Eric Yaverbaum, Robert Bly, Ilise Benun. Public Relations for Dummies, 2nd Edition

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Financial information

More and more publicly traded companies are making their financial data

available online. At a minimum, you should include

! Key current financial data for the year and by quarter (taken from

annual and quarterly reports)

! Historic financial information

An added bonus, especially for financial reports and stock analysts, is charts

backed up with Excel spreadsheets showing the financial history of the

company.

Increasingly, larger public companies are putting both their annual reports

and their proxy statements online. Be aware of how your print document

translates for the Web.

Product/service catalog

Customers and prospects come to your Web site for product information, so

there should already be plenty of it for journalists to reference. The product

information available to the media on your site should include the following:

! Product or service descriptions and specifications

! Up-to-date pricing and availability

! Mini product photos you can click on for larger views and more

information

Article/white paper library

The coverage you receive from major media helps establish credibility

with other media and makes them more comfortable in running your story.

Therefore, your Web site should give journalists access to press clippings

and other evidence of the major media coverage you’ve already received.

You should

! Include HTML or PDF color images of the covers of major magazines

where your company has been featured in a cover story.

! Provide links to these articles if they’re posted online at the publica-

tions’ Web sites.

! Provide links to the e-mail addresses of the authors of those articles.

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Trade show list

Journalists want to know where you’ll be and the industry events where

you’ll be speaking or exhibiting. Your Web site is an ideal place to post

! Shows that the company attends, promotes, or sponsors

! Links to releases associated with shows

! Links to specific trade show sites or sponsor sites

! An option to schedule a booth visit

Locations/facility information

In the cyberspace age, you can easily forget that people want you to have a

physical presence, not just megabytes of text and images on a server. Be sure

to include

! Maps to headquarters and major regional facilities, including sales

offices

! Links to an online map source (such as MapQuest [www.mapquest.com],

Yahoo! Maps [http://maps.yahoo.com], or Google Local [http://

maps.google.com]) for more detailed directions

! Site capabilities (what is manufactured there or major

activities/services)

! Number of employees at each facility

! Links to e-mail addresses of facility managers or key authorities for

each site

Avoiding “Speed Traps”

on Your Web Site

Nothing annoys Web browsers faster than s-l-o-w sites. Here are two sugges-

tions to keep your site easy and fast:

! Don’t use snazzy graphics that take too long to download. Keep your

users’ systems in mind — not everyone has a high-speed Internet con-

nection (although significantly more people do than did the first time I

wrote this book five years ago).

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! Don’t emphasize entertainment (animation, special effects, graphics)

over content (information), especially on business-to-business sites.

Keep in mind that most editors are too busy to waste time navigating poorly

designed sites. With reporters, having a well-designed site is even more cru-

cial. Come deadline time, an easily navigated Web site may mean the differ-

ence between being included in an article or excluded.

Ensuring Your Site Is User-Friendly

Do you know for a fact that the reporters and journalists you’re spending so

much time driving to your site can actually use it? Is your pressroom avail-

able from the home page or do reporters have to go searching to find it? And

what about when you’re featured in the media and customers and prospects

visit your site — can they find what they’re looking for? Or do your graphics

take so long to load that they don’t wait? Do you even know?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you should. These are all

questions of usability, a fancy term for making your Web site user-friendly.

You see, no matter how well written your press releases are, if your site is

confusing, illegible, or slow, people won’t find what you want them to find.

Media people won’t have the patience to search for your PR contact or wait

for your fancy graphics to load. And when you get press coverage that drives

customers and prospects to your site, if they can’t find what they’re looking

for, they won’t bother.

According to Lori Berman, Manager of Web Technologies and Services at

Boston-based Commonwealth Financial Network, outside of the design of

your site, you need to focus on:

! Navigation: Navigation is how a visitor finds his way around your site.

Navigation tools appear on your site in the form of tabs, buttons, or

links. Navigation can be placed anywhere but is generally found along

the top of the page or down the left side. Your navigation must be clear

and written in the “language” of the visitor, not your own. Although you

may think a common acronym is very clear, someone outside of your

field (yet still in your target market) may not know what it means. For

example, an insurance company with an expertise in variable life insur-

ance should spell out those words instead of using abbreviations like VL

or VUL for the navigation labels.

