Posted on May 06, 2013
At Clearpoint Agency we think daily about writing press releases that not only convey the news, but communicate what our clients and products are all about. The press release is critical to the entire PR program because it serves as the hub for so many forms of communications – emails to clients, social media, blog topics, website content and more.
Here are 10 tips we recommend if you want to write and distribute press releases that are exceptional!
1. Write a clear and compelling headline – no more than 22 words
Always put the company or product name in the headline. If you are using a newswire service (which we recommend you do – see tip #9) they will require that you identify the company or brand in the headline as well.
Make the headline interesting – search the web for ideas on how others have announced a new client, product or version. Use your research to make your headline straightforward and interesting to your target audiences.
2. Optimize your headline
Search engines rely heavily on page titles when determining rankings. Your press release’s headline is probably the single most important factor in press release optimization. Search engines don’t understand a play on words, so your headline should be straightforward and use the same language someone would use to search. Make sure you include your most important keywords/phrases. To be indexed in Google News, your headline should be between 2 and 22 words. Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) often limit titles displayed to about 67 characters, so your most important news should be in the first 67 letters and spaces of your headline.
3. Don’t forget a subheadline
The subheadline is another opportunity for you to tell the audience how important your news is or highlight benefits to key audiences. Just try not to repeat words from the headline or communicate the same exact concept in the subheadline. Give it some thought.
The subheadline can also help with SEO. While the subheadline will not be included in the title tag and therefore has a less significant role in press release SEO, its early placement in the body of the release makes it a great place to incorporate additional keywords not included in your (less than 22-word) headline.
4. The lead is important
When writing the lead paragraph remember the inverted pyramid, which calls for most of the facts of a press release be contained at the beginning. The lead paragraph succinctly includes the who, what, when, where and how of the story. If the reader were only to read the lead of a good press release, they would have a clear idea of your news. You can expound on the details in subsequent paragraphs of the press release.
5. Link early in your release
Hyperlinks are critical to SEO and press release optimization. Links help search engines associate the content of a release to other sites, which helps the release’s ranking. As with using keywords, linking is most effective in the first few paragraphs, where search engine spiders focus the most.
6. Avoid clichés like the plague (pun intended)
Basically a cliché is something that has become too familiar, overly used or commonplace. The use of common expressions instead of more creative, compelling phrases to communicate an idea is the true mark of an amateur writer.
7. Don’t use weak quotes
Really no quote should start with “We are so (fill in the blank with pleased, excited, honored, etc.) Get creative and maximize the power of the quote. Use quotes to inject opinion and color into the press release. Include a benefit statement or address the pain that the audience is experiencing and how the news solves the challenge. Quotes are valuable real estate – don’t waste the opportunity. You don’t want the CEO or other executives to seem as if they are going on and on. Keep it tight and conversational. Also, here’s your chance to be promotional and insert some of the company’s key messages and/or services.
8. Add rich media to your releases
Readers love to see links to videos and images so they can learn more about your company and product. Google and the other major search engines love content with rich media (images, video and audio) too. Optimize your images by ensuring they have clear file names that describe the image and even incorporate a keyword (“ProductName.jpg” rather than a file name “Image_1234_v1.jpg”). Include a descriptive caption for any multimedia asset you distribute. Don’t forget to include your logo with your release (some wire services charge extra for this), as it is the image most likely to come up if someone searches directly for your brand name.
9. Use a newswire service if you can afford it
The newswire service will distribute your news to third-party sites, which is very good for SEO, and typically distributes to news rooms and bloggers across the country (depending on the wire and circuits you choose). And an added bonus: the editors at the newswires who review the press releases before they are distributed over the wire are typically very good at catching mistakes and typos!
Also email your press release to key media contacts along with a CUSTOM pitch that tells them why the news is so important. Don’t “spam” editors, journalist and bloggers with emails that start with “Dear editor.” Instead personalize your note to them and offer a little information they might not get from the press release alone. Here’s another hint: read a few of the journalists’ articles before you contact them to be sure they would even be interested in the topic of your announcement.
Email the press release to your staff, customers, partners and investors. It’s astounding how often we think of getting news out to complete strangers before the people who care the most about the news.
10. Hire a PR firm if you don’t have the capability – it’s worth it!
If you are uncertain of your press release writing capabilities or simply unsure what the news angle should be (that’s a hint that it should contain an angle) then hire a PR firm to assist. The good firms will ask you a lot of questions, and do their homework before they start developing press releases for you. And it’s worth it. PR is more than a press release or getting pickup of your announcements – it’s a long term strategy that will raise your visibility and strengthen your credibility, with the press release as the core.
