In November the March of Dimes celebrates Prematurity Awareness Month. We’ve blogged before about our involvement with the organization and Kathryn Marshall’s personal experience with her daughter, Jordan. This year Kathryn was asked to speak at two of the March of Dimes major fund raising events in Denver and Boulder, which drew more than 850 attendees. These two events raised more than $345,000 (Team Jordan raised more than $25,000 of that money)!

The March of Dimes produced a very touching video which was shown during both events – Kathryn’s story is featured about mid-way through. Beware: It’s a tear jerker...

From the desk of Patrick Ward...

In today’s economy, the need for measurement of and accountability for PR, either traditional or social have never been greater. However, the lack of definitive metrics is making it hard for companies to commit to PR programs because there is no clear path to value. This post is the first in a series of three I plan to write to shed some light on an issue that has been the subject of discussion in this field for a long time.
 
The Traditional Measurement Approaches

Since news articles appear in newspapers, magazines and on electronic media, the natural measurement approach in PR has been to try and replicate advertising measurement models.

The simplest method for measuring success of a PR program is to add up the circulation of the media that covered the story. That idea sort of works for TV and radio - if you’re watching or listening to the news, then you can’t really skip something. Sure, you can change the channel, but Nielsen factors that into their ratings.
 
It’s even more inaccurate when you try to measure print mediums. Circulation numbers simply represent total distribution. There is no way to tell who read what articles. So even if an article is in a prominent publication, if it’s poorly positioned in the magazine or newspaper, the actual readership may be much lower than the circulation. Furthermore, there is no way to measure if it’s the desired readership.
 
This approach starts to touch on issues of article placement, size and number of mentions in the article. This method often leads to measuring an article by using comparable advertising rates. If a half-page ad costs so much, then a half-page article should be worth the same. That often is a skewed way to look at it. Advertising is like renting a room in a house. PR is more like getting the homeowner to let you spend the night for free. Presence in an article is a validation to many; if it’s in the editorial, it must be true. Advertising is often viewed through a more cynical prism.

PR is rarely a blunt instrument. Advertising can be and often needs to be. Think about the major ad campaign from Yahoo! several years ago in which the company tried to make ‘Yahoo’ a verb.

The holy grail of marketing is to turn your brand into a noun or a verb that has distinct meaning - Kleenex and Xerox come to mind. The company that actually won that battle was Google, whose name is now synonymous with online search. They basically created the concept of a search engine without ever conducting a major national advertising campaign. Google was trying to alert people to a sophisticated technology that required and benefitted from the explicit approval of technology evangelists and trusted reporters.

The right story by the right reporter at the right time can be much more valuable than a comparable ad in the same medium. The Yahoo! ad campaign was easy to measure. Google’s PR probably wasn’t. But which was more effective? That feels like the ultimate measurement.

From the desk of Elaine Schoch...

According to a recent survey, media and bloggers seek most of their information through search engines, making optimizing your press release an important factor in helping it to be found by the right people at the right time. But with 2,000 press releases distributed on an average business day, how can you optimize it to help reach the most influential audience?

Below are a few simple tips you can easily incorporate to help optimize your next press release.

1.    Determine the best keywords for your announcement and be consistent with the keywords that are used both in press releases, on the website and in your online advertisements.

2.    Use the most popular keyword phrase in the headline, which carries the most weight with search engines, as well as in the body of the release and in hyperlinks.

3.    Include subheads in the body of the press release, rich with keywords since these are one of the main things search engines see.

4.    Include anchor text hyperlinks in the press release that are your keywords or similar to them. Make sure you link these words back to the appropriate page on your website.

5.      Place anchor text links in the first two paragraphs.

6.    Keep press releases short and concise. Most experts agree that the “sweet spot” for an SEO‐friendly press release is between 300 – 500 words.  

7.    Include rich media content such as images and videos that will augment search engine pick up in places such as Google Images or Google Video. Be sure all media‐rich content is appropriately tagged with keywords.

8.        Optimize your boilerplate and include a link (not a hyperlink) to your website.

9.     If your company or product falls into a particular industry that is often referred to by an acronym, include both the full term and abbreviation throughout the release.

10.Post all releases on their own permalinked page on your website in addition to sending it out over wire services. (Many businesses scroll from release to release on one page. It’s important that each release has its own page with its own title tags). Each dedicated web page should have its own search friendly title tag as well. When creating title tags use keyword combos and separate with a bar instead of a comma.

From the Desk of Patrick Ward…

The effect of the “always on” culture of today’s business is having a profound influence on how companies communicate with their communities. It is also having a similar effect on the PR industry and how it interfaces with clients and the media.

When companies start their search for a PR firm, a common question often arises: do you want an agency close to the media or close to your business? While there are solid arguments for each, try putting location aside while addressing the following questions first.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Hiring a PR Firm:

•  Does your business have a distinct culture that is part of your communications strategy? 
•  Does the business move rapidly?
•  Do your communications efforts need to align quickly to that dynamic market? Do those market dynamics mean your PR program needs to be managed closely?
• Does your program work best scoped on a project basis or does it need an ongoing, more collaborative relationship?
• Is your budget aligned with your agency size?
• Do you require a particular expertise?