! Readability of text: How people read online materials is very different

from how they read print materials. Content on your site needs to be

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“readable,” which is a combination of how legible the words on the

screen are and how understandable the writing style of the content is.

Here’s what makes a site readable:

• Font types: The easiest to read online are Arial, Verdana, and

Tahoma — in fact, those fonts were designed for online reading.

• Font size: Present your content at a minimum of a 10-point font. If

your audience is mostly over age 65, consider a larger font size of

12 points.

• Color contrast: The contrast between the text color and its back-

ground is very important for legibility. Black text on a white back-

ground presents the highest contrast and is, therefore, most

desirable for reading ease.

! Scanability: When reading online, visitors will naturally scan until finding

what they’re looking for. PR writing is perfect for easy scanning. Write in

an inverted pyramid style, with the most important information in the

first sentence. Use titles and headlines, bold text to highlight main points,

and bulleted lists when applicable. Also, link important points to more

detailed information deeper in the site or somewhere on another site.

Another aid to scanning is to chunk your content into small pieces,

keeping sentences to less than 20 words and paragraphs to no more

than six sentences.

Because many languages are read from left to right (including English),

the upper-left corner of the page is prime real estate and English read-

ers’ eyes will fall there first. Our eyes are also drawn to larger or bolded

text, and links, which aid scanning efforts.

By applying some general usability principles to your Web site (and

other online communications), you significantly increase the chance

that a visitor to your site will find what she needs — easily! This helps

your image and saves you time. Nice benefits!

! Content: The content on your site does not necessarily have to be origi-

nal; it just needs to be viewed as useful by those who visit it. Keep the

information fresh and up-to-date. Visitors to the site should know that

there is a person who is devoting time to it, caring about what is being

provided on it, and making changes and updates. However, you have to

make sure that the information that you are providing, in addition to

being useful, is well organized. One of the biggest hurdles with providing

information online is that there is so much of it available. Don’t over-

whelm those using your site.

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Understanding the Three Cs of E-Success

Internet specialists talk about the three Cs of e-business: commerce, content,

and community. It’s important to take this business model into account when

creating your site. Understanding these concepts and then implementing

them into your strategy will help to ensure your success.

The first C, commerce, refers to the Web site’s ability to permit the consumer

to buy online. Without e-commerce, an e-mail can only generate online leads

or offline purchases; you cannot have true one-step mail order on the

Internet.

The second C, content, refers to the information and services available on

the Web site. Web sites that display only product information are not as inter-

esting to Internet users as Web sites that offer useful information and tools.

(An example of a tool is a page I saw on a health Web site. After you enter

your height, it displays your ideal weight.) The better your content, the more

users will favor your site.

The interactivity and graphic nature of the Internet may, on the surface, make

it attractive as a marketing tool. But Web surfers are drawn by content, not

graphics. Animation and Day-Glo colors may make a Web site lively and invit-

ing, but content-rich sites are what attract browsers and keep them long

enough to become buyers.

Are you tuning in to the term content? What people used to call editorial is

now “content.” On the Web, much of the content is created not by profes-

sional publishers or writers, but by users, buyers, and consumers — people

sharing and talking with each other, rather than a publisher deciding and

controlling what they read. (This is a precursor to the current blogging craze,

which you can read much more about in Chapter 17.)

The third C, community, refers to the relationship that users have with the

Web site and each other. It’s the online equivalent of a neighborhood book-

store, café, or coffee shop. Web surfers begin to feel your site is a good place

to go and spend time, especially with other visitors. People who study Web

world more than I do say there are three communities out there:

! Internet communities that serve as a marketing and advertising tool

! Extranet communities designed to strengthen relationships with trade

partners or customers

! Intranet communities that facilitate knowledge sharing within an

organization

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Chat rooms and forums can help build this sense of community. When you see

people in postings talking not just to the person who originally posted the

message, but also by name to each other — as they argue a point or share

opinions — you know you’re on a site with a strong sense of community.

Remember to measure Web surfer activity. Those who visit and buy know

you better than those who visit sporadically or never buy. Factors you can

measure include hits (visits to the Web site), page views (the specific pages

visitors click to), duration (amount of time spent on site), and conversions

(number of click-through visitors who make a purchase).

