One of the hardest things to get over to clients is that no matter who they are, they can benefit from establishing a public affairs programme. Many feel that speaking to politicians has nothing to do with their primary goals of building awareness or sales (the reason why many small businesses seek the services of a media relations consultant). However, they would be completely wrong.

Let me explain by giving a couple of examples:

One of my clients has an on-going problem with the late payments of invoices, particularly from larger companies, causing cash flow problems. The UK government is bringing in reforms to payment terms and we were monitoring their legislative proposals. However, we felt that they did not go far enough. Working with our client, we came up with a simple proposal – that any company paying after 60 days of being invoiced, should also be liable to pay the standard UK sales tax of 20 per cent (businesses paying other businesses for services are usually exempt). This single proposal gained national media coverage for the client, creating a strong impact throughout the sector at a time when the issue of late payments was particularly pertinent in the media.

Another example involves using local politicians and their desire to support businesses in their constituencies (UK electoral districts). We invited the local Member of Parliament to visit a client’s offices to see their latest innovation. The visit created a valuable news hook that was then used to gain coverage in local and specialist trade press as well as improving the client’s relationship with the local chambers of commerce.

These are just two examples of how small companies can benefit from having a targeted public affairs programme that augments their wider media relations.

Discovering Opportunities

However, public affairs is not just about speaking. It is also important to listen by establishing a monitoring function. Material benefits to the client are possible through Government-backed stimulus funding; grants and service contract opportunities that many businesses simply do not know exist. Through monitoring, small enterprises can be among the first to hear of potential business opportunities and get in as early as possible.

The fact is that building a relationship with government, trade bodies and other lobbying groups gives your clients insight into the industry, financial benefits and a strong network that over time will support their business. Further, by integrating it with their existing media relations programme, public affairs can provide a strong source of news hooks to gain media coverage and industry impact.

These are just a couple of points about what is a vast area of activity that can benefit organisations of any size and in any sector. My best advice would be if you are considering whether public affairs might benefit your organisation is to get involved with your industry representative body, your local chambers of commerce and other lobbying groups and see what they are doing. Even if you don’t have your own public affairs programme you can use these groups to raise your profile and to get ideas. Secondly, nothing beats speaking to a public affairs consultant directly and to challenge them to impress you!

Richard Merrin, Managing Director of Spreckley Partners – a GlobalCom PR Network partner in the UK

Not so long ago, the press release was the be all and end all of any outbound influencer relations. PR firms would fire the release out to the influencer list and interested journalists would rely on the press release to write their own version of the story.

These days, press releases deliver on multiple levels for technology companies.

The fact is that the role of releases as sources of news is much diminished. While they often serve as a great mechanism for getting approval on the parameters of an announcement, theyoffer little value in terms of getting that story into print (or more likely, onto pixel). That level of engagement now requires extensive research and drafting micro-pitches to influencers on an individual basis.

Much of the value of press releases these days is online, because they can be syndicated out to multiple news sites and generate search engine optimization (SEO) value as a result. This is where strategic keyword strategies across a company website can work together with press releases and other syndicated content.

But to really get the most value out of this new arrangement, businesses need to realize PR and content marketing have come together.

Press releases are no longer just a way to educate third parties, such as the media. Now, they’re often seen directly by companies’ actual target audiences, which means a release is an opportunity to educate and engage, as well as capture lead information.

Here are three ways you can use press releases for content marketing:

1. Add more multimedia content to drive audience engagement

A study from PR Newswire showed that press releases with content such as presentations, PDFs or videos can increase views by 48 to 77 percent and triple the number of times the releases are shared. Adding supplemental material can drive engagement and direct people to your website.

2. Leverage through your blog and social media campaigning

Press releases are an obvious source of content for your blog and can be readily repurposed and reused – but get creative! Rather than simply restating the news think, try augmenting with a video interview of the CEO or featured customer, create a white board series that highlights the business value of technical innovation, seek guest contributors to explore different facets of the story, etc.

Press releases should also always be shared through social media channels, but again – think engagement, not just amplification. Businesses can plan ahead and build anticipation by starting conversations in advance, as well as sharing other interesting material related to the announcement after its release.

3. Drive prospects to download longer-form content

If businesses start using links in press releases, they can send interested readers to eBooks, PDFs, guides or other long-form content. This content can be email-gated, too, so that you can gather information about visitors who are interested in learning more about the product or service and follow up with them later.

Using the Press Release as a Gateway

These days, press releases aren’t just great ways to educate media and industry thought leaders, they can directly connect with prospects, too. To adapt, PR firms are going to have to acknowledge the growing power of content marketing and start keeping those principles in mind whenever they’re writing their next release.