Answering these questions first will not only help refine your overall agency criteria, but it will also help you understand if you need an agency that is close to your business or whether location is less of a concern. For some companies, seeing their agency once a week or more is important and they will find better value closer to home. For others, email, telephone and the web have broken down geographic concerns and other factors are more important. 

Dismissing firms because of their location alone is a disservice, much like picking a firm solely based on location can also be shortsighted. If businesses are serious about PR as an asset, location should not be the only decisive factor. The good news is that talent is everywhere. Great companies, great PR firms and even the media are in every city these days. Look at home. Look elsewhere. The best relationships start by knowing what you’re looking for. And remember, it just might be around the corner. 

From the desk of Kathryn Marshall...

When you’re developing a new PR program or evaluating an existing one there are a few specific questions to ask yourself to avoid common pitfalls companies fall into when their PR program is not strategically aligned with the goals and objectives of their organization.

1.     How will the PR program help the organization achieve its overall business goals and objectives

2.     What does success look like – what are the results you want and what will they achieve for the business? (Is the existing PR program returning the results you originally envisioned?)

3.     Do you frequently have stories written on your company but nothing really seems to happen as a result?

To ensure your PR program not only drives attention in the marketplace, but it helps reach the people you need to reach to get the results you want there are a few points to consider:  

Identify your goals first: Many companies make the mistake of getting swept up in the idea of seeing their name in print. Or, some feel any publicity is good publicity. Before rushing out to speak to the media, take the time to look at what the overall business is trying to achieve. Is the business looking for funding, or are you trying to enter a new market? Once you establish the goal, then you can figure out a way that PR can help support that effort.  

Know where to reach your customers: Ask yourself the important question of who you are ultimately trying to influence, and then figure out where they live. Are your customers reading technical trade magazines to procure the products or services you offer, or are they more likely to be found on mainstream blogs or reading business outlets? Creating a map of the people that consume your product and the people who ultimately pay for it and aligning it with the type of media they read most will go a long way toward making sure the right people are getting your message.  

Use the right message: Getting a story in the press doesn’t net much for a company if the key message your audience needs to hear is buried or, worse, left out entirely. Consider the outlet you are speaking with and put yourself in the reader’s position. What do you think is most important for them to hear and how can you grab their attention and get your message across? Be strategic in what you say and to whom you say it, and always centralize your comments around the most important message you want to convey. 

From the desk of Elaine Schoch...

Late Friday afternoon The Washington Post released a social media policy to the staff at-large aimed at staffers’ use of “individual accounts on online social networks, when used for reporting and for personal use.” This isn’t the first time a business or news outlet has put out a social media policy, nor will it be the last.

With social media co-mingling our personal and professional worlds like never before, we have to be extremely mindful of our online behavior so it’s no surprise to see more businesses and news outlets do this. (The FCC is on its way to release rules and regulations for bloggers so this is yet another step in trying to manage transparency and credibility.) Although, it does concern me that news outlets particularly are not encouraging social channels more. The way The Washington Post’s memo reads it sounds more discouraging – i.e. don’t use social media channels or you might get in trouble. (It might also break a lot of stories such as ABC News reporter @TerryMoran tweeting about President Obama saying Kanya West was a “jack***” or ABC's Senior White House Correspondent @JakeTapper tweeting on Bill Clinton's departure to North Korea to help secure the release of two American journalists. Does this help or hurt the news outlet?)

Businesses – particularly news outlets – need to teach their employees how to use Twitter and other social channels. (Your employees are your best brand ambassadors!) For reporters, Twitter specifically can be an essential tool to build online brand recognition, position your news outlet as a leader by sharing breaking news, gather sources and information, not to mention a FREE way to drive traffic back to the website which helps with ad revenue. If I recall, this added revenue (albeit small) might help the struggling newspaper industry.  Just a thought...

Here are a few excerpts from the policy, which was NOT made available until Sunday. Transparency anyone? Thanks to Paidcontent.org for getting/listing the policy in its entirety.

“When using these networks, nothing we do must call into question the impartiality of our news judgment. We never abandon the guidelines that govern the separation of news from opinion, the importance of fact and objectivity, the appropriate use of language and tone, and other hallmarks of our brand of journalism.”

“What you do on social networks should be presumed to be publicly available to anyone, even if you have created a private account. It is possible to use privacy controls online to limit access to sensitive information. But such controls are only a deterrent, not an absolute insulator. Reality is simple: If you don’t want something to be found online, don’t put it there.”

“Post journalists must refrain from writing, tweeting or posting anything – including photographs or video – that could be perceived as reflecting political racial, sexist, religious or other bias or favoritism that could be used to tarnish our journalistic credibility.”

From the desk of Ben Johnson...