You can track traffic by time of day, day of week, and day of year. Use this

data in network planning to ensure sufficient bandwidth to handle peak peri-

ods. Remember what happened to Internet toy retailers when they got more

Christmas orders one year than they could handle? Customers were irate,

and the share prices of those dot-com companies plummeted.

Designing a Sticky Web Site

A sticky Web site is one that people want to linger on, spend time with, and

revisit frequently. The stickier the site, the more business it will generate (if

it’s an e-commerce site and not just an advertising site consisting of product

literature posted on Web pages).

If you have the first C, commerce, taken care of, you’ll increase your sticki-

ness and sales by strengthening the other two Cs, content and community. If

the content is relevant and interesting, people will use your site more — and

buy more. If the site has a real sense of community, they’ll visit often to see

what’s happening.

National Geographic increased e-commerce by surveying its gift shop to

determine the most popular item. It turned out to be greeting cards. As a

result, its next e-campaign featured a set of wild animal cards, with four cards

displayed per page. An e-mail encouraged prospects to click onto the site to

view the sample cards. The prospect could then choose to e-mail electronic

versions of any card to a friend. People liked what they saw, and the opt-out

rate to the e-mail was less than 0.04 percent. The click-through rate was

32 percent, and the campaign added 25,000 new names to the National

Geographic e-list within three weeks.

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Brainstorming More Ways

to Make a Profit Online

Here are your marching orders to put the Web to work promoting your

business:

! You must have a Web site. There’s no way around this today. You need

a site if only for added credibility. But it also enhances customer serv-

ice and sales. In a recent study conducted by Thomas Register and Visa

USA, 30 percent of businesses said their primary reasons for moving to

e-commerce were speed and convenience. In addition, the survey respon-

dents indicated by a margin of two to one that they would give prefer-

ence to a supplier who could accept online purchasing transactions.

A Web site establishes instant credibility. It provides anytime access to

you and the information about your services, making life easier for you

and your prospects.

! You must give people a reason to visit your site. Internic, the governing

body that controls Internet domain names, reports that there are more

than 1.5 million Internet sites. So why in the world should anyone take

the time to see yours? If you have your picture, your brochure, or a cute

saying, who cares? People care only about themselves. If you don’t give

them an appealing reason to zip over to your site, why complain if they

don’t visit it?

! You must give people options to buy. If you don’t list your products and

services at your site, with different ways to make purchases, you will

miss sales. Remember that some people are still extremely nervous

about buying anything online. Give them both online and offline options

to buy, including a toll-free phone number, street address, and fax

number.

! You must constantly change your site. You may get people to visit your

site once, but how will you get them to return? Make sure to continually

add new content. That’s what keeps them coming back again and again.

So, present special offers, news, and additional products to buy.

! Use your sig file to promote your Web site. Your sig file is that four- to

eight-line paragraph at the end of every one of your e-mail messages.

The Internet allows you to promote yourself in your signature (or sig for

short). It’s your opportunity to list your Web address and give people a

reason to visit it.

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Because your e-mail messages travel the Internet, get seen by potentially

thousands of people, and are usually archived at giant databases like

www.dejanews.com where they can be retrieved, you never know who

will see one of your messages or when. If your sig file has your Web

address in it, you just promoted your Web site.

! Print your Web address on everything. Every ad you run, commercial

you air, business card you hand out, catalog you mail, and press kit and

brochure you distribute should contain your Web address. Use the

offline world to promote your online presence.

! Participate in online discussion groups. Join e-mail discussion groups

where your target prospects gather. Do a search at www.liszt.com to

find the groups for you. Hang out at the site to get a feel for the nature of

the group, and then post relevant responses to the list. As you do, you’ll

be promoting yourself and your business. And if your sig has your Web

address in it, every time you post a message, you’ll be promoting your

Web site in a perfectly acceptable manner in conformance with Internet

etiquette. You’d be surprised at how many journalists sit in on or moni-

tor discussion groups dealing with their area of coverage.

! Cross-promote yourself in partnership with related Web sites. Offline,

we call it networking and co-op marketing. You can do the same thing

online. Find Web sites that serve the same market you do and join forces

with them. Maybe advertise on their site. Maybe exchange links. Create

online allies to help you make money online.