If done right, press releases won’t just build a brand and awareness – they may end up building business, too.

Read More:

Why PR and Content Marketing Are the Same Thing

Content Marketing, PR and Related Pearls of Wisdom

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Your video is not a Field of Dreams. If you simply build it no one will come. VSEO is important because the Search Engine “spiders” or “bots” are your first audience. Search Engines need to understand your content and index it correctly before it can be found by someone searching. Performing Video Search Engine Optimization (VSEO) will help you get your videos found.

How to Conduct Keyword Research for Videos

Whatever someone types into a Search Engine becomes a “keyword phrase”. When you hear “keyword” forever more just think search phrase. Your business can easily do keyword research related to your website and industry to identify exactly what people are searching for. We recommend conducting keyword research for any piece of content you have created. A great place to start is with your own web analytics to review what keywords are already coming to your site. Second, take a look at Google’s Adwords Keyword Tool. My tip is to look for what are called long-tail keywords, search phrase with three, four, or more words. Although longer worded search phrases have lower search volume they are both easier to rank for and probably will convert better for you.

Imagine JCPR’s Video Production Company JCIP trying to compete for the keyword “video.” One or even two word search phrases are not specific enough. Almost half the time people search they use four or more words. The long-tail search phrase is your friend for VSEO because you can more easily get traffic back to your site or video with longer tail keywords than with a one or two word phrase.

How to Optimize Video for YouTube Search

• The Title is the single most important element for Search. The maximum effective title length for your video is 66 characters; the reason is that Google will truncate anything over this length in search results. Longer titles do work for search because the spiders will read them, however, they just will not be properly displayed so make sure what you want people to see are in the first 66 characters of your title.
• The description is the second most important element for video search. Also, every video placed on YouTube should have a back-link to a relevant landing page on your website. This link should be displayed in the first two lines of the description. Your text should support your keyword research.
• Tags and Categories are the third most important element for VSEO. Your tags should be based on your keyword research. Pay attention to the suggestions YouTube gives you as well. Avoid stuffing, a practice where you repeat the same words over and over.

As a bonus we’re going to give you three pro tips to implement.

• Pro Tip #1: Yes, your file name makes a difference, name it the same as your title before you upload the video.
• Pro Tip #2: Make sure all content is yours, especially music. YouTube will flag your video if they suspect pirated content. They are especially good at flagging music. Use content that you have rights to, or explore YouTube’s “free to use” music library.
• Pro Tip #3: Consider a video transcript. Video transcripts add text content to your video post on platforms such as YouTube. This text content can help your video be found for long-tail search requests both on YouTube and by the Search Engines.

Intermediate Video Search Optimization Next

JCPR is just getting started! They have many more pro tips and pieces of advice to offer. Please follow the series or comment on the JCPR blog post How to Optimize Video for Search.

This post was first published on JCPR.com

Recently, I found myself surfing the interwebs, as I often do, for a good read. Being a PR professional and an avid consumer of all types of media content, I started reading an interview with New York Times bestselling author Guy Kawasaki, where he offered his thoughts on content marketing, social media and a few other interesting topics.

It’s a good read, but there was one statement in particular from the article’s author, Brad Miller, that really caught my attention:

“While content marketing has been around for as long as the written word, it has taken itself to a whole new level over the last few years, considering the sheer volume of content that is being produced.”

Content marketing has been around as long as the written word? That certainly piqued my curiosity – especially since content marketing has only recently become a term that everyone seems to be talking about. Luckily for me, there was a hyperlink included in that statement that allowed me to explore this further. Hey, look at that. The combination of engaging content and hyperlinks directing readers to additional sources of information actually works. Who would have known?

Anyway, that link took me to an infographic that spelled out exactly what was meant by content marketing being as old as the written word. For thousands of years, both individuals and brands have been using storytelling as a means to convey messages, attract customers and build loyalty.

Some of the items included in this infographic were a bit humorous. For example, saying that early cave paintings were among the first signs of custom publishing and offering an example that “loosely translated to ‘6 ways a spear can save you from a wild boar.’”

Some of the other examples will resonate more with certain people, depending on when they grew up. As a child of the 80s, one that caught my eye happened in 1982, when toy company Hasbro partnered with Marvel Comics to create a G.I. Joe comic book. This completely changed the way toys were marketed, capitalizing on crossover appeal that is now a staple of the modern marketing and entertainment worlds.

When you stop to think about it, that comic book is similar to company blogs today. You take a topic that your business is centered on and that your target audience is interested in and wants regular content about, and you use it as the mouthpiece of your organization. Before the Internet and social media, only companies that could afford to staff, publish, distribute and promote their own trade magazines could do what every business with Internet access now has the power to do.

