Understanding the basics of search engine optimization

By Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC  

Last week I was a guest on the Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat with Melinda Emerson, the "SmallBizLady." I answered questions about the basics of search engine optimization.

Here's the transcript.

SmallBizLady: Many people have heard of search engine optimization (SEO). How would you define SEO?

Brant Skogrand: According to Search Engine College, where I became a Certified Search Engine Marketer, SEO is “the use of search engines to draw traffic to a website. It’s the technique of attaining a higher ranking in search engines and directories via alteration of website code and copy to make it more search engine compatible.”

SEO is divided into two categories: organic and paid. The Search Engine College definition mainly refers to organic SEO.

Paid (or pay-per-click) SEO also is important, because it can provide instantaneous visibility and be very useful for online marketing campaigns of a specific timeframe. Examples of pay-per-click SEO programs include Google AdWords and Bing Ads.

SmallBizLady: Why is SEO important?

Brant Skogrand:  Think about your own web search habits. I know that even if I’m really searching for something, I don’t usually go past the fourth page of Google. I’m the exception, however. According to HubSpot, 75 percent of users never scroll past the first page of search results.

Getting onto the first or second page of search results for keywords that are relevant to your organization can make a big difference in visits to your website – and very likely in your business results.

There are approximately 200 ranking factors that go into Google’s algorithm, ranging from keywords to social signals to tags and beyond. Having an understanding of those ranking factors can help your website rise in the search results. It does take time as well as a fine balance between optimizing your website and over-optimizing your website, which the search engines frown upon.

SmallBizLady: Why are keywords important to SEO?

“Key With Keywords Text” courtesy of Stuart Miles / www.freedigitalphotos.net

Brant Skogrand:  Keyword research is probably the most crucial element to SEO. The search engines are looking to connect users with the most relevant sites. Keywords are more than just single words; they are the terms that potential site visitors would use in search engines to find your product or service.

Hopefully you already know who your target customer is. If not, start thinking about your target customer to move forward with your keyword research. Where do they live? What is their age range? What is your target customer’s gender?

Start writing down a “seed list” of keywords to choose from. For instance, a Minneapolis-based florist might start out with phrases that include the words “flowers,” “florists,” or “gifts.”

Those are pretty general terms though. Continuing on with the example of the Minneapolis-based florist, qualifying the terms will help you get closer to the phrases that visitors might actually use, such as “send flowers Minneapolis,” “florists Minneapolis,” “wedding bouquets Minneapolis,” “Valentine’s Day gifts Minneapolis,” etc.

This final list of keywords is important, because you will want to use them throughout your website: in the text, in headers, in the title of your website, and more. Most webpages can only be optimized for a maximum of two to three keywords or phrases. So, if you have a 10-page website to optimize, you’ll need approximately 30 keywords of phrases to target. You probably would want to come up with more words than that, though. It’s always good to have more keywords to choose from.

Some of the best resources that I have found to determine the actual traffic for various keywords include the Keyword Planner tool on the Google AdWords website, SEMrush and Raven Tools.

SmallBizLady: What role do tags have in SEO?

Brant Skogrand:  The title tag in particular is very important. Search Engine College defines the title tag as “a descriptive name of a page that is shown by browsers as the page name in the browser window.”

After the overall content of a webpage, the title tag is considered the single most important on-page SEO element.

Search engines prefer when your website has a unique title for each page, and may even ignore pages that have the same titles.

Search results limit the number of characters that they show for page titles. The best practice is to keep page titles to a length between 10 and 70 characters.

Use your keywords in your title tag. Put the most important keywords first, as search engines read from left to right.

The meta description tag also is important, as search engines often display this short, helpful summary of your page’s content. Searchers also use the meta description tag to decide which result to click on. A general best practice is to keep the meta description tag to a minimum of 50 characters and a maximum of 156 characters.

SmallBizLady: How can photos be optimized for SEO?

Brant Skogrand:  Since search engines are visually impaired, flashy webpages aren’t as useful as ones that have an appropriate level of text to help the search engines with appropriate context to understand the content and its quality.

Best practices recommend at least 250 words of text on each webpage.

I like to take advantage of any optimization possibility, however, and each photo has the opportunity for associated text. Both ALT text and title text for a photo provide search engines with useful information about the subject matter of an image. The search engines in turn use this information to determine the best image to return for a searcher’s query.

SmallBizLady: SEO is constantly changing. How can people keep up?

Brant Skogrand:  Several websites are very useful that track search engine updates, including: Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Watch, Moz and Search Engine Land.

Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s Webspam team, also has a blog with very useful information.

Many search engine updates, such as Google’s recent announcement that websites that automatically encrypt their services will be boosted in Google’s ranking formula, are covered in the mainstream media.

SmallBizLady: What were the effects of the most recent Google updates?

Brant Skogrand:  Google changes its search algorithm around 500 to 600 times each year. Most of the changes are minor, but sometimes there’s a major algorithmic update – such as Google Panda or Google Penguin.

Recent updates include Pigeon (updates to local search algorithms), Panda 4.0 (part of an update to prevent sites with poor quality content to get into the top search results), changes to Google Authorship, and Payday Loan (an anti-spam update).

SmallBizLady: How can SEO be measured?

Brant Skogrand:  Hopefully it ties to business results.

While you can look at where your website ranks in the search results, there are more measures to look at by having Google Analytics installed on your website, which can track site usage and visitor behavior.

With Google Analytics, you can set a goal conversion – meaning that if people visit a certain page, request an appointment, buy an item, etc., you are meeting specific goals for your website.

Other measurements in Google Analytics range from bounce rate (the percentage of visitors who enter the site and “bounce” (leave the site) rather than continue viewing other pages within the same site) to the geographic location of site visitors to the most popular content and more.

SmallBizLady: What role does social media and public relations have in relation to SEO?

