The value of the blog question. That’s something we get asked every day. Everybody is so fixated on their websites and their web copy, and that’s important, but remember, at the end of the day, the website is static. What a blog allows you to do is change your content on a regular basis, and then promote it as a way to get people to come to your website. So, the most important thing about the blog is not to be shy about sharing information…
Read MoreIf you’re fortunate enough to know that a big media hit is coming, here’s a couple of things you can do. If the goal of the media hit is to drive traffic to a website, and you know it’s going to be big — you’re going to be in the New York Times, you’re going to be on a big online outlet, you’re going to be on the Today Show — make sure that your website has the capability to capture all of that traffic…
Read MoreSo this is going to be a bit blasphemous coming from an old media relations guy, but I would lean much more toward the owned and paid. And here’s why. Owned is more certain. You have more control over the message. You have more control over the frequency. You have much more control over who’s going to see it, especially if you can add that paid piece in there. Earned, while it still brings the good third-party endorsement, is much less certain these days. You…
Read MoreThe short version of the answer is the media landscape has changed a lot over the last four or five years. It’s been well documented some media have shrunken, some media have gone away. The number of people at media that we can pitch is now far fewer than it ever has been. So, you need to be patient, you need to be much more targeted with your pitches. You should do a lot of research online and on social, and if you have access…
Read MoreAccording to LiveStream, a video live stream platform, 80 percent of users would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog, and 82 percent prefer live video from a brand to social posts. If those numbers don’t convince you that your organization needs to be considering live video as a part of your marketing strategy, I’m not sure what will. If you haven’t read up on live streaming lately, you may be missing opportunities to engage with your online community, not to mention the chance…
Read MoreLead scoring assigns points to a person based on their likelihood to buy your product or service. Our last blog post on lead scoring – Lead scoring 101: Lead scoring & why it’s important– also explains how lead scoring can be used to align marketing and sales, save valuable resources and increase sales close rates. Now, let’s get into the science of lead scoring: the data that indicates a lead is likely – or unlikely – to buy and how to get started developing a…
Read MoreYour current content program is working when it is generating the traffic or the leads that you set it out to do from the beginning. So, if your goal was more traffic to your website, or to certain pages on your website like your blog, and you’re seeing an increase in traffic, then it’s working. If your goal was to drive traffic to a specific offer, like a white paper, that people would download in exchange for names and email addresses, and that’s working, then…
Read MoreIf there were coupons for social media advertising, I’d be sharpening my scissors ready to clip away. Unfortunately, the world of online advertising doesn’t have the same perks as other sectors of commerce, so being a good steward of your organization’s ad budget is important. That means designing a plan that balances your organization’s budget and goals. To give yourself the best chance at achieving your objectives, lay your advertising plan over your editorial strategy. Doing so will ensure that you’re spending your dollars at…
Read MoreWe’re a couple weeks out from Hodges’ first-ever Facebook live event and still I find it hard to watch the archived video. Don’t get me wrong, the event exceeded our expectations and the feedback from viewers was amazing. In fact, someone even recognized Jon at a downtown restaurant and asked him if he was the guy from the Facebook live event…in our minds, we’re stars! The reality, however, is that it’s hard to watch and listen to recorded versions of ourselves – we’re our own worst…
Read MoreMeasurement has been somewhat of a white whale for the public relations industry for quite some time, if not forever. Not that it’s impossible, by any means, but the nature of our work makes quantifying its impact an Ahab-level challenge. While marketers and advertisers can point to clear metrics demonstrating success, PR pros often have struggled to draw a straight line between their victories and bottom-line impact, especially to clients who have a hard time understanding the value of intangibles like good will, reputation and…
Read MoreIn my world having three unrelated conversations about the same thing is the signal of a trend. Within the last week I’ve had three unrelated and unsolicited conversations about content. More specifically the conversations were about who owns the content in an organization. In each case, it was clear to me that silos still exist that are stopping these organizations from communicating effectively with their audiences. As a PR person by trade, I’m biased. In our recently released eBook (shameless plug: you can download the…
Read MoreA potential new client was referred to us recently, and after an initial phone call, we agreed to a meeting. He was a thoughtful guy with terrific credentials – an MBA, some Wall Street experience and a track record of success in following his dream: creating new manufacturing opportunities in communities where plants had been shuttered and ghosts of bygone days lingered. He was likeable and inquisitive, curious to learn as much about public relations as he could, measuring against what he thought he needed…
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