Technology has advanced to the point where the vehicles we have for creating, disseminating and consuming content are unbelievably powerful and easy to use. Yes – the term “content marketing” only came into existence in recent years. But, the idea has been around since that first caveman realized he could sharpen some tree branches into spears and trade them for whatever his heart desired.

It’s about telling a story that people can relate to. Content marketing is effective storytelling, and storytelling is the oldest art form there is. You just have to know how to tell the right story to the right people.

First of all…why?

Any PR worth their salt knows that journalists, in both trade and national media, covet new statistics to fill column inches. Figures offer credibility for claims made, give insight into specific markets or audiences, and often mean your client’s message has a wider reach and longer lifespan than a corporate story or launch.

While the imminent ‘Summer Slump’ is notorious for spawning quirky studies to fill the news pages, thought provoking new research actually provides sales and marketing value all year round for your client.

Research-led PR can demonstrate your client’s knowledge and its expertise, as well as playing all the findings right back towards the marketing message.

It’s all about the soft sell.

What?

One of the best ways to ensure that you’re asking the right questions in a survey is to create your ‘dream’ coverage. Put yourself in the journalist’s shoes, and write a ‘news in brief’ or larger piece – complete with findings – that will enable you to work backwards towards the exact questions to put into the questionnaire.

Also consider the main deliverable you want to deliver to the client. Is this just a press release, or a series of analytical white papers? This will determine the detail of your questionnaire and the questions you ask.

Who?

The volume of respondents also needs to represent a good sample of your market. For example, 1,000 responses would be ideal if you are asking UK consumers, but if you’re looking for the views of IT decision makers in public sector organisations, much fewer responses would make more sense.

With consumer research, consider an incentive – from an iPad to Amazon vouchers – to boost responses. Make sure the prize draw relates to the topic of the survey for extra points from the Marketing Manager!

When?

Does a particular quarter, period or time of year relate to your survey? Consider also tying in your research with a national day/week, important date for your client or even an event.

Surveys are also a great way to generate news when your client is going through a ‘quiet’ news period. After all, PR is a proactive profession!

Where?

Where is the market you want to study? Is this a geographic market, or a particular industry sector?

Also consider if you can survey more than one market or geography and compare results. For example, how do UK consumers behave compared to US consumers within a particular market?

How?

How you execute market research depends completely on the deliverables.

Specialist research partners, social media, business and personal contacts, existing databases and bought-in lists can all be used to find respondents. Ask if you need to retain control of the research method, in which case a tool like SurveyMonkey may be the best fit.

You could even join forces with another company – perhaps a partner or customer – for twice the distribution power.

Remember…content is king

Research-led PR really is one of the best ways to generate a wealth of credible, original and thought provoking content, across your client’s company.

It can form the basis of a fully integrated marketing campaign, from design and sales literature, through to field marketing and lead generation. In fact, the possibilities really are endless.

And when it comes to next year’s PR plan? Run the research again!

Does anyone really need a Google+ account?

A lot of people have been asking this question lately – especially at tech PR firms like March, since we do a lot of work with clients on their social media strategies. We know that any social network is an investment and you want to make sure that the investment will pay off.

LinkedIn and Facebook can help with lead generation. Twitter’s a great tool for networking and digesting industry news. Pinterest is … well, it’s something, but it’s still developing as a useful tool for B2B tech companies.

So what does Google+ have to offer that isn’t already offered by a more popular social network?

That’s simple: the power of search.

The Era of Social Search

Last week, we discussed how Bing and Google+ were making serious moves toward an era of social search. Bing has teamed up with Facebook to help with Graph Search and now it’s possible to sync up Facebook data with your Bing searches.

Still, the fact remains that about 66 percent of all search traffic is going to Google. Bing has about 16 percent.

Google is incorporating Google+ into search results, so every PR firm needs to be talking about this with clients as part of their strategies. It’s imperative that every thought leader has a Google+ account or their content will get relegated to the notoriously dusty second page of search results.

PR, Clients and Google+

PR agencies write a lot of thought leadership pieces on behalf of clients, especially on company blogs. Since Google is making Google+ a bigger part of search results, the bloggers with Google+ accounts are going rise to the top faster.

That’s why Google+ is going to become PR’s best friend – Or at least a “frenemy.”

1. Content marketing and PR are already becoming the same thing.

2. A big part of content marketing is search engine optimization (SEO).

3. PR firms help clients with SEO.

4. In the era of social search, Google+ will be crucial for content that drives SEO.

Since Google is forcing everyone’s hands by weighing Google+ so heavily in search results, the social network may start seeing a lot more engagement from content creators and thought leaders looking to make sure that their content stays at the top of search results.

