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With an increasing number of people reading, writing, and commenting on blogs, the way we use the web is shifting in a fundamental way. Instead of being passive consumers of information, more and more Internet users are becoming active participants.

A weblog, or blog, is a personal journal on the web. Weblogs express as many different subjects and opinions as there are people writing them. Some blogs are highly influential and have enormous readership while others are primarily intended for a close circle of family and friends.

The blogging phenomenon

A few years ago, web search was revolutionized by a simple but profound idea — that the relevance of a site can be determined by the number of other sites that link to it, and thus consider it ‘important.’ In the world of blogs, hyperlinks are even more significant, since bloggers frequently link to and comment on other blogs, which creates the sense of timeliness and connectedness one would have in a conversation.

The power of weblogs is that they allow millions of people to easily publish their ideas, and millions more to comment on them. Blogs are a fluid, dynamic medium, more akin to a ‘conversation’ than to a library — which is how the Web has often been described in the past.

The benefits of blogging

Your favourite thing about having a blog may be that they naturally attract search engine traffic. Blogs already have optimized site architecture. Most are set up with a clear navigation, where every page is set up to link back to the other main pages. They also have the inherent potential to be well-linked.

Increasingly, savvy companies are turning to blogs to complement their communications arsenal of press releases, sustainability reports and investor conference calls. What’s more, some start-up companies are forgoing press releases altogether in favour of blogs.

For a business, blogs also:

• Build your profile as blogging demonstrates expertise
• Allows you to shares information with customers
• Informs people about other things your business is doing
• Generate powerful referral networks
• Creates an opportunity to network and share information with people from around the world
• Permits the kind of conversations that are necessary to truly connect with modern customers
• Creates an opportunity to build relationships with your customers
• Search engines are attuned to finding blogs

How to blog

Starting a blog is easy. Several companies, such wordpress.com offer free blogging tools.

You don’t need to a technical whiz, they are take care of everything. It does take a little time to do the initial set up but once you have done that all you need is the story ideas and away you go.

What you write is up to you, but try to spark discussion and share experiences, ideas and relevant information. To build traffic, read other blogs and comment so that it links back to your own blog.

Monitoring crisis situations through blogs

From a PR perspective it may be very important for you to see who is commenting on your business or your products. Certainly if you are managing a crisis situation you will need to monitor it, not only through the media, but now through blogs.

Tracking company, Technorati tracks the number of links, and the perceived relevance of blogs, as well as the real-time nature of blogging. Technorati automatically receives notification from weblogs as soon as they are updated, it can track the thousands of updates per hour that occur in the blogosphere, and monitor the communities (who’s linking to whom) underlying these conversations.

According to Technorati data, there are about 75,000 new blogs a day. Bloggers update their weblogs regularly; there are about 1.2 million posts daily, or about 50,000 blog updates an hour.

To search for comments in blogs, go to www.technorati.com and type your search terms

How to develop effective key messages

Key messages are the core message you want your target audiences to hear and remember. They create meaning and headline the issue.

Key messages allow you to control communications and enhance relationships with your target audiences.

Key messages are designed to work out what you really need to get across on the topic to the audiences. What are the critical messages that you want to communicate? They are what you must say and get across in the communication situation — irrespective of what questions the audience asks.

With your audience in mind and focused on your objectives, you should work out in advance of the communications situation what you must say on the topic concerned.

It is best not to have any more than seven messages on any one topic.

Key messages are commonly known as elevator statements or BBQ statements — what we want our target audiences to say when they are discussing the topic around a BBQ with their friends.

Criteria for Key Messages

• Be believable — support with evidence
• Be understood — reflect stakeholders understanding
• Be distinctive — clear competitive awareness
• Be agreed — company strategy
• Be credible — know your stuff
• Drive your agenda
• Avoid negativity
• Enhance positively
• Use the brand

How to write a media release

Developing and distributing a media release is one of the most effective ones of telling your story to the media. A media release can contain information such as the work your business is doing, a new product release, the signing of a new contract or commenting on industry issues and trends.

The main rule is that all releases have to be newsworthy. If a release isn’t newsworthy, then it simply won’t get picked up. What makes items newsworthy differs greatly from one publication to the next or even from one section to the next. News is something new, up-to-the minute and of interest to the readers. Following are some guidelines for good press releases:

• The lead paragraph is the most important and should provide a ‘hook’ for the journalist. It should contain who, what, when, where, why, and how.
• Write in the inverted pyramid style. After the lead paragraph, each remaining paragraph should be less important that the one preceding it. That way the editor can trim your release from the bottom.
• Write in short sentences, short paragraphs and use keep the information simple and to the point. Try to keep the release to one page.
• If you read an article in the paper, you will see they always include quotes. So you should give them the quotes to use. Attribute them to a particular person in the organisation and ensure they are newsworthy.
• A good press release has no typographical or grammatical errors.
• Head the release with “Media Release” and date it clearly.
• Use a catchy headline. Editors receive hundreds of releases a day and a good headline catches their eye and ensures they realise the contents quickly.
• At the end of the release add “For further information, contact. . . ” The contact details should include name, telephone number including an after hours number. The editor must have somebody to call to answer questions or to be interviewed.