Brant Skogrand:  Earlier this year, Google’s Matt Cutts said, “But as far as doing special specific work to sort of say ‘you have this many followers on Twitter or this many likes on Facebook,’ to the best of my knowledge we don’t currently have any signals like that in our web search ranking algorithms.”

There’s value in having an active presence on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks (like Google+), however, because it can be a way to drive traffic and visitors to your website.

Having a blog on your website also can be valuable as a way to demonstrate thought leadership.

Search engines also reward sites that frequently refresh content, which generally can be accomplished by having a blog.

There’s also value in obtaining media coverage through public relations outreach. The resulting articles could drive traffic to your website and increase the popularity of your organization. In addition, media websites often link to the websites of companies that they cover, which can be a boost to your organization’s SEO efforts.

SmallBizLady: How can entrepreneurs learn more about SEO?

Brant Skogrand:  I found the Search Engine College program very helpful. Their curriculum covers topics ranging from organic SEO to pay-per-click to copywriting and beyond. It’s on online program, and tutors grade your assignments.

Google also offers free online courses through Google Analytics Academy to help people improve their Analytics skills. There also are Google Partners certifications, including the AdWords certification, to demonstrate proficiency.

SmallBizLady: Why did you decide to write the 19 Tips for Successful Public Relations book?

Brant Skogrand:  Many organizations struggle with how to successfully integrate public relations into their marketing mix.

Because of the numerous demands on entrepreneurs’ time and money, many small business owners neither are able to learn public relations on their own nor hire an outside public relations firm.

My goal with the book is to help entrepreneurs learn small business public relations through straightforward tips and by analysis of real-life examples – and then be able to apply public relations strategies and tactics to help achieve their business goals.

SmallBizLady: Are there any other tips for SEO that you can give to startups and developing businesses?

Brant Skogrand:  As you probably have noticed, there are a lot of factors that go into SEO and it can be tough to keep up with the changes.

Even though you can do it on your own, the results generally are better when you hire an outside professional.

Be wary of people who guarantee results. Since we don’t run Google or Bing, we can’t guarantee that your website will rank at the top of the search results for specific terms. By using our knowledge and experience, however, your site should see optimization improvements.

For a collection of more public relations tips, insights and reflections, buy the book "19 Tips for Successful Public Relations: Insights on Media Relations and Reputation Management" from amazon.com!

The art of the apology

By Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC  

Authentically saying "I'm sorry" can be a very challenging action to take.


Last week, however, Jonah Hill delivered an excellent apology on "The Tonight Show." While Hill was on the show to plug his new "22 Jump Street" movie, he insisted on clearing the air first regarding the circumstances in which he was caught on video using a gay slur directed at a paparazzo.



Hugh Grant also delivered a skillful apology on "The Tonight Show" in 1995 for his dalliance with a prostitute. Grant effectively summed it up by saying, "I did a bad thing, and there you have it."


 
Finally, David Letterman was deft in his apologies related to having sexual liaisons with female staff members.



How come these three apologies worked? They were sincere. They were timely. Above all, they essentially said, "I screwed up and I'm sorry."

For a collection of more public relations tips, insights and reflections, buy the book "19 Tips for Successful Public Relations: Insights on Media Relations and Reputation Management" from amazon.com!

How to write a tip sheet

Guest post by Sandra Beckwith

A tip sheet is a news release that offers advice or tips in a bulleted or numbered format. It’s one of the hardest working and most useful tactics available for generating publicity. Use a tip sheet to generate short column notes in a newspaper or magazine or to interest a reporter, editor or producer in a feature article or talk show interview on the tip sheet topic.

Here’s how to create an effective tip sheet:

1. Use a press release format. The biggest difference between a tip sheet and a traditional press release is that the body of the tip sheet will include your tips or advice in a numbered or bulleted format.
    
2. Start with a headline that mimics those on magazine covers – “5 ways to lose weight before June” or “Top 7 mistakes shoppers make.” Here’s an example from a tip sheet promoting a women’s health and nutrition book to newspaper living sections:
   Expert offers 10 nutrition tips for New Year’s resolutions
    
3. Write your first paragraph so it explains why the tips are necessary. The first paragraph and introductory text for the nutrition tip sheet was:
   
   As any health club owner knows, “taking better care of myself” tops New Year’s resolution lists each year. Yet, many people – particularly women – don’t know exactly what it means to take better care of themselves.
    
4. Present a quotation in the second paragraph. This should provide more detail about why the tip sheet is necessary and establish the subject’s credentials. Here’s the second paragraph in the New Year’s resolution tip sheet:
   
   “Traditionally, women have been caretakers of others in their lives – friends, family, neighbors, coworkers,” explains Susan Calvert Finn, PhD, RD, FADA, the architect of the American Dietetic Association’s Nutrition & Healthy Campaign for Women. “More and more busy women are realizing, however, that before they can adequately care for others, they must first care for themselves. It is clear that they must take charge of their own health. Nobody is going to do it for them.”
    
5. Set up your tips with a sentence – “Here are Smith’s tips for saving money at the supermarket” – or a short paragraph, as we have here:
   
   Dr. Finn’s new book, The American Dietetic Association Guide to Women’s Nutrition for Healthy Living, provides women of all ages with nutrition information they can use immediately to eat right, maintain their health and prevent disease. Here are her top 10 suggestions from the book for women who need a healthier lifestyle this year:
    
6. Then list your tips with bullets or numbers. When tips are listed this way, rather than in traditional paragraphs, editors can quickly scan them to see if they would be useful to readers – or not. Make sure you write your tips in an active voice with strong verbs. And make sure they provide advice, not reasons to do something or product features. Here are a few of the tips in Finn’s release so you can get a sense of how this works:
   
   • Make an appointment with a registered dietitian (RD) for a nutritional checkup. Call the American Dietetic Association at 800-366-1655 to locate an RD near you.
   
