PR. 317 Ch. 10 Notes

Attracting Visitors to Your Site -

- A cliché about attracting interest is, "If we build it, they will come." - If you want to attract visitors, however, you need to do much more than "build" a website. - The basic principles of webpage design have already been discussed, but it's also important to think about content and how information is displayed on the site. - Professional web designers can do much to design the look and feel of a site, but public relations personnel are the ones that give the site relevance. - They provide the content that attracts visitors and holds their attention. - You also have to give a lot of directional signage so people can find your website. - The two major "directional" signs are hyperlinks and search engines. - Most people find websites by following links, from either other websites or search engines. - In fact, one study by the Georgia Institute of Technology found that 85 percent of people begin their online research by using a browser. HYPERLINKS - - According to Joe Dysart, a writer for Public Relations Tactics, "One of the Web's most powerful promotional tools is also one of its most basic: the hyperlink." - In other words, sites that have a lot of links with other sites tend to get more visitors. SEARCH ENGINES - - The essential key to the vast, sprawling universe called the Web is a search engine. - Of the multiple search engines available, the major one is Google, with Yahoo! and Bing in a distant second and third place. ex. In Public Relations Tactics, Fredrick Marchini reports that, "According to IMT Strategies, search engines create more awareness about websites than all advertising combined, including banner, newspaper, television, and radio placements." - Search engines play a large role in our daily lives for two reasons. - First, most of us begin online research by typing in a few words and seeing the list of sites Google or another engine generates. - Second, more than one study has shown that the average Internet user limits his or her search to the first 10 citations. - In other words, if your site is one of the top 10 search results listed (or mentioned in one of these sites)—as opposed to being the 154th site on a 27-page list—you get much greater visibility and traffic. ADVERTISING - - Another method of attracting visitors, of course, is a traditional advertising campaign. ex. PepsiCo, for example, combined online, offline, and mobile media ads to promote its "Crash the Super Bowl" consumer-generated advertising for Doritos and Pepsi Max.

Making the Site Interactive -

- A unique characteristic of the Web, which traditional mass media do not offer, is interactivity between the sender and the receiver. - One aspect of interactivity is the "pull" concept. " Pull "Concept - On the Web, you actively search for sites that can answer your specific questions, and at each website you visit, you also actively "pull" information from the various pages and links provided. - In other words, you are constantly interacting with a site and "pulling" the information most relevant to you. You have total control over what information you call up and how deeply you want to delve into a subject. - In contrast, traditional mass media—radio, TV, newspapers, magazines—"push" information by delivering it to you without your active participation. - The "push" concept is also illustrated by news releases that are automatically sent to media and "spam" email messages sent to you. - Another dimension of interactivity is the ability of a person to engage in a dialogue with an organization. ex. Many websites, for example, encourage comments and questions by providing a "contact us" link that a user can click on to send a message. - According to a study by Jamie Guillory of Cornell University and S. Shyam Sundar of Pennsylvania State University, an interactive website also enhances users' perceptions of the organization's reputation. - In a Journal of Public Relations article, Guillory and Sundar conclude, "The fact that higher interactivity Websites are associated with more positive organization perception is important to organizations and PR practitioners with limited time and funds to invest in recruiting and other activities involving stakeholders." ex. One successful application of this two-way dialogue is the website of the Broward County Public Schools in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. - The school board was working on two new policies, and it realized that not everyone could attend meetings to discuss the proposals. - Therefore, the decision was made to post the policy drafts on the board's website and allow the public to email their comments and views. - Dozens of email messages were received, and the suggestions were used to revise the policies. - Unfortunately, true interactivity and encouragement of feedback is more buzz than reality on many websites. - According to reporter Thomas E. Weber of The Wall Street Journal, "Many big companies invite a dialogue with consumers at their Internet outposts but are ill-prepared to keep up their end of the conversation." - A delayed response to an email query, or no response at all, damages an organization's reputation and credibility. - Ideally, an email query should be answered by an organization within 24 hours. - Although it is good public relations to solicit feedback from the public, you should think twice about providing email response forms on your website if the organization isn't capable of handling the queries. - Book author Diane Witmer sums it up best: "Double check that the client's staff is both prepared and able to respond quickly to email messages. If the client fails to meet the expectations of Internet users through slow or inadequate responses, the website is likely to be more harmful than helpful to the client's reputation."

Tracking Site Visitors -

- An important part of site maintenance is tracking visitors to your site. - Management, given its investment, wants to know if the site is actually working. - In other words, how well is it fulfilling its objectives? Is it generating sales leads? Is it selling products and services? Is it helping the organization establish brand identity? Are journalists actually using it to write stories? - Fortunately, the digital revolution allows quick and tangible ways to monitor traffic on any website. - A number of different measurement terms are used, and it is easy to confuse the exact meaning of each. - One such term is hit. - Hit : A term used in relationship to the number of people that click on a particular page on the World Wide Web. - When the Canadian Tourism Commission launched its website, ThisIsOurVancouver.com, to battle an image problem after post-Stanley Cup rioting, it generated more than 14,000 hits, or visits, in just 10 days. - Some websites report much more remarkable numbers of hits. ex. Victoria's Secret, for example, reported that its online lingerie fashion show got 5 million hits an hour. Most of those hits didn't turn into viewers, however, because the servers were only configured to handle 250,000 to 500,000 simultaneous viewers. - Two other often-used terms are page view or page impression. - These terms are interchangeable and they refer to the number of times a page is pulled up. - Unlike a "hit," one completed visit equals one page view. ex. For example, the Canadian Tourism site's 14,000 hits translated to about 20,000 page views. - The term unique visitor occasionally is used. - Unique Visitor : It basically means first-time visitors to a site. - Paul Baudisch of Circle.com says it is a good metric for tracking the number of viewers, whereas the number of page views is better for tracking brand awareness. - Armed with an understanding of these basic terms, a public relations practitioner can track various dimensions of website usage. ex. Each individual page within a website, for example, can be tracked for first-time visitors, return visitors, and the length of time a viewer stays on a particular page. - This gives you an indication of what information on your website attracts the most viewers, and it also may indicate what pages should be revised or dropped.