Features of a PR campaign

Every business owner understands that developing an effective communication channel between their business and their customers is an essential element to the success of their business.

A PR program means to communicate with your target audience and it doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. You can choose from a variety of simple and inexpensive activities that will help you achieve your business objectives.

Some common features of a PR campaign can include:

The foundations

Key messages - Key messages are designed to ensure that the target audience hear and remember the most important aspects of your business. Key messages are, in essence, a description of your competitive advantage and are commonly known as elevator statements.

It is best to have no more than seven key messages. Once developed, they should be incorporated into all oral and written business communications.

Target audience - Knowing your target audience is one of the simplest ways to achieve your marketing communications goals and to save money.

When defining your audiences, really drill down to specifics. For example, rather than “all small businesses in the north shore area” it should be, “businesses employing up to 10 staff, located in the suburbs of Neutral Bay and Mosman etc, in the industry areas of marketing and business consulting etc”. Study the various segments of your particular market and develop strategies to reach each one.

Media program

Although developing a comprehensive media plan can be difficult, you can start with a few easy steps. Think about which media outlets your target audience gets their information from. Make a list of the media outlet and journalist and start reading/watching. A well-defined target media which reflects the target market and includes realistic activities will be more likely to succeed.

Media releases

The most important element about media releases is not so much the quantity of them, but the quality of the stories and ensuring they are written for target media. Media release topics can include the work your business is doing, issues and trends in your industry, launch of new product, new office opening or a new contract win.

Contributed articles and editorials

Many publications are stretched for resources and welcome contributed articles as long as they aren’t heavily branded. They are also a very effective generation of sales leads as they position your business as an industry expert.

Customer case studies

Case studies provide ideal opportunities to leverage business successes and reinforce your business’ key messages through “story telling”. They provide audiences, including journalists, an idea of how your business products actually work through the perspective of your customers.

Sponsorships

Targeted sponsorships are an excellent way of building brand awareness in key markets. It is recommended that any sponsorship is very targeted. Two of the most effective opportunities are sponsoring industry awards and conferences.

Advertising

Advertising can be one of the most effective ways of generating sales leads and building brand awareness. It also can be the most expensive! One way of avoiding dedicating huge budgets to advertising is using vertical market publications such as industry association and trade publications. In many of these publications, it is possible to negotiate free editorial if paying for an advertisement.

These are just a few of the many ways to improve the communication channels between your business and your customers using marketing communications. They will increase sales leads, improve brand awareness and ultimately lead to business success.

Key tips for managing a media interview

Answer plus one: To ensure you maintain control of the interview, don’t just answer the question. Your objective must always be to communicate your key messages. Use the questions as an opportunity to make your points. This is called ‘answer plus one’. In other words, answer the question then add one of your key messages or key issues outlined in your game plan.

Answer in your own time: The journalist is interested in what you have to say, so don’t get flustered if you can’t think of an answer immediately. Just take your time, collect your thoughts and take a deep breath before you answer.

Don’t be afraid of silence: Some journalists use it as a technique in the hope you will fill the silence with unplanned information. Silence can be powerful and there is no need to fill it.

The “no comment” rule: Don’t say “no comment” as it implies confirmation of the question. The audience will interpret it as guilt or a cover up. The rule of thumb for responding is to explain why you can’t respond and use one of your key messages. For example, “I can’t respond directly to that for legal reasons, however, what I can tell you is…”

However, never allow wrongful allegations to stand. If the journalist says something wrong, correct them immediately. Do not repeat the incorrect information or question. If you do, it will only reinforce it.

Don’t use jargon: Every industry has its own jargon. Remember who your target audience is and communicate in language they will understand. Also, don’t assume that the journalist is trained in your specific area of expertise, and as a result, they may not understand your jargon.

Use your customers as testimonials: Depending on the topic of the interview, it may be effective to use one of your valued customers to validate your key messages. You would have to ensure that they are comfortable speaking to the media. Often this is an effective way of illustrating your point and helps your audiences understand and identify with you.

Most importantly – have fun: The interview is a wonderful opportunity to promote your business, product or yourself. Take control, prepare and enjoy every moment.