   • Switch your thinking from “ideal” weight to “healthy” weight. Remember, you are unique. Your healthy weight may differ from your neighbor’s – even if she is your height and age – because of other variables such as genetics, fitness level and overall health.
   
   • Look for “aerobic opportunities” every day. Park farther out in the lot at the mall. Take a brief walk at lunch or dinner. Think of the stairs as your friend.
    
7. Finally, add the concluding boilerplate paragraph that you put on most press releases. Here’s the paragraph for the nutrition book:
   
   The American Dietetic Association Guide to Women’s Nutrition for Healthy Living, published by Perigee Books, is available in bookstores nationwide for $14. Book proceeds benefit nutrition research by the ADA, a national organization of 70,000 nutrition professionals, 98 percent of whom are women.
   
   Look for ways to include tip sheets in your publicity plan; you’ll soon see how easily they generate results.

---

Sandra Beckwith, the author of Streetwise Complete Publicity Plans: How to Create Publicity That Will Spark Media Exposure and Excitement, teaches the online “Book Buzz” class for Freelance Success. Learn more at www.sandrabeckwith.com.

How to do keyword research

By Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC  

Keyword research is considered the most crucial element to search engine marketing.
Utilizing the appropriate keywords and phrases to connect with your target audience can greatly impact your search engine rankings.

According to Search Engine College, "Keyword research is simply the process you use to come up with appropriate keywords and phrases that you wish to target in search engines. In other words, the keywords or phrases that you believe your potential site visitors would type in to search engines to find products and services similar to yours."

Here are the steps for keyword research as recommended by Search Engine College.


Before You Start

Think about your search engine campaign requirements. Are you looking to connect with a certain demographic market? If so, where do they live? Are you trying to reach men or women? How old are the people in your target market?

As an example, Search Engine College uses a fictional florist located in Miami, Florida. Possible target markets include:

• women in their early to late 20s
• people living in Miami and surrounding suburbs
• brides-to-be living in Miami and surrounding suburbs
• dating males
• couples (especially around Valentine's Day)

The next step is to create a "seed list" of keywords. As you yourself probably use a search engine every day, put yourself in your target audience's shoes and think about what you would type into a search engine to find the relevant goods and services.


Gather Your Seed List

As you think of appropriate search terms, write them down. Search Engine College suggests the following search terms for the florist example:

• flowers
• roses
• bouquets
• Valentine's Day
• wedding flowers
• florists
• gifts

Since those seed terms are very generic, they need to be qualified.


Qualify Your Terms

Refining the search terms can help you connect better with your target market. For instance, the Miami florist probably wouldn't want to connect with people interested in growing roses or with people who live in a different state.

So, Search Engine College recommends adding the following terms to the original list:

• [send] flowers [Florida]
• [send] roses [Miami]
• [wedding] bouquets [Miami]
• Valentine's Day [gifts Florida]
• [Florida] wedding flowers
• florists [Miami]
• [send] gifts [Miami]

That really narrows down the searches. After all, the goal is to connect with your target audience. You have something to offer them. By connecting with the target audience, hopefully they won't click away from your website.

One thing to note -- it's important to make reference to your target search terms in your website's body copy as well.

To expand upon your keyword list, ask people that you know what terms they would use to find your website. Visit your competitors' websites too -- you'll get some additional ideas there.


Keyword Research Tools

Each web page can be optimized for two to three keywords at the most. For a 10-page website, you would need approximately 30 target keywords. For good measure, your keyword seed list (in this instance) should have at least 60 phrases to choose from.

I like to use Raven Tools when conducting keyword research, as it provides a collection of tools. Google AdWords also offers its Keyword Planner tool.

These tools can provide you with information on how much competition there is for the keywords. You want to choose keywords that have enough traffic, but also aren't too competitive so your site has a fighting chance.


Refine

Remember your target audience for your website. It's no use to target very generic keywords. By targeting the keywords that tie most closely to your website, visitors will be pleased with what they find -- and hopefully convert to paying customers.


Allocate Your Keywords

The final step is to take your final list of words and decide which pages on your website they should be assigned to. By looking at the body text, hopefully this should be straightforward.


For a collection of more public relations tips, insights and reflections, buy the book "19 Tips for Successful Public Relations: Insights on Media Relations and Reputation Management" from amazon.com!

Importance of content marketing

By Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC  

"Content marketing is to 2014 what social media marketing was to 2007." As the opening sentence in Cision's eBook, "Power Your Story: Content Marketing Essentials for PR," it provides insight into how integral content marketing is becoming in communications.

So what is content marketing, anyway? According to Cision, content marketing is "the process of developing and sharing relevant, valuable and engaging content to a target audience with the goal of acquiring new customers or increasing business from existing customers."

While marketing professionals have essentially done content marketing for decades, it has changed with the advent of social media and other online tools.

Here's a summary of the highlights from the Cision eBook (which I would recommend downloading, by the way).

Having a plan with measurable goals is the core of the Cision eBook as well as the best way to start. According to Cision, the five essential elements to a content marketing plan are: creation, curation, optimization, amplification and analysis.

1. Creation -- It's not easy to create compelling content on a regular basis. Having a strategy is crucial, and knowing your audience is key to a successful strategy. Examples of tools to get to know your audience can range from Google Analytics and Facebook Insights to forms that customers and prospects are required to complete when accessing information such as white papers. Content creation goes beyond the press release; it includes much more, such as email newsletters, videos, social media posts, etc.
2. Curation -- Content marketing is more than creation. Curating content also can provide value, because you are saving people time by sharing quality content. Think about the blogs that you read and the people whom you follow on social media. Share their thought leadership with your audience.
3. Optimization -- Even if you have created outstanding content, it can only be effective when it's read by your target audience. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes into play. The Cision eBook provides a brief overview of the factors that impact SEO. You can also read my SEO-related posts on this blog.
4. Amplification -- In addition to sharing useful content, social media provides the opportunity for two-way conversation. Be open to others' points of view. Engage with your audience by responding to their comments or having online chats. Be helpful. Identifying and engaging online influencers also can amplify your content. The Cision eBook provides some excellent examples of how to do paid amplification as well as its benefits and examples.
5. Analysis -- Cision recommends using SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals to measure your content marketing success. Look at some of the objectives of your content marketing, e.g., gaining new members, driving profitable business actions, etc., to determine appropriate goals.

