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PR in the Digital AgeOctober 28, 2009DePaul University

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Agenda • Background

- Personal Background

- PR Defined

- PR: In Support of Business Objectives

• Case Studies

• Implications for Your Assignment

- Brainstorming for Your ACS Project

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background

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Personal Background • Masters in Journalism from Northwestern

• Stint in Public Policy

• Newspaper Reporter and Magazine Writer

• Foray into PR During Internet Bubble

• Agency Life

• Start-Up

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QuickTime™ and a decompressorare needed to see this picture.

Secured Media Coverage

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Arranged Speaking Engagements

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PR Defined

Think Big

• Take a company’s vision from concept to reality

• Advise on building integrated marketing programs

• Provide strategic communications counsel

• Generate ideas for launching a new business or taking an established brand to a new level

• Liaise with ad agencies, web designers, SEO firms and other marketing partners

“Create the Truth”

• Tell the company’s story across channels

• Build executive and corporate profiles

Execute

• Write everything: press releases, blogs, articles, professional bios, FAQs, speeches

• Develop and execute social media strategy

• Develop media and blogger lists

• Arrange speaking opportunities

• Produce metrics to capture results of marketing and PR efforts

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Supporting Business ObjectivesKey Diagnostic Questions to Ask

Your business:

• What are your business objectives?

• What internal obstacles exist and could they prevent success?

• Why do your customers need you?

• What opportunities are missed when people don’t use your services?

Your Marketplace

• Who are your competitors and how do you differentiate yourself?

• What do you need to do in 2010 to compete?

• Do you have customer testimonials?

Your Message

• What issues can you own?

• How would the editor of your most important trade publication describe you?

• What is your dream story and where does it appear?

• What’s the next company milestone we can promote?

• Do you like public speaking?

• Have you been media trained?

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case studies

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case study 1:

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Case Study 1: Weave The PeopleObjective:

• Launch a technology inventor’s first product

• Develop sales leads

Approach: Preparation/Message Development

• Discussed short- and long-term goals

• Clarified inventor’s vision: gave it a business purpose

• Wrote his first bio--told his story and made him human

• Developed case studies, benefits, FAQ, press release, blog

• Identified target audience--HR, decision makers, event planners

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Case Study 1: Weave The PeopleOutreach: All Means Possible

• Issued release via PR Web

• Optimized press release/website

• Tweeted the heck out of it!

• Conducted “long-tail” blogger relations and media relations

• Used professional networks to spread the word

• Outreach, blog writing continue

• “Tell me about the Sun Times”

Results

• “Weave Technology LLC Launches Weave The People to Help Companies Unleash Their Potential”

• 31,520 total impressions via Yahoo News, RSS, emails to reporters (PR Web tool)

• Of the total, 1,151 people clicked through to read the entire release

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Case Study 1: Weave The People

Seeing Results with Modest Budget

• With $200 press release distribution, traffic spiked to nearly 500 hits on launch day

• Hits on several sites, including DePaul University Coleman Center blog

Google Analytics – tracking web traffic

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Goal: Rank high in search results by optimizing site and release

Approach: Hyperlink “effective meetings” in press release: via PR web, link that term to “case studies” website page page (named on the backend “effective meetings”)

Key Take-Away: Part Art, Part Science

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bit.ly:-Tracks individual tweets and total # of tweets

bit.ly/weavelaunch+ takes you to the info page

Results Evident on bit.ly

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implications for your assignment

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Brainstorming for your ACS Project

Spread the Word:

In this economy, people are paying it forward – everyone helps each other. You can help your volunteers by crediting them for their work.

Groups to Tap:

• Chicago AMA – American Marketing Association

• IABC – International Association of Business Communicators

• PRSA – Public Relations Society of America

• Big Ooga – Entrepreneur Networking Group

• Networking for a Cause (Justin G. Roy)

• Give Back Chicago (Justin G. Roy)

• AAAS - American Association for the Advancement of Science

and the list goes on

Stay True to the Story:

The Official Sponsor of Birthdays

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Follow ACS on Social MediaExample: American Cancer Society on Twitter http://twitter.com/#search?q=american%20cancer%20society

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Tweetdeck:- See who mentions me, sends direct messages and what other friends are doing all at the same time

Utilize Tweetdeck to Organize Activity

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bit.ly:-Tracks individual tweets and total # of tweets

bit.ly/weavelaunch+ takes you to the info page

Schedule Tweets On Hootsuite

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