Tips on How to Write the Perfect Blog Post -

- Average count of words per article: 1,149 - Articles that contained quotes: 22 percent - Articles that had social media buttons: 92 percent - Articles with comments allowed: 75 percent - Articles with videos embedded: 5 percent - Average number of images per article: 3.2 - Average number of links: 9.96 - Length of average title: 50.7 characters - Topic was answering a question: 11 percent - Topic was a numbered list: 45 percent - Topic was a tutorial or how-to list: 35 percent

Summary of Blogs -

- Blogs are now mainstream and used by many organizations as a more informal form of communication with consumers and the public. - Blogs must be well designed with good content, enticing headlines, links to other information, and visuals. The best blogs are highly interactive to encourage feedback from visitors. - There are three kinds of blogs: organizational, employee, and third-party. The organizational blog is usually written by an executive and represents the voice of the organization. Many organizations also encourage employee blogs but also issue guidelines on how employees should represent themselves.

Blogs -

- Blogs, dating back to the 1990s, have become mainstream in terms of numbers and influence. - In the beginning, they were called "weblogs" because they were created by individuals who wanted to post their musings and opinions on various subjects. - Today, the abbreviated term "blog" is commonly used, and it's estimated that about 175,000 are added to the Internet on a daily basis. - Although the vast majority of blogs are still the province of individuals who post primarily for the benefit of friends and family, they are also widely recognized by public relations personnel as an extremely cost-effective way to reach large numbers of people in a format that is more informal and conversational. - The format and writing style make them attractive for several reasons: - Almost anyone can create a blog with open-source software. A blog is ideal for a small business as well as a large company. - Start-up costs are often minimal. - The format and writing are informal, which can give an organization a friendly, youthful, human face. - Links can be made to other blogs and webpages. - Readers can post comments directly on the blog. - Material can be updated and changed instantly. - Extensive uses of syndication technologies allow aggregation of information from hundreds of blogs at once. - An organization can immediately assess what customers and various publics are saying about it. - A blog gives an organization an outlet to participate in the online dialogue already going on among other blogs and message boards. - Blogs allow organizations to post their own points of view unfettered by the editing process of the traditional media. - Susan Balcom Walton, writing in Public Relations Tactics, says organizations start blogs for four reasons: - To achieve real-time communication with key stakeholders - To enable passionate, knowledgeable people (employees, executives, customers) to talk about the organization, its products, and services - To foster conversation among audiences with an affinity for or connection with the organization - To facilitate more interactive communication and encourage audience feedback - Implicit in Walton's list is the concept that the informal format of a blog gives organizations, particularly large ones, more human characteristics. - A research study about corporate blogs by Hyojung Park and Glen Cameron in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, for example, found that "Blogs with first person narratives appeared to create a more personal and sociable atmosphere for blog visitors than did those devoid of personal stories and thoughts." - In addition, other studies have found that journalists regularly read blogs for story ideas, and blogs by highly credible individuals often influence media coverage.

Other Design Considerations -

- Forrester Research says there are four main reasons why visitors return to a particular website : 1- First and foremost is high-quality content. 2- ease of use, 3 - download speed, 4 - and frequent updates. - As discussed, a visitor's ability to find the content he or she needs is influenced by the site's organization, navigation options, and functionality. - The readability of a site, in terms of layout and overall "look and feel," can also influence the user's experience. - Most organizations hire professional web designers to develop their website and ensure they are optimized for search engines such as Google. - If you are working with a local business or non-profit, you can use resources such as WordPress, Strikingly, or Squarespace that offer a variety of webpage templates. - Some sites, such as Club Runner and Squarespace, even serve as hosts of your website. - Basic templates are often free or low cost, but more sophisticated templates with enhancements cost more.

PR Case Seattle Police Blog About Marijuana -

- How do you educate citizens about the recreational use of marijuana? That was the challenge of the Seattle Police Department when Washington State voted to legalize the possession and recreational use of the substance. The idea was to inform citizens about the specifics of the legislation in a way that would encourage voluntary compliance with the regulations. - The police department decided that official and long explanations would not resonate with the public, so the approach was to package the information in an entertaining way. One approach was a blog titled "Marijwhatnow?" which spelled out the legal changes in a humorous tone. The blog posts received almost 500,000 page views. In addition, the department launched Operation Orange Fingers: they distributed 1,000 bags of Doritos with an educational safety message attached. It also used the @SeattlePD Twitter account to distribute news and answer questions about the new law.

A Typical Online Newsroom -

- IBM and Starbucks provide two good examples of online newsrooms. - IBM's newsroom has links to news releases, press kits, photos and video clips (image gallery), executive biographies, backgrounders, and media contacts. - A good online newsroom, according to surveys, should provide a link to personnel in media relations who can answer questions from reporters.

Managing the Website -

- It has already been pointed out that an organizational website must serve multiple audiences. - Consequently, the overall responsibility of managing the website should lie with the corporate communications department, which is concerned about the needs of multiple stakeholders. ex. One survey of corporate communications and public relations executives by the Institute for Public Relations, for example, found that 70 percent of the respondents believed that an organization's communications/public relations staff should manage and control all content on the website. - The reality, however, is that a successful website takes the input and knowledge of several departments. ex. The information technology (IT) staff, for example, has the technical expertise to create a website. - In addition, the marketing department also plays a major role, to ensure that the website includes the necessary information and links for purchasing the organization's products and services. - Consequently, the practical solution is a team approach, where representatives from various departments collaborate. - The advantage of cross-functional teams is that various members bring different strengths to the table. - IT can provide the technical know-how, public relations can share expertise on the formation of messages for various audiences, and marketing can communicate the consumer services available through the site. - Even human resources, as a team member, can contribute ideas on how to facilitate and process employment inquiries.