Content marketing is more than just a buzzword; it's an integral part of connecting with target audiences.

For a collection of more public relations tips, insights and reflections, buy the book "19 Tips for Successful Public Relations: Insights on Media Relations and Reputation Management" from amazon.com!

Effective crisis communication

By Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC  

A crisis, or a "people-stopping, showstopping event that creates victims" according to crisis communications expert Jim Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, can create major havoc for an organization. One aspect particularly known to cause hand-wringing for CEOs is the negative media coverage that usually accompanies a crisis.

Lukaszewski, however, never worries about the media in a crisis; he instead focuses on the organization's behavior as the perpetrator.

At a recent session that I attended led by Lukaszewski, he outlined his five-step process for effective crisis communication.

1. Stop the production of victims. Deal with the underlying problem first and address key issues.
2. Manage the victim dimension. Victims can be people, animals or living systems. Anticipate the dynamics of the victims of the crisis.
3. Communicate with those people who need to know now. As everyone affected becomes a communicator, it's important to inform and educate them -- particularly employees.
4. Inform the indirectly affected. This includes people who now have a problem because the organization has a problem, such as interest groups or allies.
5. Deal with the self-anointed and self-appointed. In today's media environment, everyone can be a reporter -- from a blogger to a journalist to someone with a Facebook account.

Lukaszewski added two core crisis communications best practices that all of us learned in kindergarten -- tell the truth and apologize.

"If you take the path of truth, you get to sleep at night," said Lukaszewski. He also said that numerous times he has noticed that the negative aspects of a crisis often stop happening when the organization authentically apologizes.

Above all, remember what matters in a crisis -- the victims.

For a collection of more public relations tips, insights and reflections, buy the book "19 Tips for Successful Public Relations: Insights on Media Relations and Reputation Management" from amazon.com!

Business Wire releases 'A Guide to Press Release Optimization'

By Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC  

Major changes in search algorithms in the past couple of years have kept search engine optimizers and public relations professionals on their toes.

Press releases, a key tactic in a public relations professional's toolkit, can have an impact on SEO if done correctly. To advise the public relations, investor relations and communications industries, Business Wire recently issued a guidance report titled "A Guide for Press Release Optimization."

“In recent years we have seen many press releases more focused on SEO keywords and strategically placed links — at the expense of quality content. Our new research report provides a welcome path for PR practitioners to return their focus on quality writing. Well-written press releases with engaging multimedia content continue to be among the most powerful and cost-effective communications tools available. We are thrilled to see that quality writing and quality content are at the top of PR best practices for SEO in 2014,” said Tom Becktold, senior vice president of marketing for Business Wire. 

The report offers the following 10 tips:

1. Research and learn "real time" user behavior
2. Make friends with the algorithms
3. Make format improvements
4. Use natural links
5. Press release keywords
6. Focus on quality content
7. Always include multimedia
8. Use social media strategically
9. Use responsive design for mobile
10. Choose the proper distribution method

I highly recommend downloading the free guide. Visit visit http://go.businesswire.com/guide-to-press-release-optimization today.

For a collection of more public relations tips, insights and reflections, buy the book "19 Tips for Successful Public Relations: Insights on Media Relations and Reputation Management" from amazon.com!

Event planning insights from Minnesota community festivals

By Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC  

With a vibrant community festival scene including the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, the Basilica Block Party and more, Minnesotans love to get together.

Attendees at a recent Minnesota PRSA panel had the opportunity to hear from some local event planning organizers, including:

• Roseanne Bump, executive director of the St. Paul Winter Carnival and Cinco de Mayo;
• Sue Evens, executive director of the Grand Avenue Business Association and Grand Old Day;
• Meghan Gustafson of the Basilica Block Party; and
• Deb Schaber of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.

While each event draws slightly different audiences, the organizers commented on topics that they do share in common: promotion, social media and sponsorships.

To get the word out about events that draw tens of thousands of people, promotion is key. Public relations is a vital component, but so is advertising and media sponsorships. For the St. Paul Winter Carnival, the St. Paul Pioneer Press is a very important partner due to its ongoing coverage and sponsorship of the St. Paul Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt.

In terms of social media, each event organizer has the approach of going relatively "dark" in the off season. The exception is the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, whose loyal fans are eager to engage in social media all year long. Panelists shared that, while Facebook is their favorite platform, Twitter often has high engagement during the events themselves.

When asked by moderator Beth Pinkney of the 2015 Senior Games about how to handle issues that arise in social media, Sue Evens of Grand Old Day offered her take. "If I hear from more than one person that something is an issue, then it's important and I address it," Evens said.

Schaber said that sponsorships have declined in the eight years that she has worked at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Panelists noted that sponsors look for evidence of sales in considering whether to renew sponsorships or not. Perhaps they would want to look at the impressions they get from being in front of tens of thousands of Minnesotans having a good time together as well.

For a collection of more public relations tips, insights and reflections, buy the book "19 Tips for Successful Public Relations: Insights on Media Relations and Reputation Management" from amazon.com!

Working with recruiters to find public relations jobs

By Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC  

Many job seekers are continually frustrated by applicant tracking systems. You know -- the software that just about every company seems to use where you enter in your background, hit submit, and it feels like your information is just going into a black hole?

Apparently recruiters aren't enamored of the software, either.

Gillian Gabriel, Elizabeth Laukka and Kathryn Duncan (l-r) share job-seeking tips.

