By Glenna Musante

Glenna Musante, "The Practical Muse"

PR is not what it used to be. Back in the day – as in a mere two years ago -  public relations was a part of the marketing mix that had as it’s clear, singular focus convincing editors, writers, reporters and producers of  traditional media outlets to run a story about your product or your company.  The process was simple and straight forward. That is no longer the case.

With newspapers dwindling in size, TV stations cutting back on local programming,  and blogs, Internet media outlets and social networking sites popping up daily, the news outlet mix — and the process for successfully reaching your audience through PR — has changed dramatically.

Here’s a metaphor a client recently shared with me to describe this phenomenon. Think of old PR, he said, as the girl next door wearing a pony tail – approachable and reasonably easy to understand.  In contrast, think of New Media PR as a cross between Medusa and Lady Gaga on a bad hair day – confusing and even a bit scary.

But PR tied to new media and SEO need not be confusing or unapproachable, or turn you into a pillar of salt (translated – confused into a state of inaction).

Now that some of the conceptual dust is settling, new cost effective systems for integrating traditional PR with the Internet are emerging.

Here are a few easy initial steps you can take on your own to begin weaving New Media and SEO into your PR and marketing programs:

• If you do not have Facebook, LInkedin or Twitter accounts for your business, sign up now.  Facebook, for example, is free, easy to set up, takes mere minutes each week to maintain and visitors will automatically see any updates you post to your Facebook wall.Facebook is a great venue for telling clients and customers about your awards, sales and specials. You can post press releases, as well as links to your website. One tip to keep in mind:  keep your PR and marketing messages brief and pithy.  One note of caution: Visitors have the power to post comments on your wall, but you will get an email if they do. For more, go to: https://www.facebook.com/
• Like Facebook, Linkedin is free, easy to set up and has become an essential business networking tool. To some people, if you are not listed on Linked In, you do not exist. Linkedin offers quick free links to your website and blog and has a section where you can store public files, such as press releases. For more, go to: www.linkedin.com
• Twitter is also free and the 25 to 40 demographic uses it regularly. Twitter announcements (called Tweets) such as customer specials and quick PR announcements can also help increase your SEO rankings. To sign up, go to: www.twitter.com
• 2. Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, is now a mandatory marketing tool.  SEO includes a constellation of techniques designed to make sure your company’s name gets listed in the top ten on page one of a Google (or other search engine) search. You can easily increase your SEO rankings by regularly posting videos and news releases to public Internet sites. Note of caution: A good SEO program does require some time. My recommendation? Hire an intern. A good how-to resource to read if you are a beginning SEO’er is: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization.
• Consider investing in Google Ad Words to support and add power to your SEO PR program. Ad words are tied to specific search terms that you choose, and can be very inexpensive. For more information, go to www.adwords.com.
• Use video. Buy an inexpensive Flip recorder, record your press releases, sales announcements, and seasonal greetings and post on free sites such as You Tube or Vimeo in addition to your website and Facebook. Note of caution: write a script first, keep it short and practice before you post. To create free accounts go to: www.youtube.com and www.vimeo.com . All of the techniques above should be designed to drive traffic to your website, so make sure your primary website is updated, copy-edited, inviting and ready to receive guests

Glenna Musante is an award-winning publicist and the founder of Nouvelle LLC, a strategic marketing communications firm.  She is the former Director of PR and Investor Relations for MSA and is a former staff writer for the Raleigh News & Observer. Her website is www.nouvellePR.com and she can be reached at gmusante@nouvellePR.com, Glenna@musantecommunications.com.

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Tags: Five easy, Glenna Musante, inexpensive ways to add SEO & new media to your PR mix, Internet/New Media, Marketing