! Always give your Web address in media interviews. Whenever you’re

speaking to the press, but especially in broadcast media, tell listeners

they can get more information on your topic at your Web site, and give

the Web address (technically called a URL). Some media have policies

limiting “plugs” and the mention of toll-free numbers, but right now, no

one stops you from mentioning your Web site. I guess because the Web

is perceived as an information medium and toll-free numbers are per-

ceived as marketing devices, the media have fewer qualms about airing

Web information. Take advantage of this policy now by always mention-

ing your Web address.

! Experiment. The Internet as a vehicle for commerce is relatively new.

Most of us are applying everything we have ever learned about market-

ing to this new medium. We have to think out of the box, stretch our

minds, and create new ways of doing business online. We have to be will-

ing to take risks and try new ideas. Some of this may cost money. Or

time. But as Flip Wilson said, “You can’t expect to hit the jackpot if you

don’t put a few nickels in the machine.”

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Driving Traffic to Your Web Site

Successful Web site owners report that they spend 70 percent of their mar-

keting budget on media outside the Web to direct prospective customers to

their sites. Here are a few techniques you can use to boost your site traffic:

! Put your Web address on all promotions — direct mail, catalogs, card

decks, fax marketing, space advertising, press releases, invoices, and

renewals.

! Use search engines. Write a short, compelling title and description tags

for each page. Focus on one keyword phrase and use this phrase in page

description tags, headlines, body copy, and alt tags. The keyword makes

it more likely that someone doing an Internet search on the subject will

be directed to your page.

! Encourage prospects to register with you to build your e-mail data-

base. Offer a resource and document center, free demos, catalogs, sam-

ples, a drawing, or a free e-mail newsletter subscription. One of my

firm’s clients, Internet herb and vitamin marketer AllHerbs.com, sends

out a regular e-mail newsletter to its database of 700,000 members. The

e-mail newsletter — which generates a response rate of 30 percent — is

a mishmash of useful information about herbs, useful facts, and special

offers. For instance, AllHerbs.com’s Valentine’s Day offer was free, all-

natural chocolates with any purchase of $40 or more.

! Consider testing banner ads. Try offering some of your content in

exchange for a free banner ad. But test cautiously. Banner ads have been

steadily declining in effectiveness, with click-through rates averaging

only half a percent.

! Send out press releases promoting your new site and the information

it contains. These press releases can focus on content (free information

visitors can get on the site), community (online forums and discussion

groups), or commerce (breadth of product line or special offers).

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Just the FAQs

Add a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page

to your Web site. This section is a page listing,

in question-and-answer format, of the most

commonly asked questions and a brief answer

to each. The benefit? You’ll get fewer e-mails

asking you the same basic questions if you have

this information instantly available online. A FAQ

page saves you time, keeps your customers

happy, and increases your sales.

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! Link your site to other sites. Set a goal of submitting a certain number

of link requests per week. Search on your keywords to identify the rele-

vant sites to which you want to link and then submit to those. Consider

associations, magazines, consultants, and complementary sites.

! Build strategic partnerships and alliances. List your products on

another company’s site in exchange for a small royalty on any sales.

For example, a site selling gourmet pancake batter can list another

site’s maple syrup. Consider submitting articles for an e-mail news-

letter in exchange for a Web link and additional promotion.

! Make it sticky (refer to the “Designing a Sticky Web Site” section, ear-

lier in this chapter). Offer your prospects a reason to keep coming back.

Good content, free resources and tools, contests, and drawings work

well.

• If people aren’t flocking to your Web site, do a little offline (paper)

promotion. Example: Print postcards introducing your Web site

and send them out to everyone on your mailing list.

• Internet direct mail is a powerful tool for driving people to your

Web site. You can also use e-newsletters or e-zines.

! Include your Web address on letters after the signature line.

! Develop a bookmark with your Web address on it and mail it with ful-

fillment of your products.

! Offer a weekly update of some sort to keep people coming back. Write

an e-mail newsletter you can push to your prospects to remind them

about your Web site.

Making sure search engines

can find your Web site

The search engines you should focus on are Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.

Yahoo! is a human-powered search directory, and if you want your site to be

found by this type of search engine, you must submit the Web address and a

description of the site to them. Sometimes, there is a fee for this or a fee can

be paid if you want it done sooner rather than later.

Search engines try to make searching easy for their users and to provide

exactly what the searcher is looking for. In order to create a site that’s easy

for search engines to find, you should focus on on-page considerations and

off-page considerations.

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