"Employers need to woo people into the organization," said Kathryn Duncan of CLICK Talent at a recent Minnesota Public Relations Society of America event. "They should be smarter about how to attract job seekers. Applicant tracking systems suck."

The event featured a panel of top Minneapolis/St. Paul  recruiters. Besides Duncan, panelists included Gillian Gabriel and Elizabeth Laukka. Rebecca Martin of Beehive PR moderated the panel.

The market for communications professionals is looking up. Duncan estimated that the unemployment rate for marketing communications workers is less than 2 percent.

Panelists agreed that companies in communications are in a bit of a talent war, particularly for candidates with five to six or 12 to 13 years of experience.

Job seekers still need to prove that they have what it takes to succeed in a position, though. Gabriel pointed out that it's important to show how one has used public relations to achieve business objectives in previous positions.

Even though an applicant has all of the required skills, sometimes it just isn't the right match. "The fit is 90 percent of why a company hires someone," said Laukka.

"If it really is a great click between employer and candidate, the hiring process can move very fast," said Gabriel.

Laukka said that the time frame from application to offer for agencies typically runs about two

Attendees listen intently for how to stand out from the crowd.

months.

Panelists offered suggestions to stand out from other candidates, such as getting a cup of coffee with the recruiting manager, sending a resume in the mail, and executing an exceedingly polite e-mail campaign to the hiring manager (probably three to five e-mails).

In the end, panelists encouraged job seekers to have fun with the process. After all, said Gabriel, "Where else do you get to talk about yourself for 45 minutes?"

For a collection of more public relations tips, insights and reflections, buy the book "19 Tips for Successful Public Relations: Insights on Media Relations and Reputation Management" from amazon.com!

Engaging the media in a digital world

Last week Business Wire and the Twin Cities chapter of National Investor Relations Institute hosted a media panel called "Engaging the Media in a Digital World: Social Media." Moderated by Bob Kleiber, the panel featured Kaeti Hinck of MinnPost, Dirk DeYoung of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, David Fondler of St. Paul Pioneer Press and Todd Stone of Star Tribune.

Here's my recap of the event.

Todd Stone, Star Tribune Business News Editor

1. Describe to what extent the journalist's job has become technology-driven.

Todd Stone (TS): "Social media has changed everything in a lot of ways." Stone added that the Star Tribune can reach more people through social media, and that "readers can engage us in so many more ways than before."

Kaeti Hinck (KH): "Social media gives reporters access to a wider array of contacts and tips." Hinck pointed out that MinnPost staff members check social media throughout the day.

Dirk DeYoung (DD): He starts his day at home editing the  "Morning Roundup" e-mail. "We don't save things for the print edition any more. The print edition is now for a deeper perspective." The Business Journal staffers use Twitter to get news tips; DeYoung highlighted how his reporters used LinkedIn recently to confirm that archivists were laid off at Target Corporation.

David Fondler (DF): "The Internet has made our jobs more challenging -- the challenge is figuring out what is news." Fondler pointed out that Twitter is an excellent tool to help with reporting.

2. How do you like to be pitched by public relations professionals?

DF: "It's become much more of a fire hose -- everyone thinks that their executive should be

Kaeti Hinck, MinnPost Director of News Technology

interviewed. We have to make fast-paced judgment calls to determine if we want to dedicate resources to follow a story."

DD: DeYoung said that he looks at least at the subject line of each e-mail, and that social media doesn't always get to him -- so e-mail and phone can work better.

KH: "Social media provides the opportunity to learn about reporters and target pitches." She added, "If a company is doing good work, we're going to notice."

TS: He said that he likes to be contacted by e-mail or by phone call. "Use social media to get information out there, but contact reporters in the traditional ways."

3. What types of pressure are you getting to drive traffic to websites?

TS: "We want to engage more and more people."

Dirk DeYoung, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

KH: "Traffic remains important to us, although we're going after the right audience -- not just any audience." Hinck added that she considers page views a dying metric.

DD: DeYoung said that The Business Journal constantly has goals to meet regarding growing page views and e-mail subscribers. He said that the publication's afternoon e-mail update has 16,000 subscribers. DeYoung said that the demand for videos is very strong, and that The Business Journal either shoots its own videos or uses videos from other sources.

DF: Fondler hasn't really felt pressure to drive traffic or get more page views. His team is constantly trying to keep headlines updated on the St. Paul Pioneer Press website. "Our mission is to get news to as many people as possible."

4. Do you see opportunities for media alliances?

DF: "I think it's a great idea."

DD: DeYoung mentioned that some other markets within The Business Journals chain have partnered with TV stations; the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal has partnered with KMSP-TV and WCCO Radio. In addition, The Business Journals chain has a national partnership with Bloomberg.

KH: She said that MinnPost has a lot of partnerships.

TS: "Part of our mission and business model is to create unique content." He added, "Digital isn't pressuring us to partner with other organizations."

David Fondler, St. Paul Pioneer Press Business News Editor

5. What are some social media must dos and never dos?

TS: Stone said to keep Twitter feeds more professional than personal. "Be specific. Be precise." He added, "We use Twitter a lot as a reporting tool. Facebook provides us an opportunity to engage in the conversation."

KH: "Be smart -- don't feed the trolls." Hinck also said to acknowledge any mistakes quickly, and to think before you retweet. "Choose one or two networks to focus on. Define your goals and measure those goals."

DD: "Don't be boring." DeYoung highlighted General Mills and Target as two brands that have excellent social media promoting blog content. DeYoung also recommended monitoring all streams of social media mentioning your company. He encouraged companies to make the Twitter handle easy to find on the website home page and in press releases.

DF: "Recognize that companies can't control the messages in social media." In regard to negative stories, he said, "Don't lie. Provide us with access. We'll make every opportunity to be fair." Some aspects of news criteria that Fondler mentioned were: Is it new? Is it unique? Does it touch a lot of people's lives? Is it local?

The panelists also mentioned that they still use wire services, such as Business Wire or PR Newswire.