How to do a Podcast -

- KEEP IT SHORT. The ideal length is 10 to 20 minutes. Anything longer begins to lose the audience. - PROVIDE RELEVANT MATERIAL. Focus more on topics and issues related to your organization or field, instead of talking about the wonders of your product or service. - USE SEVERAL STORIES OR SEGMENTS. A 3- or 4-minute interview with an executive is better than a 20-minute one. Also, no one wants to hear an announcer or host talk for 20 minutes. - DON'T USE A SCRIPT. A podcast should be informal and conversational. It loses vitality if it comes across as a scripted presentation. - USE A CHARISMATIC HOST. Select an announcer or host with a strong, animated voice and presence that won't put the audience to sleep. - THINK ABOUT THE TITLE. Select a name for your podcast that matches the content. Remember that users and online podcast directories usually search for a topic, not a brand name. - ALLOW FOR FEEDBACK. Be sure to include an email address or website in every podcast, so listeners can respond to the content. - CREATE AN RSS FEED FOR YOUR PODCAST. News feeds are automatically generated if you use blog software, which also facilitates comments and feedback. - ESTABLISH A REGULAR RELEASE SCHEDULE. Produce podcasts regularly so dedicated listeners can count on having new material. Most experts say a podcast should be produced at least once a week. - MAKE ITS EXISTENCE KNOWN. Drive traffic to your podcast by using other communication vehicles, such as your website, newsletters, social networks, blogs, direct mail, and advertising. Get listed on various podcast directories, such as Apple's iTunes.

Employee Blogs -

- Many organizations also encourage their employees to blog. ex. Sun Microsystems, for example, has more than 4,000 employee blogs, accounting for about 15 percent of its workforce. - More than half of them, according to the company, are "super-technical" and "project-oriented," which only appeal to fellow computer programmers and engineers. - Others, such as those written by the CEO and managers in human resources and marketing, are more general in subject matter. - Even the company's legal counsel blogs. - He opened a recent post with "I really dislike the word compliance" and went on to explain why. - Many organizations are uncomfortable with employee blogs because they are concerned about liability or the possibility that proprietary information will be released. - Other companies, those that have a more open system of communication and management, believe employee blogs are great sources of feedback, ideas, and employee engagement. - There are also potential legal ramifications of making online comments or blog posts regarding your employer. - Whether the comments are on an employee blog or on a personal blog or a social networking page, it is prudent to think about potential consequences before you write. - Companies do establish some guidelines for employee blogs. ex. Cisco, for example, tells employees: "If you comment on any aspect of the company's business...you must clearly identify yourself as a Cisco employee in your postings and include a disclaimer that the views are your own and not those of Cisco." ex. Dell also expects employees to identify themselves if they do any sort of blogging, social networking, Wikipedia entry editing, or other online activities related to or on behalf of the company. - Steve Cody, managing director of Peppercom, a public relations firm, adds several additional important points for employee or client blogs: - Be transparent about any former, current, or prospective clients being mentioned in the blog. - Respond in a timely manner to individuals who post comments, whether they are pro, con, or indifferent. - Generate as much original material as possible instead of just commenting on current news events. - Only link to blog sites that are relevant to your post. - Make sure readers know that the blog represents your views and not necessarily those of your employer or client. THIRD PARTY BLOGS : - In addition to operating their own blogs and providing guidelines for employee blogs, organizations must also monitor and respond to the postings on other blog sites. - The products and services of organizations are particularly vulnerable to attack and criticism by bloggers, and an unfavorable mention is often multiplied by links to other blogs and search engine indexing. - Roy Vaughn, chair of the PRSA counselor's academy, explains. "Web empowerment has made the consumer king, and it has also made long-standing corporate and individual reputations extremely vulnerable. With Web 2.0, reputations can be made or broken in a nanosecond." ex. A good example is the 10-day blogstorm that overtook Kryptonite Company, a manufacturer of bike locks. A consumer complaint was posted to bike forums and blogs that a Bic pen could be used to open a Kryptonite lock. Two days later, videos showing how to pick the lock were posted on blogs. Three days later, the New York Times and AP reported the story, and it was picked up by the mainstream media. Four days after that, the company was forced to announce a free product exchange that cost $10 million. ex. Dell has also experienced the wrath of bloggers about its customer service. The negative posts caused sales to decline, but it was a good lesson. Today, according to the New York Times, "It's nearly impossible to find a story or blog entry about Dell that isn't accompanied by a comment from the company." - Darren Katz, writing in O'Dwyer's PR Report, makes the point that "By engaging in online dialogue, companies are showing their customers that they care about their opinions, value their respect, and plan to rightfully earn their repeat business." - Consequently, it's the responsibility of the public relations department to monitor third-party blogs and even rogue websites that look like your website but are often launched by critics or organizations that use a variation of your brand name to sell their own products. - A list of blogs that are widely followed by professionals in your industry should be made, and blog search engines such as Technorati and Google Blog Search can be helpful. - You should also establish relationships with the most relevant and influential bloggers who are talking about your company. - Rick Wion, interactive media director of Golin Harris, told Susan Walton in Public Relations Tactics, "Treat them the same as you would any other journalist. In most cases, they will appreciate the recognition. By providing materials directly in a manner that is helpful to bloggers, you can build positive relationships quickly." ex. A good example is how Weber Shandwick works with about 20 influential food bloggers on behalf of its food industry clients. - The public relations firm regularly monitors their posts to find out what they are saying and which "hot button" issues are being discussed. - This, in turn, allows the firm to build relationships with the bloggers and offer information that they can use in their blogs. ex. Morton Salt also included bloggers into its 100th anniversary celebration of the Morton Salt Girl—the little girl with her yellow dress and umbrella that has been on its product since 1914. - A component of the campaign was 100 parties in 100 cities hosted by bloggers in their homes. Each host received a party kit in the shape of a branded, oversized salt container full of games, decorations, recipes, and Morton Salt products . - The bloggers, in turn, posted party photos on their sites and social media networks. Photos tagged with #mortonsaltgirl100 also were fed into the Morton Salt Girl site.

Summary of Websites -

- Marketing is a common objective for most websites, but they also serve to enhance an organization's reputation and social responsibility credentials. - The websites of Coca-Cola and Red Bull are good examples of brand journalism. Coca-Cola Journey, for example, is basically an e-newsletter. - Websites today tend to use a minimum of words on a home page and use drop-down menus or tabs for visitors to easily access specific information. - Designing, creating content, and maintaining a website is a team effort that requires public relations writers, graphic designers, and IT personnel. - Publicizing and promoting a website are necessary to generate traffic. Print and Internet advertising, email, hyperlinks, and printed material displaying the URL are some ways to promote a site.