For PR firms, that means working with clients to develop a coherent Google+ strategy that can help promote bylines, blog content and other thought leadership work. Then, they can take it one step further and engage with communities and industry peers on Google+ to help enhance SEO.

SEO and social are converging and, love it or hate it, Google+ is going to be at the core of this convergence.

What do you think? Is Google+ a best friend, a best frenemy or both?

Once a year the PR and communication experts of the global organization come together for three days to exchange insights on local and global market development, new communication trends, new joint clients and projects, as well as networking opportunities.

Today, for example, we learned more about the Australian market which has a very independent economy that is fairly insulated from the financial and political currents influencing the economies of Europe and the US. Therefore, in addition to a strong consumer market, the country is also seen as a very strong growth market for renewable energy technologies.

The Indian market has one of the fastest growing populations in the world. It offers unique opportunities for industries such as mobile communications, but requires very specific local knowledge for successful PR programs. Korea, maybe a little less in the spotlight than other Asian markets, has the fastest internet connections in the world. It has very strong consumer spending power and a high requirement for brand and communication consultancy with local expert insights.

Thailand, Russia, Czech & Slovakia, Poland, Serbia, Italy, Scandinavia, the UK, the USA and Latin America and specific industries within these countries are also on this year’s agenda. As various GCPR teams specialize in different industries the specialists are able to provide expert insights into those markets.

Clients who work with GlobalCom teams around the world also use the opportunity to meet their teams at one place to review and plan PR campaigns and communication strategies.

And last but not least the annual meeting offers to opportunity to learn more about the culture of the hosting country.

… and let me put it this way: mixing PR professional and tequila makes for a very communicative mix!

Your GCPR team live from Mexico

When PR firms are sending out a pitch, it’s important to tell a compelling story and know the best times to send a pitch, but you also need to make sure your pitches are relevant to the influencers and audience you want to reach.

Not every byline written or piece of news issued will be appropriate for every journalist or publication. And if you don’t pitch the right person, journalists and bloggers aren’t  afraid to call you out for your mistakes.Here are three ways to ensure a meaningful, targeted approach to influencer relations:

1. Read and familiarize yourself with influencers’ work.

Demonstrate that you understand their beat(s) and recent areas of interest so you can make insightful connections to the client and story you are offering.

2. Get to know their preferences.

If a reporter rejected a pitch, consider asking what they didn’t like about one pitch or contributed article, so you can fine-tune future ones. Show that you are collaborative—check in on occasion and explore how you can  help with their current project.

3. Engage them offline and online.

Suggest meeting at a tradeshow or networking session to personalize your interactions. Follow them on Twitter, and/or connect on LinkedIn to build a rapport as a trustworthy source. Try building a relationship, rather than a contact.

Looking Before You Pitch

As my colleague Doug Flora previously explained, no two journalists are alike. It’s critical to understand what stories will pique each someone’s interest and how and when a reporter  prefers to be contacted.

Micro-targeted pitches are essential for standing out, especially given the fact that influencers are bombarded by emails and phone calls (and tweets) around the clock. Micro-targeting your PR pitches can help ensure your client’s story is told to the right audience at the right time… not micro-targeting could mean that the story doesn’t get told at all.

Stating that I don’t feel confident accusing those who are already in a critical position,  in this post I would like to analyze the events involving Alitalia, being conscious about the fact that some professionals – also the ones working for communications and external relations of Alitalia – will agree with me, and others won’t. Let’s talk about this news, telling the story of a plane that went off the track during the night of  February 2^nd, and let’s ask ourselves if, just analyzing the facts, it was possible to predict in advance the crisis scenario later delineated. And also, did the removal of the Alitalia logo from the wreck influence the attention dedicated to the incident by media and public opinion? On my opinion, it did, but, if removing the company logo from every plane wreck is a common routine, what is the mistake from the communication management point of view? How can a simple “routine” become a news?

In this case, just the fact that this common routine for the employees was a news for the media, was “enough”. It was also enough that this routine is particularly suitable to be represented with simple images – used by the media and sharable object on social media, according to the “viral logic” – and suitable for filling up the void left by the luckily-absence of bloodbath  in the “day-after media storytelling” .

The accident caused injuries and delays, but no one died, as it happened during a similar event some years ago in Genoa. I could be wrong, but it was February 25th 1999 when a Dornier 328, with Alitalia livery but operated by Minerva Airlines, went off the track in the Genoa airport, overlooking the sea. The outcome was four deaths and dozens of injuries, so the fact that the Alitalia logo on the wreck was hidden by a cloth took second place, because it was journalistically more relevant telling the inauspicious events going on.