How to opt out of Google shared endorsements

On Friday, Google announced an update to its terms of service that includes something called "shared

An example of Google shared endorsements.

endorsements." Scheduled to roll out Nov. 11, shared endorsements essentially allow Google to include adult users' names, photos and comments in ads shown across the Web. The shared endorsements will be based on ratings, reviews and posts that users have made on Google Plus and other Google services.

Does this sound a bit like Facebook's "Sponsored Stories"? Indeed. Hopefully learning from the recently settled $20 million class action lawsuit against Facebook regarding Sponsored Stories, Google is providing a way for users to opt out of shared endorsements.

Here is a quick way to exclude yourself from Google's shared endorsements (Note: If you are under 18, you may see shared endorsements from others but your own name and profile will not be paired with shared endorsements in ads and certain other contexts.):

• Visit the Google terms of service update and click on "Shared Endorsements setting" under the first bullet.
• Scroll down and uncheck the box next to "Based upon my activity, Google may show my name and profile photo in shared endorsements that appear in ads."
• Click Save.

If you own or manage a Google Plus page (such as one for an organization), there's a slightly different approach to opting out of shared endorsements:

• On the left-hand "Home" menu, drop down to choose "Dashboard."
• Click on "Settings" on the right.
• Scroll down to where it says "Shared Endorsements."
• Click "Edit."
• Scroll down and uncheck the box next to "Based upon my activity, Google may show my name and profile photo in shared endorsements that appear in ads."
• Click Save. 

One note from Google:  "Changing this setting does not impact how your Page's name and photo might look in a shared endorsement that is not in an ad — for example, when your Page shares a music recommendation that is displayed in the Play Store. You can limit the visibility of activity outside of ads by deleting the activity or changing its visibility settings."

What to do if "The Lookout" shows up

One of my favorite shows on TV is ABC's "The Lookout." If you're not familiar with it, ABC describes "The Lookout " as "a survival guide to the modern consumer jungle, offering a mix of compelling undercover investigations and lively dispatches about how you spend your money."

When it comes to ambush journalism, some people just fail -- while others make it through relatively unscathed.

Take a look at the clip from "The Lookout" about cars impacted by Superstorm Sandy that were subsequently sold without flood titles:


Think anyone who has seen the above clip is going to buy a car from D&D Auto Sales in Old Bridge, N.J.? Probably not.

On the other hand, after seeing the interview with Kevin J. Bergner of USAA, one gets the impression that the organization wants to do right by its members. USAA's reputation is probably intact.

It reminds me of the clip from Michael Moore's "The Big One" that featured Phil Knight, the co-founder of Nike:

What made USAA and Nike successful in those interviews? For starters, they met with the interviewers. TV can be really sensational when people are running away from the camera. Both Bergner and Knight took the time to share their positions.

Second, if something wasn't right, they offered to look into it. In USAA's case, Bergner said that it was "unsatisfactory" that vehicles were sold through USAA without the appropriate branded flood titles.

Third, they followed through. Nike did look into the minimum age issue of its Indonesian workers and eventually raised the minimum age to 18. It's too early to tell if USAA is following through, but I'm guessing that the organization will because it has a strong reputation to uphold.

Finally, the organizations made their highest-ranking person available. Bergner is the president of USAA Property and Casualty Insurance Group, and Knight is the co-founder and chairman of Nike.

Understanding the basics of SEO for public relations

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a discipline that public relations professionals should have some awareness of. After all, search engines, in addition to people, are reading our words.

SEO has a strong intersection with public relations and social media, given the importance of online presence to brands. If SEO is new to you, this overview will be helpful.

Search engine optimization definition

According to Search Engine Wiki, SEO is "the use of search engines to draw traffic to a website. It's the technique of attaining a higher ranking in search engines and directories via alteration of website code and copy to make it more search engine compatible."

SEO is important because 75 percent of users never scroll past the first page of search results. I know that's generally the case with me. If I'm really digging for something, I'll go all the way to page four.


Keyword research

Keywords are the most crucial element to SEO. Search engines work to match queries that have appropriate keywords in them with the most relevant content on the Internet.

Keywords are phrases you wish to target. They are the terms that potential website visitors would use in search engines. As an example, think about what you would type into Google to find an excellent Italian restaurant in the Twin Cities. You might type in "Italian restaurant Minneapolis," "Italian restaurant St. Paul," "best Italian restaurant Twin Cities," or "best Italian restaurant Minneapolis St. Paul."

To come up with relevant keywords for your project, think about your target market. Is there a specific geography, age or gender with which you want to connect?

Write down as many keywords as you can think of, and then do some research to find out how frequently they actually are used. Some tools to determine how popular keywords are include:  Google AdWords, SEMrush and Raven Tools.


Optimizing press releases

Like it or not, search engines don't have a sense of humor, and that impacts how clever one can make the headlines and copy in a press release. One aspect of effectively optimizing a press release going out on a wire service (Business Wire, PR Newswire, etc.) is to use a clear (not necessarily clever) headline. Another important tip to take into account is to place your key messages at the beginning of the press release, as search engines consider the copy near the beginning of the release more important than the rest of the copy.

To use the most appropriate number of characters for readers (and online news services like Google News), noted writing expert Ann Wylie recommends keeping the headline length to eight words or fewer, the deck/subhead length to 14 words or fewer, and the lead paragraph to 25 words or fewer.

Now back to the relevant keywords. Hyperlinks to the respective page on your organization's website are important to the algorithms of search engines.

The keywords that you consider important should be hyperlinked in your press release, but use caution. Yahoo! Finance, one of the leading Internet news sites, has placed restrictions on hyperlinks in a press release, such as: one hyperlink per every 100 words, a maximum of six links within a press release, and a maximum of three consecutive words can be hyperlinked.


Using photos for SEO opportunities

Search engines are visually impaired, which is why keywords are so important. Search engines can read the words on a page, but not see photos.