A Sampling of Organizational Websites -

- Not every organization has the creativity, budget, and commitment to brand journalism as Coca-Cola, but they also strive to accomplish organizational objectives. - The following is a representative sample of how various organizations are using their websites : ex. The Federal Express website, FedEx, makes it easy for customers to track shipments or locate a FedEx office by keying in a zip code or address. There is also a link to the FedEx newsroom for journalists. ex. Bridgestone America has a site devoted to its Teens Drive Smart program. It includes blogs for teens and parents, content for teachers, and a downloadable safe-driving contract to facilitate dialogue between parents and teens. ex. L. L. Bean provides a history of the company and offers outdoor adventure tours for everything from biking to fly casting, in addition to providing a catalog of its products. ex. Westchester Medical Center posts a virtual encyclopedia of disease and health care information that is freely available to the public. The site also establishes Westchester as a premier medical center by describing its multiple clients and medical services. Rutherford Hill winery in California gives a video tour of the winery. ex. IBM highlights its activities on various continents. One segment on Africa, for example, provides pdfs of case studies and short video clips. ex. Starbucks has My Starbucks Idea on which customers and employees "Share, Vote, Discuss, See" ideas for new products and improving the in-store experience, and ways to be involved in the community. The site is modeled as a social network where users can post comments on each other's ideas. ex. Red Bull builds brand identity and loyalty by emphasizing its sponsorship of sporting events such as motorcycle contests over rough terrain or surfing exhibitions. Extensive feature stories, interviews with athletes, photos, and videos appeal to its primary audience of active, athletic consumers.

Applications of Podcasts -

- Organizations produce podcasts for a variety of purposes. - Many companies, such as PepsiCo, include podcasts in their employee communications strategy. - The public relations staff produces a roughly 7-minute audio podcast of four or five interesting questions and answers with company executives and various topic experts. - Most podcasts on iTunes, however, are produced by organizations in order to offer "how-to" consumer tips about using their products, to enhance a brand by giving other advice and information, and to conduct and share interviews with experts on various topics of public interest. - There's even podcasts catering to public relations professionals. ex. Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson produce a weekly podcast titled "For Immediate Release" that covers issues and trends in the field, includes interviews with public relations experts, and even does book reviews. ex. Another podcast series is "inside PR" that is also available through iTunes. Joe Thornley, Martin Waxman, and Gini Dietrich talk about everything from crisis communications to reputation management and social media.

How Visitors "Read" a Website -

- PUT YOUR MOST VALUABLE CONTENT AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. You have only 8 seconds to grab a visitor's attention, so place the most appealing information at the top to entice viewers to stay on the page. - PUT CALLS TO ACTION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. The top of the page is the most important, but the bottom of the page is the second-most viewed. This is where you tell people where to buy the product or respond to a fundraising appeal. - PEOPLE LIKE BIG, BOLD HEADLINES. A large, dominant headline immediately draws the eye first upon looking at a page. - CHUNKS OF INFORMATION ARE BEST. You should use short paragraphs, headings, bullets, visual elements, and bright colors. - USE WHITE SPACE. A webpage doesn't need to be completely covered with text or visuals. Some blank space is needed as a way for viewers to rest their eyes. Such "white space" also makes the headlines and stories stand out from each other. - THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PAGE IS IMPORTANT. Eye-tracking studies indicate that users spend most of their time on the left side of the page. Consequently, place your most important information here. - GET RID OF BANNERS. Consumers are sensitized to banner ads, and most tracking studies show that such ads are now ignored. - PICTURES OF PEOPLE SHOULD BE USED. A page with a person's face, according to the research, encourages interaction and viewing. People look at other people and, as a result, stay longer on your page.

Tips for Success : Guidelines for Designing a Website -

- Place your organization's name and logo on every page. - Provide a "search" tab or function if the site has more than 100 pages. - Write straightforward and simple headlines and page titles that clearly explain what the page is about. These should also make sense when read out of context in a search engine results listing. - Structure the page to facilitate scanning large chunks of text in a single glance. For example, use groupings and subheadings to break a long list into several smaller units. - Don't cram everything about a product or topic into a single page. Use hyperlinks (such as a "Read more" or "Continued" link) to structure the content into a starting page that provides an overview and several secondary pages that each focus on a specific topic. - Use product photos, but avoid pages with lots of photos. Instead, have a small photo on each of the individual product pages and give the viewer the option of enlarging it for more detail. - Use descriptive link titles to provide users with a preview of where each link will take them before they have clicked on it. - Do the same as everybody else. If most big websites do something in a certain way, then follow along, because users will expect things to work the same way on your site. - Test your design with real users as a reality check. - People do things in odd and unexpected ways, so even the most carefully planned project can be improved by usability testing.

Podcasts -

- Podcasting was once described by a public relations expert as "radio on steroids." - A more standard definition is provided by Wikipedia: "A podcast is a digital medium that consists of an episodic series of audio, video, digital radio, PDF, or ePub files subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication or streamed on-line to a computer or mobile device. The word is a neologism and portmanteau derived from 'broadcast' and 'pod' from the success of the iPod." - In other words, a podcast is an audio or video file that can be delivered to users via computers, MP3 players, tablets, and even smartphones. - So who came up with the word podcast, which the Oxford American Dictionary once designated as the Word of the Year? - According to OneUpWeb, a firm specializing in making podcasts for clients, podcast comes from "pod" as in Apple's iPod, and "cast" from "broadcast," meaning to transmit for general or public use. - Today, iTunes has more than 250,000 different podcasts available for downloading. - Podcasts have many of the traditional advantages of radio. ex. Sharon McIntosh, director of global internal communications for PepsiCo, told the Ragan Report, "The podcast as a channel has great advantages. The main one is that employees can listen whenever they want. They can download the podcast to their iPods and listen to it on travel, while they are in the field, or driving. They can multitask." - Like radio programs, podcasts are: - COST-EFFECTIVE. An audio format requires minimum equipment and production. - EASY TO ACCESS. Podcasts are available 24/7 as a download or already stored on your device. - PORTABLE. As already mentioned, you can listen to a podcast while driving to work or hiking down a mountain trail. - Podcasts also have three additional advantages over radio : - A podcast can be longer and more-depth than a radio news release or even a short interview on a talk show. - They have longevity in that a podcast or a series of them can remain readily available for weeks or even months, because the topics are more general and less time-sensitive. - Podcasts are in the category of "owned" media, so organizations have total control over the production and distribution.

