It was every PR practitioner’s nightmare and further evidence of the fact that we as marketers are the most out of control and the most in control we have ever been. Editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine and author of the book The Long Tail, Chris Anderson listed the email addresses of 350 names he has blacklisted from his email inbox on his very public and popular blog, thelongtail.com. The 350 offenders had allegedly sent Anderson irrelevant PR “pitches” one too many times. To the mortification of many public relations people who were on that list (with their company name in the email address), it served to show no one is safe from the fire hose, not even the people you hire to protect you from the fire (or to start it) depending on your needs. Anderson’s public protest sends the message that you must choose wisely when picking a PR firm to represent you, and it is essential you select one that knows the rules of the game and how to create compelling messaging directed at the right audience. The fact that mass distribution outlets for information exist these days is no excuse to spam irrelevant information in the hopes it randomly catches a reporter’s attention.

Increasingly, companies are searching for ways to reach specific niches online and capture customer their information. There are many low-cost tactics companies can do right away to improve their visibility and ensure regular communication with potential customers. Anyone on the first page of Google is your competition, so first identify what terms your customers are using to search for products and services like yours and which online outlets your customers visit for information.

Amy Selbach, Business Development Director for Zenzi, a San Diego based PR and marketing firm offers the following tips:

Make a list of search terms you think consumers may be using to find you online.
Use WordTracker.com and Overture.com to indicate key search terms for your business and include those search terms in your press releases and web content.

Create videos and podcasts and host them behind a registration page. I.e. if you are a tax specialist, offer a tax seminar on the SBA’s Web site or a hyperlink to your site where prospects can download in exchange for their contact information which you can pass off to sales teams.

Use customers to do your marketing for you.

Use sites like stumbleupon.com and del.icio.us.com, which allow members of the community to give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on sites submitted. The more approval votes a site receives, the more it is forwarded to other members of the community who have expressed interest in that type of content.

Establish relationships with key bloggers and Web sites that cover your subject matter. Keep pitching them but also comment on their pages with your product name incorporating key words for your service or product.

Include hotlinks to special landing pages in the first paragraph of your press releases or newsletters rather than your general URL so that you can track where leads are coming from.

No company can go through its existence without being in involved in some sort of a crisis. However, a single incident can destroy years of strong customer and shareholder relations. Competitors will also take full advantage of the situation. While it’s tough to predict when a crisis might occur, it is critical to plan for one in advance. Companies that incorporate effective crisis communications strategies into their disaster recovery plans have a greater chance of mitigating negative media and public perceptions and enhancing their long-term credibility. Tips for designing an effective crisis communication plan:

Determine in advance who needs to be involved:
The plan should include two spokespeople and two assistants to handle media issues, which will ensure at least one person is always available. The plan should enable the team to quickly and systematically increase the number of key people involved in case the crisis should escalate.
 

Many of today’s top business leaders are successful at getting media coverage simply by stating their opinions of the market.  They talk at length with reporters about industry trends and make predictions about what the future might hold, but they never pitch their new product or company specifically.

It’s a Subtle PR Ploy:
The fact is, these executives are promoting their companies, just in a very subtle manner.  Positioning a company as a thought leader can enhance credibility and establish a reputation as an industry expert.

Like the seasons, product announcements can move in like a lion or out like a lamb. Some bound out of thin air, leaving marketers and PR pros with little time to prepare; others trudge on and on, extending the deadline for weeks on end. How can you prevent a sneak attack and ensure that you are ready for the next major product announcement? Here are some tips to make sure your kickoff kicks butt.

Staying ahead of the Curve:
Timing is the hardest, yet most critical part. With long publication lead times, it is easy to underestimate the amount of time needed to make a splash. Executives in your organization may have no idea, and it’s your job to tell them, that some magazines require as much as six months advance notice. With three months for monthlies, two for bi-monthlies and one for weeklies plus the time it take to get information ready and build relationships with reporters, the more time, the better.