Too often, PR professionals focus on media relations, speaking engagements, white papers, bylined articles and other reputation-building efforts, without fully incorporating the Website into the public relations program.
It is certainly okay to have PR professionals and Web professionals focus on their respective areas of expertise. But they do not work as a team, the missed opportunities will be too great to overlook
Harry Bartlett, of Bartlett Interactive in Concord, MA puts it this way, "PR can generate high-quality links to your Website that will boost your position in Google searches."
Adds this greater Boston Web design and marketing expert, "I emphasize quality over quantity. Ten articles with links to your URL appearing in online media such as Forbes.com, Bloomberg.com and CNBC will generate more traffic than 100 paid links in what I call black hole sites and dubious directories."
Your Website is the front door to your organization. You let customers in, but your Website has to welcome journalists too. A few questions to ask: Are you making it easy for reporters and editors to find latest news about your company on your Website? Is the PR and IR contact information easy to find? If a reporter is on deadline, could he or she quickly find the biographies of senior managers to include their background in a news article and confirm the spelling of names? Would a journalist visiting your Website come away thinking that at least one or two people in the organization are "thought leaders" who could discuss broad industry-wide issues?
Since 1998 Bartlett's firm has developed and enhanced hundreds of Websites for a wide range of industries including clean tech, bio-pharma, software and non-profits. "Keeping the Website fresh is a challenge," says Bartlett adding, "A regularly updated dynamic Website with content that is both interesting and current will generate visitors and encourage journalists to check out your organization for article ideas. Managers always promise to update the Website in-house but get waylaid by other responsibilities. Too often the person charged with the responsibility has to go through a cumbersome process to get new information posted. The key is to develop and fund a mechanism for regular updates. If need be, use outside specialists to get the job done."
Online Newsrooms
To keep the company's face in front of the media, some companies, such as Intel, have turned to stand-alone Websites (blogs) that function as online newsrooms, offering the kind of information journalists want. Check out the Intel Newsroom.
Making your Website interactive or offering something of value -- such as current financial data or research on timely topics – keep people coming back. For example, Fast Company created a Word Cloud for the State of the Union Address and compared the words the President used this time with his previous address as well as the words US Rep. Michelle Bachmann used in her rebuttal. Visit bit.ly/fvIKBi
Bartlett Interactive developed an online eValuator to keep people coming back. The eValuator is self guided and assesses the effectiveness and health of any website using a range of indicators -- search engine rankings, technical issues, marketing components and the inclusion of analytics to name a few.
Give the Bartlett eValuator a try at: http://www.bartlettinteractive.com/evaluator/site/
If you are disappointed with your results, Bartlett offers seven ways to boost your Website's impact and visibility; many of them rely on integrating the management of your PR program with the management of your Website.
1. Use paid syndication services to distribute news releases and be sure to include the URL of your organization high in the release. The leading services are PRWeb, PR Newswire, Business Wire, and Send2Press. Each service offers special plans and can tailor releases to specific geographic regions. Numerous add-on services such as inclusion of photos, Twitter feeds and PRNewswire's ProfNet boost effectiveness.
2. Participate in Social Media -- Create a blog and keep it fresh with valuable content. Include a link to the blog on your Website to cross-reference the entries. If the CEO cannot do this, get the PR Director or agency involved. It does not take long for a skilled PR writer to capture and write in your CEO's "voice."
3. Establish one or two people within your organization as authorities on subjects relevant to your mission or industry. Produce white papers, commentary and op-ed pieces on current issues. Have your PR department scour the Web for opportunities to comment in other respected blogs with expert comment and opinion to generate links back to your organization’s Website.
4. Embed video in your communication whenever possible. Video increases the number of viewers and the number of times the viewers will take the action you desire by 50%.
5. Send regular email blasts to stakeholders with links to your Website and include video in your email communication to enhance impact.
6. Reinforce all news releases on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
7. Include an RSS FEED. An RSS or "Really Simple Syndication" feed is an excellent way to share news and content from your site with others, extends the reach of your content and increases Internet visibility.
Some of the more technical ways to enhance your Website are to include an XML Sitemap, up-to-date analytics and indexed pages, says Bartlett.
No matter what you do technically though, remember your information has to be compelling, interesting, current and relevant. In a nutshell, says Bartlett, "Content is king."
Harry Bartlett and his team of Interactive media experts can be reached at:
Bartlett Interactive Communications, 152 Commonwealth Avenue, #5, West Concord, MA 01742 USA 1 (978) 369-2472. www.bartlettllc.com