Summary of Podcasts -

- Podcasts have often been described as "radio on steroids." Their advantage over radio is that they can be downloaded at any time and can be much longer than a typical radio news release or feature. - Most podcasts are audio, but there are also video podcasts. - There is a minimum of equipment needed to make an audio podcast—a computer, a good microphone, and audio editing software.

Summary of The New Public Relations Paradigm -

- Public relations practitioners are major users of the Web. They disseminate information to a variety of audiences and also use the Internet for research. - The new media, including the Web, have unique characteristics. They include (1) easy updating of material, (2) instant distribution of information, (3) an infinite amount of space for information, and (4) the ability to interact with the audience.

Types of Blogs -

- Public relations writers are usually involved in three kinds of blogs: - corporate or organizational blogs, - employee blogs, - and third-party blogs. ORGANIZATIONAL BLOGS - - A corporate blog is usually written by an executive and represents the official voice of the organization. - In many cases, someone in the public relations department actually writes the blog for the executive. - Some corporate blogs are now even being outsourced to public relations firms, but critics say this is a guaranteed way to ensure that the blog is somewhat artificial and full of "execu-babble" instead of reflecting the writing style and personality of the executive. - Although all corporate blogs should provide the opportunity for the public to post comments, it's also important to provide useful and informative information that the audience can use. ex. This was the approach Ford & Harrison, a national labor and employment law firm, took when it started a blog to address workplace issues from a legal perspective. - The blog, called "That's What She Said," used graphics and humor to explore situations in terms of how much the behavior of the blog's main character would cost companies to defend in real-life lawsuits. - This showcased the firm's legal expertise in a user-friendly way. ex. Public relations firm Ketchum Communications has a daily blog that features postings by various staffers that highlights their expertise. ex. Another example of an organizational blog is "Nuts About Southwest" by Southwest Airlines. Posts on the blog may come from the blog's editorial team, employees, or even airline customers. One blog post, for example, featured a marriage proposal on a Southwest flight. The content discussed comes from the CEO, baggage handlers, customers who mention an interesting experience on Twitter, and even their YouTube videos. - The blog's editors constantly look for content on Southwest's intranet, emails, and other social networking sites. - The team contacts the employees and customers to flesh out a story with details and available video clips, and then packages them for the blog. The blog is further amplified through the airline's 1.3 million Twitter followers and the more than 3 million Facebook fans that see links to each post. - Although customer relations and loyalty for organizations such as Southwest greatly benefit from blogs, a blog isn't a good fit for every organization. - In fact, less than a third of the Fortune 500 companies in 2014 had a corporate blog. - Specialty retailers and food consumer product companies had the largest percentage of corporate blogs (44 and 31 percent) while banks, utility companies, and mining companies had the lowest number. - As Ben King noted in a Financial Times article, "The rapid, spontaneous back and forth discourse of the blogosphere is not an easy fit with the slow, cautious approach favored by most corporate marketing departments." - In other words, organizations must realize that a blog is not just another form of online advertising where the message is controlled; it's an open forum where both positive and negative comments may be posted. - Michael Wiley, director of new media for GM, told PRWeek, "To me, this is what separates blogging from the rest of the Web."

Writing for the Web -

- Public relations writers must master a variety of writing styles and formats that are appropriate to the platform being used. - Two basic concepts are important when writing for the Web : 1) First, there is a fundamental difference between how people read online and how they read printed documents. - According to a study by Sun Microsystems, it takes 50 percent longer for an individual to read material on a computer screen. - As a consequence, 80 percent of online readers scan text instead of reading word-by-word. - "The simple truth is that people read differently on a computer screen than they do on a piece of paper. Not only do computer monitors make it difficult to read for long periods of time, but people who use the Web tend to be especially impatient, looking for information they want as quickly as possible" says Mickie Kennedy, founder and president of eReleases.

Summary of The Web : Persuasive on Our Lives -

- The Internet is a revolutionary development that has transformed the media as much as the invention of the printing press in the 1400s, by ushering in the "democratization of information" throughout the world. - The World Wide Web is the first medium that allows organizations to send controlled messages to a mass audience without the message being filtered by journalists and editors. Before the Web, the placement of advertising in the mass media was the only method by which the organization controlled the message. The Internet has revolutionized the creation of content and distribution of messages by public relations personnel. - There will be 3 billion Internet users by 2016, about 40 percent of the world population. Today, 90 percent of American adults have access to the Internet.

The Web : Persuasive in Our Lives -

- The World Wide Web celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2014 without much fanfare. - For those who have never known daily life without it, it's difficult to realize that it was a revolutionary development that transformed the media almost as much as the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg in the 1400s. - For centuries, the owners and publishers of newspapers, magazines, and books controlled the flow of information. - In the 20th century, broadcasters joined their ranks as gatekeepers who decided what content would be produced and distributed to the public. - Control was still highly centralized; only a few could afford to start a newspaper or station, and professional editors and journalists filtered and selected what they considered "newsworthy." - All this began to change in 1989 when Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web. - He and other early Web pioneers ushered in the "democratization of information" because anyone with a computer could become his or her own publisher and literally reach millions of people without having to go through the traditional mass media. - Indeed, the Internet today makes it possible to have: (1) widespread broadband; (2) cheap/free, easy-to-use online publishing tools; (3) instant distribution channels such as social networks and e-mail, (4) mobile devices such as smartphones, and (5) new public relations paradigms. - For clarification, however, it should be noted that Internet and World Wide Web are not interchangeable words. - The Internet is essentially a giant network of hardware and computers around the world that make it possible for you to send an email to anyone in the world. - The World Wide Web, on the other hand, is what allows you to use browsers such as Google to access websites or webpages. - In other words, the World Wide Web is the portion of the Internet that makes it possible for public relations writers to communicate with the public through websites, online newsrooms, blogs, and podcasts. - The astounding growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web is old news, and any figures given today are out of date almost before they are published.