However, a related way that search engines can "see" photos is the associated text that can be assigned to each photo. In a press release, the associated text comes into play when publishing a multimedia press release using a wire service. Remember to use the keywords that you deemed relevant.


Understanding META tags

META tags are HTML tags that are in the code of a website. I mention them here just because they are important to SEO, and you see them everyday in search engines.

In the example above for Sparkweave (a client that I work with through KC Associates), the TITLE tag is the top line, and the META description is the phrase that starts with "Sparkweave" and ends with "today." Other aspects of META tags include the keywords tag and ALT IMG/associated text for images. (The keywords tag and the ALT IMG/associated text don't show up in search engine results, but are in the HTML code.)


Optimizing your online pressroom

Having a pressroom that is very easy for journalists to find and has the information that they need can make the difference between your organization making the cut in a news story or not.

In research that I conducted with journalists for an article (opens PDF) that ran in "Tactics," here's what I found:

• Keep it simple.
• Make media contact information prominent.
• Ensure easy access from your company's home page.
• Provide RSS feeds.
• Keep your online pressroom organized.
• Use the terms "media" and "press" in your online pressroom.
• Offer a search box.
• Provide more than just press releases.

I shared these SEO insights at the Public Relations Society of America Midwest District Conference on July 25.

19 tips for successful public relations

I recently released an eBook to assist individuals with public relations for small business. Called "19 Tips for Successful Public Relations: Insights on Media Relations and Reputation Management," readers will learn how to do public relations through straightforward tips and by analysis of real-life examples.

The eBook consists of tips that originally ran on this blog. Here's a look at the table of contents:

1. Preparing for a newspaper or magazine interview
2. Public relations plan elements
3. What is a press release?
4. How to find media contact information
5. TV interview tips
6. How to find a public relations firm
7. The Redbox price increase: a different story
8. What to do when a reporter calls
9. What is Cyber Monday and other holiday shopping questions answered
10. Media advice for Kris Humphries
11. Will Myspace get its sexy back?
12. Optimizing your online pressroom
13. Netflix: a company without a clue
14. Creative inspiration
15. Good HR makes good PR
16. Successful event PR tips courtesy of U2
17. Inkybee review
18. TurboTax troubles in Minnesota
19. Twinkies come back to life

The eBook is available for the Kindle, NOOK, and from www.skograndpr.com as a PDF. Order it today!

Public relations plan elements

Just like many aspects of business (and life in general), a public relations program works best when it is planned out. One way to describe the public relations process is RACE, an acronym coined by John Marston in his book "The Nature of Public Relations." RACE describes the four elements of public relations:

• Research -- What is the problem or situation?
• Action (program planning) -- What is going to be done about it?
• Communication (execution) -- How will the public be told?
• Evaluation -- Was the audience reached and what was the effect?

A public relations plan provides a framework for a campaign. According to the book "Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics" (Wilcox, Ault, Agee and Cameron), a public relations plan includes the following elements:

• Situation
• Objectives
• Audience
• Strategy
• Tactics
• Calendar/Timetable
• Budget
• Evaluation

Let's look at each of these elements individually.

Situation. This element provides a brief overview of the public relations plan and why it was needed in the first place. A quick summary of any research related to the public relations plan is appropriate in this section as well.

Objectives. In general, objectives fall into two categories: informational and motivational. Informational objectives generally focus on an increase in public awareness and/or delivery of key messages, while motivational objectives relate to quantifiable measures such as an increase in sales. One example of an informational objective from my work with Thrivent Financial was "Raise Thrivent Financial's visibility in the investments industry as a means of attracting top talent."

Audience. The best approach is to have a specific audience, such as one based on age, geography, gender, etc.

Strategy. The strategy section of a public relations plan describes how the objectives are going to be achieved. This element of the plan also should include the key themes or messages of the campaign. An example of a strategy from the Thrivent Financial plan was "Highlight the organization's consistent, competitive performance to media."

Tactics. This section outlines the day-to-day actions that will activate the strategies in order to achieve the objectives. Each strategy often has several tactics supporting it. Examples of tactics range from press releases to media tours to press conferences and more.

Calendar/Timetable. Not only is it important to outline when a public relations campaign will take place, it also is vital to determine the sequence of activities and a calendar of when the specific tactics and steps need to happen.

Budget. A budget can provide an overall total for the campaign and/or a breakdown of budget items for each of the campaign components. Budgets are often divided into staff time and out-of-pocket expenses (wire services, mileage, etc.).

Evaluation. This is the "E" in RACE. This section ties back to the objectives to see if they were achieved at the end of the public relations campaign.

Having a public relations plan provides an excellent overview of a public relations campaign and is very useful along the way to mark progress in a campaign. A plan also helps everyone involved understand the big picture.

Inkybee review

After I expressed my frustration with the lack of depth for blog listings with the major media databases, a colleague of mine turned me on to something new:  Inkybee.

Billed as "Smarter blogger outreach...for busy PR pros," Inkybee takes one through all the steps of blogger outreach. It starts with discovering the appropriate blogs. Just enter up to three words or phrases that bloggers actually used in blog posts. Inkybee then gets to work. Within half an hour, Inkybee sends an e-mail listing appropriate blogs with a relevancy score and other metrics. The blogs can then be added to one's blog list. (Inkybee continues to work, sending e-mails every six hours. At this point, I am drowning in e-mails from Inkybee. It would be nice if there were a way to change the frequency of e-mails, such as daily or weekly.)

Inkybee provides statistics to evaluate blogs.

Inkybee provides a fine way to track blogger engagement. Based on the tips from the free guide "The Best Practice Guide for Effective Blogger Outreach," users can keep track of the bloggers with whom they have developed relationships. This includes actions such as following a blogger on Twitter, commenting on a blog, sharing a blogger's content and more.

Inkybee provides recommendations and ways to track blogger engagement.