Today I, along with our Intern, Sarah attended our first TweetUp. Not only were we venturing into new territory by meeting people we engage with online in person, but we were also going to make history – the TweetUp was to be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest TweetUps EVER. The premise of the TweetUp was to kick-off CSIA’s DEMOgala, and apparently we did set the world record – for now.  

What we learned about TweetUps is that you can’t treat them any differently than typical social gatherings (not a big surprise). Either it be a college party, graduation party, or a cocktail party, all the basics apply. Beginning with organizing the venue, timing and entertainment and ending with sending your guests out the door with a memorable night. TweetUps deserve nothing less than their traditional counterparts when it comes to the details.

While we set record, we did feel this TweetUp was a missed opportunity for the organizer (and us) since there wasn’t time before or after to engage with people – isn’t that the purpose? A quick photo and flash it was over!

Mashable posted a great article on organizing TweetUps. Beyond providing a venue with available technology (i.e. WIFI) their guide could have easily been pulled from Paris Hilton’s, “Confessions of an Heiress.” Remember, a TweetUp is still a social gathering and Paris Hilton sure knows how to throw a party.

From the desk of Elaine Schoch...

As I’m sure you’re aware by now, The Huffington Post introduced a Denver channel earlier this week. I find it very interesting they chose to come to the Denver/Boulder community but at the same time extremely refreshing to have a new voice.

Traditionally, Colorado has been a Red state until this last election when we went Blue. Having The Huffington Post here will be interesting to watch since it’s a rather “liberal” outlet. If you’re Red or a shade of Purple, don’t worry – they cover a lot more than politics. You’ll find tons of local information from Denver’s Best Bars to entrepreneurial articles highlighting local leaders and their initiatives. This to me, is one of the more exciting pieces of information they’re going to be including.

The Denver/Boulder areas are mecas for innovative ideas/companies, yet we’re still competing with the Silicon Valley stereotype. This has been changing – slowly – but we’re on our way and having The Huffington Post join our community is testament to that.

I personally want to thank Arianna Huffington and her team for coming to the Rockies and helping to spread the word about all the cool technologies and businesses we have in our community. We won’t let you down…

From the desk of Kathryn Marshall…

It’s not often that one has the opportunity to give back to their alma mater and really work to make a difference. I feel fortunate to be one of the lucky ones as I embark on my new journey as the newest Board member at the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business.

As a graduate of the Leeds School of Business, which was just ranked a top 20 program by U.S. News & World Report's new undergraduate rankings, I entered the work force armed with the skill set and confidence that one day I could fulfill my dream as an entrepreneur. The Leeds School of Business not only taught me the basics of how businesses operate, but its culture and passion for entrepreneurism helped shape me into what I am today.  

As a partner at 104 West, I have enjoyed working alongside my business partner, Patrick, to build a business that transforms ideas into products, services and companies with market-leading reputations. We have worked with some of the best and brightest leaders, and helped our clients transform themselves from start-ups into multi-million dollar enterprises. It has been an exciting and rewarding five years, and I can’t wait to give back to CU by joining The Board.

Some of my fellow board members include alumni Larissa Herda, '80, President, CEO and Chairwoman, Time Warner Telecom Inc.; Lyndon "Duke" Hanson, MBA '85, Vice President and Co-Founder of Crocs; Richard Knowlton '54, President, The Hormel Foundation; Michael Leeds, '74, President Flight Star (also of the Leeds Family, the school's namesake); and Jerry McMorris, '62, former Chairman, President and CEO of the Rockies. Businesses and corporations represented include Merrill Lynch, Accenture, KPMG, Constellation Wines, Crocs, East West Partners, IBM, Mad Greens, St. Mary Land Exploration, Hitachi Consulting, Key National Finance, Korn Ferry International, Yahoo!, MGM, JP Morgan Chase, Ernst and Young, Morgan Stanley, Ehrhardt Keefe Steiner & Hottman, Baydush Simon Weaver and First Western Trust Company.

From the desk of Patrick Ward...

There is an equally elucidating and disturbing story on TechCrunch today.

It has engendered an active discussion on the merits of PR and the ethics some firms use. But I wonder if there is a broader and potentially more important implication here? The tide toward direct expression, through App Store reviews, user group comments and even this blog, has lifted a critical filter in the traditional information flow from company to PR to public: the media.

Before the arrival of the myriad communications means for companies (and their PR firms) to speak directly to constituents, a buffer existed. Reporters decided whether a story was credible and reasonable before it made it into print. Even Letters to the Editor were screened. Much of that barrier is being eliminated in today’s world. So how surprising is it that someone is taking advantage?

I’m reminded of Michael Corleone’s PR strategy to assuage public concern about his impending murder of a police captain: “A dirty police captain who got mixed up in the rackets and got what was coming to him. We have newspaper people on the payroll, Tom? They might like a story like that?” When the story-teller can be corrupted by money (agency fees or download dollars) the ethics get invariably murky.

For all the love of freedom of expression that ‘user-generated’ content offers, we seem to forget that the traditional news organizations vetted this kind of gamesmanship. So, as many play violins while those news organizations burn, look at this story for what could be your alternative.