The New Public Relations Paradigm -

- The World Wide Web is now the major source of news and information for millions of Americans. - Its exponential growth is due, in large part, to its unique characteristics, which can be better understood by comparing the Web with traditional mass media.

Equipment and Production -

- The equipment for producing an audio podcast is relatively simple. - All you need is a computer, a decent microphone, and editing software. - Audacity and GarageBand are free, but many organizations also use Adobe Audition, despite its licensing fee. - You also need access to a Web server where you can store files in an online folder, and a website or a blog that users can access to download the podcast. - The hard part is creating a podcast that is interesting and relevant to the target audience. - A podcast is not an infomercial, nor do you make a good one by simply reading a news release or an executive's speech into the microphone. - Like radio, a podcast must be informal and conversational.

How to Improve Your Sites Rating -

- The most common approach is using the technique of search engine optimization (SEO). The basic idea behind SEO is that an organization uses keywords to describe its business, products, or services—words that might be used by an average consumer. These keywords are used in hyperlinks in your website and materials, and/or embedded as invisible "metadata" tags, so search engines can identify them with your site. In addition, it's also common to have your keywords and content circulated through social bookmarking sites such as Digg or Delicious, to drive traffic to your website and increase your ranking in terms of site visitors. - Another approach is paying for a higher ranking. Search engines are commercial enterprises, so they earn revenue by charging a fee to get listed on their indexes. As Aleksandra Todorova writes in PRWeek, "If you want your client's website to outscore the competition, the choices are to pay, or pay more." - The most expensive option is the concept of "pay for position." This is a system of purchasing, more or less in competition with others, the exclusive rights to search words that best describe your organization or products. Say your company, for example, makes basketballs; you would pay Google several cents, or even several dollars, for each search on "basketball," and Google would automatically list your organization in the top 10 results. If you are doing a 3-month product publicity campaign, a pay-for-position strategy would be a good approach. - The second strategy, which is cheaper, is called "pay for inclusion." With this strategy you just pay a fee to be listed on search engine indexes. It's something like a lottery, however. You may get listed in the top 10 results on occasion or, then again, you might not. At least it's better than not being listed at all. With this approach, a lot depends on the number of visitors to your site.

Websites -

- The most visible aspect of the World Wide Web is websites. - From a public relations standpoint, websites are literally a digital distribution system. ex. Organizations, for example, use their websites to market products and services and post news releases, corporate backgrounders, product information, position papers, feature stories, and even photos of key executives or plant locations. ex. An outstanding example is Coca-Cola Journey- Coca-Cola re-launched its corporate website as Coca-Cola Journey in 2012 as a key strategy to develop brand loyalty among its key audience, millennials. - It was basically an e-magazine that featured a variety of articles about lifestyle and culture and, of course, feature articles related to Coca-Cola as a worldwide brand. - Its concept of "brand journalism" was that young adults would be attracted to the site because it offers a variety of interesting stories about everything from how to select an office chair to an employee whose passion is skydiving. - In 2013, for example, Journey published more than 2,000 stories and more than 10,000 videos. Most of the content is branded, but about a third of the stories have no explicit connection to Coca-Cola. - Journey's senior editor, Jay Moye, told Ragan.com, "The strategy here is about authenticity and credibility. We want to be seen as a credible resource for fun, smart content. We realized early on that if we published Coca-Cola in every headline, we'd be talking to ourselves." "People need to be at the heart of your stories. People want to read a story that makes them connect with, again, a personality instead of a product." — Jay Moye, senior editor of Coca-Cola's website, Journey - But the Coca-Cola brand gets considerable attention in other ways. One Journey story described climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa by the "Coca-Cola route." - A popular video that first appeared on Journey was a Coca-Cola machine in a Pakistani mall displaying a message, "Make a friend in India" and an identical machine in New Delhi saying "Make a friend in Pakistan." - The two nations have been enemies for years, but Coke got ordinary Indians and Pakistanis to wave at each other via cameras, flash peace symbols, and toast each other with a Coke. The company didn't issue a news release about its "Small World Machines" campaign in India and Pakistan, yet the video got 2.2 million views on YouTube in the first week it was posted. - Journey has a staff of six full-time content creators, of which two are dedicated to Journey's editorial content and publishing. "We think of ourselves as journalists, and Coke is our beat," Ashley Brown, group director of digital communications and social media, told Ragan's Daily Headlines. - The formula seems to work. - The website averages 33 million visitors daily, who spend an average of almost 5 minutes reading various articles. - In 2015, Coca-Cola plans to extend Journey to 30 nations in 12 languages. - It should be noted that Journey is only one of Coca-Cola's websites; there are others that are more promotional and market-oriented.

Nonlinear Writing -

- The second main concept in writing for the Web is that the writer needs to know the basic difference between linear and nonlinear styles of writing. - Printed material usually follows a linear progression: a person is meant to read straight through an article, from the beginning to the end. - With nonlinear material, items can be selected and read out of order, just as with notecards out of a stack. - Online reading, say the experts, is nonlinear: people seek out particular "notecards" about an organization, a product, or a service. - One person clicks the tab for price and availability of a product, whereas another clicks for more information about how to use the product in a specific situation. - This technique is called branching. - Michael Butzgy, owner of Atomic Rom Productions in Cary, North Carolina, explains in Communication World, "Branching allows you to send users in specific directions. The basic idea behind branching is to eliminate the need for viewers to scroll down a long linear document." - How short is "short"? Many experts say sentences should be fewer than 20 words long and a paragraph should have only two or three sentences. - An entire topic should be covered in two or three paragraphs, or about the length of one screen. - This approach recognizes the fact that people scan material and dislike scrolling to view other links to the topic. - According to Communication Briefings, another tip is to limit line length to fewer than 60 characters. - It further states, "Long text lines are hard to read and give your website a claustrophobic 'filled-up' look that discourages visitors from remaining." - All too often, websites violate many of these guidelines because public relations writers don't understand the medium and simply post printed materials to a webpage without making any changes. - At the very least, a public relations writer should edit articles, brochures, and handbooks into bite-sized chunks so the online reader isn't faced with constant scrolling. - One relatively simple approach is to give the reader an executive summary of the material—in one screen or less—and then provide a link to the entire document if it isn't too long. - The ideal approach, of course, is to convert the entire document to nonlinear style and make it more digestible through graphics and links. ex. A company's annual report, for example, would get virtually no readership on a webpage if it was a replica of the 36-page printed version. - However, news releases and media advisories posted to websites tend to be full-text files, because they are relatively short and reporters often download and save them for quick referral while they are working on a story.