At the time Mark Elliott Zuckerberg was only 15, and social media as Facebook and Twitter still didn’t exist, so newspapers, the day after the tragedy, missed the news about the hidden logo on the plane wreck.

I might have some articles with the pictures of the “covered” plane wreck because, at the time, this news intrigued me and I did some research in order to verify this “coverage behavior”, finding out that this procedure comes from the first forerunners manuals of crisis prevention (and crisis preparedness guidelines of the air transport sector).

Even if all the crisis communication professionals should thank who wrote the articles – because they actually created the conditions for the spread of a real crisis communication management culture – they should also remember that crisis communication can’t be crystallized, once again, as routine.

The main mistake of Alitalia’s team was being too dutiful on following the guidelines, that nowadays shouldn’t matter a good deal of re-adaptation to the times and to the contingent situation analysis.

Summarizing, covering/hiding the company logo was a common routine during the 60s’ because it allowed to dampen the association between “plane” and “accident”, in a society where taking a plane was, for the collective mentality, risky and extremely elitist.

Covering the brand after the accident was a way of avoiding the link between the plane and the dangerous means of transport for travelers/consumers, often scared by this new way to travel and poorly informed about the high security levels and procedures that lie behind this fantastic world.

Back to present, I would only add that it would be worth meditating about the potential reputational damage brought by events like this, and about the importance of investments for strengthening/restoring the perception that public opinion has about the brand.

I expect a strong investment on this front, and less attention to company decorum –which are important but don’t respond to the storytelling expected by opinion makers and opinion leaders – and a deep  meditation about the different modality to protect and re-launch the reputation of a historical brand, starting from the statements made by the COO of Alitalia, Giancarlo Schisano. It is a common routine normally used when this kind of events happen. For companies decorum reasons it is normal to hide the company logo, especially in this case where the plane is not Alitalia. But they should also remove (and they didn’t) the press release concerning some international awards recently won by Alitalia (BizTravel Awards 2012) from the company website.

I believe that what they wrote and said may give a sense of commitment of Alitalia’s communication to the company “decorum”, and less importance to the values such as transparency. I also think that it would have been useful, for example, letting third parties know the nature and purpose of this common routine, because then there would be no “media scandals” and exaggerate accuses.

I can’t hide I feel sorry for this company crisis, because, even if I choose a different career, Alitalia is part of my family history, since my father and uncle used to be airplane pilots working for Alitalia.

Giorgo Cattaneo

This post was first published on behindreputation.com

Digital disruption is a term we’re hearing a lot these days. As the digital infrastructure expands and grows more capable, and as businesses keep creating innovative and exciting products and services, we’re coming to find out that digital disruption is the new status quo.

It’s like the Journey song says, “The wheel in the sky keeps on turning.” In fact, this reference seems even more appropriate (besides being a great song) if you consider all the innovation happening in the cloud right now.

So, how does this relate to B2B tech companies and public relations?

Technology isn’t Stopping

At no point in history have we seen more rapid and constant technological advancement than we do today. The reason we keep hearing about digital disruption is because companies are coming out with new and creative products every day, and they’re building out services to support them that outshine anything we have ever experienced.

Customers have come to expect real-time interactions with brands via the Internet and social media, and they will no longer settle for static products and services. Particularly in the B2B realm, brands must convey to prospective clients that they will enable them to keep up with and surpass industry demands and the activities of their competitors.

PR Fuels the B2B Tech Engine

The Huffington Post recently published an excerpt from the book Digital Disruption: Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation, written by James McQuivey, in which he accurately sums up what this means for B2B tech PR:

“Digital disruption accelerates competing ideas even as it facilitates the entry of a previously impossible number and magnitude of ideas. The cumulative effect is devastating to any company operating under the rules of the prior century.”

What this means is that, in order for companies to survive in this day and age, they must evolve and innovate at a pace that was, up until recently, impossible to sustain. It is the job of PR professionals to make sure that the advancements of their B2B tech clients stand out from all the noise generated by the competition, and are framed in a way that attracts the attention of new business, journalists, analysts and other key influencers.

This is done through comprehensive PR campaigns that incorporate proactive pitches, analyst briefings, press releases, social media management, maintaining an active and engaging blog, and developing a wide range of collateral, from contributed bylines to white papers and eBooks. All of this content must be carefully coordinated to support one another and position technology industry clients as forward-thinking organizations with a wealth of experience and the ability to not just keep up with, but lead in their respective fields.

Is your brand taking the steps necessary to prevent the competition from digitally disrupting your business?