviewed by other bloggers, typically via email, leverage the answers you’ve given into a blog post or an article. Many such interviews do not include the full text of your reply, which you can use for your own online content. Another scenario is when the interview is by phone, podcast or video and you’ve been given prep questions in advance. Answer the prep questions in text and you have a great basis for several blog posts or an article.If the press and bloggers are not knocking on your door for interviews, no worries. Have a co-worker interview you using a digital camera about your perspective on a certain industry topic. Either transcribe the interview or have your co-worker create prep questions and answer them. You get video and show notes out of it, both great content for a blog.

  You could just write an article of course, but we’ve found the interview angle to be more motivating for many people not confident about exactly what to write.

• Break it up - Take a long article you’ve had published online or in a notable publication and break it up in to a series of blog posts. Do this AFTER the article runs in the publication! Add unique introductions and summaries along with plenty of related resource links. Of course this tactic assumes the original article is structured into topical segments, easy for breaking up. If you’re not writing articles that way, it might be time to start. Hint hint.

• Turn press releases into lemonade - Press releases written in AP style are pretty boring for consumers. Heck, they’re pretty boring for everyone.  Take the key messages of the press release and rewrite conversationally as blog post making sure to cite examples, offer tips and to link out to relevant resources - ideally other influential blogs on the topic. There’s no harm in having a link to the original press release either.

• What’s old is new - A robust blog often posts an array of tips, insights and how to’s over time. We’ve been posting since Dec 2003 and believe me, there’s a lot of content update opportunities over 5 years of blogging.

  The search marketing industry changes pretty quickly creating the need to offer updated tips to stay current. What better source for those updates than old blog posts that were popular in the past? Update the title, ex: “All New Tips for Re-Purposing Blog Content” as well as the actual tips and make recent news references. Be sure to revisit what keywords are in demand by mining popular social tags and keyword research tools.  Add new examples and links to external resources, ideally influential blogs on the topic. Those links out are like a virtual tap tap on the shoulder of the popular blogs and might just get you noticed. They can also be useful to readers and search engines.

Bonus:
When you shoot a video for online promotion, take screen shots of appealing moments. Share them on image sharing sites and social networks with a link back to the blog post where the video is embedded. If you manage multiple blogs on relevantly similar topics, show the image(s) on the other blog(s) along with a unique text transcription of the word content within the video. Link back to the blog post with video embedded.

These examples are bit close to home because many are what we do with Online Marketing Blog and our own involvement with the SEM industry. These tips are literally the tip of the iceberg and can be applied to just about any industry. It comes down to being both creative and understanding what your target audience wants. If they don’t respond well to repurposed content, then you’ll either need to hire a writer or get more creative in your packaging of information.

“Listen” to blog comments or lack thereof, web analytics and social media monitoring to get an idea of how audiences respond and also to get new ideas for more content. As with all marketing, it’s a matter of anticipating what the audience wants and doing your best to give it to them. If they don’t respond, use analytics and feedback to make changes and refine.

We’ve shown you some of oours now how ’bout you show us a few of your tips for re-purposing content?

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5 Ways to Re-Purpose Content for Blog SEO

Welcome back to the BIGLIST Update of SEO, SEM and Social Media Marketing Blogs. This week’s blog reviews include ecommerce, social media and PR as well as agency insights on industry trends. Enjoy!

eCommerce Optimization Blog - This ecommerce blog by eCopt (aka Matt Franklin) advises you’ll sell more online if you read the many tutorials, how to’s and tips on search optimization, usability and marketing.

Liberate Media Blog - This UK based agency blog with Andy Merchant, Tim Greenhalgh and founders Lloyd Gofton and Wendy McAuliffe covers emerging trends, industry observations, social media and digital PR topics.

Honorable Mention:

evilgreenmonkey - Rob Kerry is a British SEO consultant and editor on Sphinn, two things which must keep him terribly busy because we haven’t seen a blog post since July, something we’d love to see rectified.

Our hypothetical research says blogs with a BIGLIST BADGE are 78% more likely to impress the opposite sex. (link back optional)

Sponsored By: Digital Publishing & Advertising DPAC II Next wave of digital content & ads October 27th & 28th NY Marriott Marquis

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BIGLIST SEO Blog Reviews 082508