Planning an Effective Website -

- The varieties of websites just described have one thing in common. - They are the virtual front door of an organization and form the visitor's first impression. - Depending on whether the door is solid, stately, colorful, or somewhat ramshackle, the visitor takes less than 10 seconds to make a decision about opening it or moving on to a more attractive "door." - For this reason, considerable attention is given to web design so a site can compete with the organization's competition and the thousands of other webpages that are readily accessible with the click of a mouse. - The idea is to create a website that is attractive, is easy to navigate, and offers information relevant to the site's purpose and audience. OBJECTIVES AND AUDIENCE - - In most cases, an organization wants a website to accomplish multiple objectives. - Marketing is the most common objective. - Indeed, the vast majority of websites in today's world are dedicated to e-commerce. - Websites with a strong marketing emphasis may have several main sections that feature information about the organization and its reputation for service and reliability, a list of product lines, technical support available to customers, instructions on how to order products or services, and details on the various services available. - The same site may also provide background information about the organization, inform the public about its community involvement and philanthropy, and enhance product identity and loyalty through brand journalism efforts such as features, photos, and videos. ex. The Coca-Cola and Red Bull websites are good examples. - A preliminary step before creating a website is to spend some time thinking about your potential audience and its particular needs. - It is one thing to decide what the organization wants to accomplish; it is quite another thing to place yourself in the minds of the audience and figure out how they will use your website. - Are they accessing your site to find a particular product? - Are they primarily investors who are looking for financial information? - Or are they looking for employment information? - Focus groups, personal interviews, and surveys often answer these questions and can help you design a user-friendly site. ex. The San Diego Convention Center (SDCC), for example, redesigned its website by forming a customer advisory board of 28 clients that used the facility. - Focus group research was conducted to find out what they wanted to see in an updated website. - According to PRWeek, "The Customer Advisory Board feedback enabled SDCC to jettison a great deal of the clutter that plagues many sites and focus on exactly what the target audience wanted. Gone were dense copy and hard-to-navigate pages, replaced by hot links to key portions of the site." SITE ORGANIZATION AND MENU - - The SDCC example makes the point that a good website should not be a virtual catalogue of multiple topics that just clutters up the site and makes it difficult to navigate. - In most cases, the axiom that less is best is a good guide. It also pays to research current trends in website design and conduct some audience research through advisory panels or focus groups to determine the needs of your primary audience. ex. Starbucks is a good example of today's trend toward home pages that have a minimum of words on a background of several vibrant colors. - At the top of the page, however, are six links to major subject areas: coffee, menu, coffee houses, responsibility, card, and shop. - By clicking on one of these subjects, you navigate to a new page with links to additional information about subtopics, or you can simply mouse over the subject text to see these topics appear in a list. - For example, under the "coffee" link is a list of all of Starbucks' coffees, as well as such subjects as "how to brew a perfect cup of coffee" and "ethical sourcing." - The "responsibility" tab, gives you a list of Starbuck community projects, its contribution to the environment, and the company's Global Responsibility Report. - Any one of the topics in Starbucks' pull-down (or "drop-down") lists can be accessed with a single click. The idea is that it takes only two clicks for a viewer to access any specific subject. Such easy navigation is the hallmark of a good website.

Providing Content for Online Newsrooms -

- The websites of most organizations, particularly the Fortune 500 companies, have a "newsroom" or "pressroom" to post the organization's news releases, videos, photos, and other background information. - A 2014 Business Wire survey of journalists confirmed that the online newsroom is the major destination for journalists after the organization's home page. - About 90 percent of journalists still find the traditional news release as the most desired type of content, but 60 percent also said they were also receptive to brand-written articles along with general news announcements in online newsrooms. - The Business Wire survey also found that journalists use online newsrooms to find late-breaking news when an organization is involved in a crisis or has made a significant announcement regarding its management or acquisition by another company. - They also use online newsrooms to get media contact information (80 percent), fact sheets (70 percent), photos and infographics (63 percent), and executive biographies (52 percent). - Journalists and bloggers who cover specific industries or companies often sign up for email alerts and RSS feeds because information is then automatically forwarded to them for their review. - It saves them the trouble of taking the time to do their own searches and access multiple websites. - Online newsrooms are particularly important when there's a crisis and a need to rapidly disseminate information to the media and other important publics, such as employees, investors, and members of the community. - A TEKgroup survey indicated that more than 90 percent of the journalists thought it was important to be able to access an online newsroom during a crisis. - There's the expectation, however, that the organization will provide up-to-date and relevant information throughout a crisis. - Indeed, one complaint about online newsrooms is that the information is not frequently updated. - A website that never changes, quips John Gerstner of IntranetInsider.com, is a "cobweb." - The online newsroom, in addition to distributors such as Business Wire, is now the major source of information for the media and the public. - According to NetMarketing, companies are sending out fewer media kits and getting fewer phone inquiries as a result of putting material on their websites. - As Rick Rudman, president of Capital Hill Software, told Public Relations Tactics, "The days of just posting press releases on your website are gone. Today, journalists, investors, all audiences expect to find media kits, photos, annual reports, and multimedia presentations about your organization at your press center."

Summary of Writing for the Web -

- Writing for a website requires nonlinear organization. Topics should be in an index-card format instead of a long, linear narrative. This allows viewers to click on the information most interesting to them. - Written material for the Web should be in short, digestible chunks. Enticing headlines and the use of visuals such as photos and video attract visitors. - Online newsrooms are an integral part of an organization's website. This is where the media and the public can find news releases, photos, background material, and features about the organization.