Evaluation of a blogger outreach campaign also is included, with Inkybee keeping track of the blogs that mentioned one's client (based on appropriate keywords). Inkybee also can integrate with Google Analytics to measure visitor data tied to blogs. The reports then can be exported to Excel or downloaded as a PDF.

At this point, Inkybee is available as a free beta version. Many great improvements are expected in coming weeks, and pricing will be a "highly affordable monthly subscription" when officially launched. If you need to do blogger outreach on behalf of clients, I recommend trying Inkybee now.

Social media for business: LinkedIn

Maccabee, the Minneapolis-based national public relations, social media and content marketing agency, recently released a fun infographic.

Called "A CMO's Guide to Marketing with LinkedIn," the infographic is filled with many facts centered around eight "amazing things CMOs can do with LinkedIn":

1. Engage with the most influential figures in your industry.
2. Boost your company's search engine page rank on Google.
3. Sit down to an all-you-can-read buffet of market research.
4. Monitor your prospects and customers.
5. Clarify what your company stands for.
6. Learn about the media covering your industry.
7. Position your company as an industry thought leader.
8. Engage potential customers with LinkedIn-hosted content.

To download the infographic, visit http://info.maccabee.com/CMOS-guide-to-LinkedIn.

Winning the Minnesota PRSA Classics

The Minnesota Public Relations Society of America Classics Awards recognize the best campaigns and tactics in our state's public relations community. The winners are feted at a gala event each spring featuring celebrity emcees and a delicious dinner.

Behind the celebration, though, lies a lot of hard work. A tremendous amount of effort goes into implementing award-winning campaigns and tactics, and assembling an award-winning Classics entry is no small task.

Cassie D'Kae, Christine Michaelis and Johnna Vogelbacher of Exponent PR

To help public relations practitioners prepare successful award entries, Minnesota PRSA recently held a workshop featuring this year's "Best of Show" team members (see photo on the right).

Exponent PR's Christine Michaelis, Johnna Vogelbacher and Cassie D'Kae won "Best of Show" for their firm's work with Caribou Coffee.

For their campaign promoting Caribou Coffee's Amy's Blend and Amy's Garden, the Exponent PR team focused on goals of increasing donations and improving customer engagement. While making the entries fun and telling a story is key, Michaelis also pointed out that all aspects of the four-step process (research, planning, execution and evaluation) need to be covered in a Classics entry.

"Writing an award entry reminds us of the fundamentals of the PR craft," said Kelly Puspoki, vice president of Consumer Marketing at Weber Shandwick. Puspoki's team won multiple PR awards for its integrated campaign on behalf of client American Girl.

Puspoki, in reflecting on her entries, also said to avoid buzzwords.

Tracy Carlson, APR, of Padilla Speer Beardsley, recommended keeping material in a folder throughout the year to make it easier to gather data for award entries. She also said that demonstrating the campaign's four-step process is important, particularly the research and evaluation steps.

Best of luck as you prepare your Classics entries! The due date is noon on Dec. 14.

Meet the media

Bill Hudson, Stephanie March and Thomas Lee share media relations tips.

At an Oct. 31 Minnesota Public Relations Society of America breakfast event, attendees learned a few tricks about connecting with the media while enjoying treats.

Moderator Dr. Michael Porter of the University of St. Thomas started out the panel discussion with an appropriate Halloween question, "What is the worst PR nightmare pitch that you have received?"

While Bill Hudson of WCCO-TV and Stephanie March of Mpls. St. Paul Magazine refused to comment, Thomas Lee of the Star Tribune shared his interesting story.

"My worst public relations nightmare was getting a pitch from a company promoting a product called Flatulence-D, with deals with farting after gastric bypass surgery," said Lee. "The person really had no clue what I wrote about."

Among the tips offered by Hudson, March and Lee were:

• Don't pitch more than one reporter at the same media outlet.
• Read the reporter's stories and what they have written about before pitching.
• Think in terms of both visuals and sound when pitching TV reporters.
• Learn the reporter's preferences in terms of connecting via e-mail or phone call.

The panelists agreed that media relations is about relationships.

"The best time to get in touch with a reporter is when you have nothing to pitch," said Lee. "You're in it for the long haul." In the video above, Lee talks about how he uses ProfNet to find sources.

One attendee asked a question about connecting with reporters via social media. That turned out to be an individualized response. Lee primarily uses Twitter to find out about stories, while March is open to being pitched via Twitter. Hudson, however, isn't even on Twitter, so phone and e-mail are best for him.

How can public relations people stand out from the clutter? Attendees learned one trick:  send a handwritten note. It will get read.

Making the most of Alphabet Bash

This Thursday night is one of the best networking opportunities in Minneapolis/St. Paul for marketing, communications and creative professionals:  Alphabet Bash. Considering that more than 600 advertising, communications, direct marketing, marketing, design and public relations professionals are expected to attend, how does one make the most of the evening?

Here are some ideas:

1. Know what you want to do. If you just want to mingle, that's cool -- there will be plenty of opportunities for that. However, if you want to talk about a more specific topic such as skills for new PR professionals, check out the table talks ahead of time and decide which one(s) you want to attend.
2. Explore the entire venue. The table talks typically have been held upstairs at Epic Event Center. If you go upstairs, check out the patio to mingle more and get a breath of fresh air.
3. Get to know the partners. You're going to meet many people from several organizations with acronyms (hence the name Alphabet Bash). It helps to know at least a little bit about the organizations beforehand.
4. Pace yourself for the after-party. Even though Alphabet Bash wraps up at 10 p.m., that doesn't mean that the networking has to end. Several smaller groups typically have gone to bars after Alphabet Bash. It's a great opportunity to connect on a smaller scale.

As you're gearing up for Alphabet Bash, check out the Alphabet Bash content on social media. Good luck on possibly winning one of the door prizes at Thursday's event!