How to Advertise your Site -

- You may not have the budget for Super Bowl ads, but you should consider how to integrate online and offline advertising. At a minimum, include your website's URL in print and broadcast advertising. You can also do specialty advertising. If your site has an online newsroom, for example, you may wish to advertise this fact in various trade magazines and websites that cover the journalism profession. Several studies have shown that advertising in traditional media drives Web traffic. - Another form of advertising is to place your website's URL on the organization's stationery, business cards, brochures, newsletters, news releases, promotional items, and even special event signage. In addition, employees of an organization usually have a standard signature line on their email messages that includes telephone numbers as well as website addresses.

How to Use Hyperlinks -

- You should link your website to organizations or topics that have a direct or indirect interest in your organization or the industry. According to Dysart, "Some businesses, for example, exchange links with a few of their suppliers or trading partners. Others offer links to information directories, free map-making services, and the like." - Another approach is to piggyback, so to speak, on already well-established websites that continually come up first in any search using keywords related to your business. If the link is not a direct competitor, you should make an inquiry about exchanging hyperlinks for the benefit of both organizations. If your site has many links, it also increases your ranking on search engines, says Jan Zimmerman, author of Marketing on the Internet.

The Components of an Online Newsroom -

CONTACT INFORMATION : - The names, email addresses, and phone numbers of the primary public relations contacts for the organization should be listed and easy to find. The Center for Media Research surveyed journalists on the usefulness of company newsrooms, and 97 percent said contact information was very important. At the same time, the most frequent complaint of journalists is that such information is not included or is difficult to find. CORPORATE BACKGROUND : - The site should include a comprehensive company history, a basic fact sheet, executive profiles, and product descriptions. The tab "about us" should also be a fact sheet giving the location(s) of the organization, size, revenues, number of employees, and—in plain English—a brief description of what the organization makes or does. NEWS RELEASES AND MEDIA KITS : - News releases should be posted on a frequent basis and catalogued by the most recent ones at the top. Media kits should be posted in a similar way. In addition, it's important to have "printer friendly" versions or capability for the public and print publications. News releases available in HTML format are better for bloggers, who often cut and paste material. MULTI-MEDIA GALLARY : - You should provide executive photos, product photos, and infographics in both low (72 dpi) and high (300 dpi) resolutions to meet the needs of visitors to the site. Materials should be downloadable in JPEG or PDF format. VIDEO : - The newsroom should have B-roll, or raw footage, of factory floors, hospital staff at work, or other video showing the operations of the organization. One study found that 80 percent of bloggers and traditional media post video on their websites. EMBED CODES : - Media outlets want readers and viewers to watch video on their own websites. This means that if you want an outlet to use your video, offer embed codes. OPTIMIZE FOR MOBILE : - Journalists are constantly out of the office and use their smartphones to access websites while they are traveling, attending a trade show, or covering an event. Make sure your newsroom is mobile-enabled. SEARCH CAPABILITY : - Include a search component in your newsroom to allow journalists, consumers, investors, and other visitors to easily find information by topic or date. EXECUTIVE PROFILES : - Post bios of your executives and other organizational experts. Include video clips, speeches, and interviews so TV producers can determine whether they would have a good on-air presence. BRAND JOURNALISM : - Write interesting content about the organization and its products using a journalistic format. Feature stories are more attractive to the media than the standard news release. SHARE BUTTONS : - Make it easy for journalists and others to share your content on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other platforms.

The 10 Commandments for Writing Web Content -

Here are 10 general rules that you should keep in mind when writing text for the Web : - KEEP YOUR HEADLINES CLEAR AND ENTICING. Your headline needs to include the key message point as well as be clear, memorable, and concise. - GET TO THE POINT. Web users usually give a website 8 seconds to capture their attention. Don't write a meandering introduction; get to the point ASAP. - LINK TO RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Include links in your content. It helps readers to access more information on a particular subject and keeps them moving through your website. - KEEP PARAGRAPHS TO A FEW SHORT SENTENCES. Large blocks of copy overwhelm readers. Short paragraphs are easier to scan in a few seconds. - USE BULLET POINTS AND NUMBERED LISTS. People scan text instead of reading it. Bullets and lists make your copy easier to digest in a few seconds. - INCLUDE SUB-HEADS. They do the additional job of breaking up blocks of copy and highlighting key points. - USE RELEVANT KEY WORDS. Search engines index key words so make sure to use SEO (search engine optimization) techniques. Use words that consumers commonly use to find content on a particular topic. - WRITE LIKE YOU TALK. The Web is a conversational, less formal medium of sharing information than print. In other words, just write like you talk. - DOUBLE-CHECK EVERYTHING. Whatever you put online could be there or copied and saved by others forever. Double-check all your facts and ensure there are no typos. - ENCOURAGE FEEDBACK. The Web is all about encouraging interaction. Give readers a convenient way of providing feedback and comment.

Facts About the Internet and World -Wide Web -

Nevertheless, some 2014 stats provide a base point for understanding the extent of this continued growth, as Internet connectivity becomes—like electricity—less visible but increasingly essential to our daily lives : - There will be 3 billion users worldwide by 2016, more than 40 percent of the world's population. - The World Wide Web's top three languages are English with 800 million users, Chinese with 650 million, and Spanish with 222 million. The numbers of users continue to grow at a rapid rate, particularly for Chinese and Arabic speakers. - Almost 90 percent of American adults now access the World Wide Web on a regular basis. - More than 2.8 million emails are sent every second, and the average office worker now spends almost 13 hours a week on email. - Internet users send and receive more than 6 billion text messages every day. - Almost 50 million people spend an average of 4 hours a week watching video online. - Two million searches are done on Google every minute. - There are about 1 billion websites worldwide, but only about 200 million are considered "active." - There are about 76 million blogs worldwide. - Wikipedia, if made a book, would be 2.25 million pages. - Apple iTunes has a catalogue of 250,000 podcasts in 100 languages and 1 billion podcast subscribers worldwide. - More than 90 percent of journalists go to company websites to do research, and almost 80 percent regularly use corporate online newsrooms as a research tool.