This post was contributed by Bonnie Shaw, Clearpoint Agency President
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Posted on April 19, 2013
Every year since 1970, we celebrate Earth Day on April 22. On this day many events are held all over the world to acknowledge and demonstrate support for environmental protection. In fact, some regions celebrate Earth Week where various activities create awareness of environmental issues and solutions.
At Clearpoint we care deeply about the environment, not only on Earth Day, but all year long! Here are 10 ways you can join us and work to keep the earth green.
1. Follow the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) – a national organization that works to be the earth’s best defense. This non-profit collaborates with businesses, elected leaders, and community groups on the biggest issues our environment faces today. Check them out to see how you can get involved.
2. Consider team building outings such as beach cleanups or lagoon/lake restoration projects that need volunteers. Every year since 2008 we have participated in a Kayak Cleanup Day, an annual volunteer activity at the Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad where we support wetland preservation by cleaning the lagoon from harmful trash.
3. Contribute to national and local non-profits and projects that are working to keep our environment clean. Our support for protected waterways doesn’t end with kayak cleanups. We have also donated time and PR services to the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy located in Encinitas.
4. Go green at the office too! We strive to have an eco-friendly office. From recycling to purchasing green office supplies, we want to make sure we use our purchasing power to contribute to environmental protection.
5. Turn off your computer for the night. This will help you save more energy versus putting it on sleep mode.
6. Opt for energy-efficient lighting like fluorescent or LED bulbs. Also, don’t forget to turn off the lights when you are not in your office, even if you go to a quick meeting. It’s the little things that matter.
7. Here comes a big one – use paper sparingly. How many times do you print hard copies of documents you need to recycle later? Think twice, and if you don’t need to really print it, access the document from an electronic device.
8. Consider incorporating a work-from-home day. It is good for the environment and it will save you time and money too.
9. If you’re ready to upgrade your technology and invest in new electronic products, see how you can recycle your old ones. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can help you find various options to donate or recycle electronics.
10. For information on various activities around the globe and how to get involved, visit the Earth Day Network.
What are you doing in honor of Earth Day or Earth Week? Leave a comment and let us know. We would love to hear from you.
This post was contributed by Antonia Genov, Account Coordinator at Clearpoint Agency
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Posted on March 26, 2013
As PR professionals, we care a lot about our clients’ image and reputation. An easy way to find out how a brand is perceived is sending out surveys and asking for feedback. You may get responses you’ve already anticipated, but you are very likely to uncover some interesting findings. So we asked a friend of Clearpoint Agency’s, Alex Genov, PhD, and lead user researcher at a software company in San Diego for some tips on creating highly effective surveys. He applies his psychology background and vast experience in research, design, and innovation and offers some valuable advice.
Surveys or questionnaires are one way of getting people to tell us about their internal states like motivations, feelings, attitudes, aspirations, and so on. If you think that it is easy to put together a good survey, think again. There are many aspects to rigorous survey design that require a solid background in research methodology and years of experience. Among those aspects are:
- Purpose of survey
- Type of questions (open-ended, rating scales, etc.)
- Number of scale points
- Labeling of scale points
- Length of survey
- Branching logic
- DIY survey tools
Aside from these factors, there are many key DO’s and DONT’s when it comes to creating a general-purpose survey. Here are 10 tips to consider when you create your next survey.
1. Always start the survey-creation process with a clear purpose in mind
What are the actions you hope to result from the survey? The goal can be to find what segments exist among your customers so you can create relevant messaging. Or it can be to find out how satisfied your customers are with your products and services so you can improve their level of satisfaction.
2. At any cost avoid leading questions which get you answers you are looking for
For example, “This product is easy to use, isn’t it?” or “Don’t you love these product features?” Surveys are best used to find out new information or to confirm a hypothesis in an objective and dispassionate way.
3. Minimize the number of open-ended text questions
Although these are good for uncovering interesting qualitative insights, they will provide you with large amounts of unstructured data. That is, after the survey is done someone has to go through all the verbatim and do manual coding to quantify the data and detect patterns. More often than not, such data remains completely unused.
4. Use structured questions when you know all possible answer choices
For example, if you want to find out how often people do certain physical activities use self-report questions like: “About how often do you participate in the following activities?”, present a list of physical activities, and let people pick one of the following options: (1) About once a year; (2) 4-6 times a year; (3) About once a month; (4) 2-3 times a month; (5) About once a week; (6) 3-4 times a week; (7) About once a day.
5. In some cases include an “Other” answer choice as a last option
Use this answer choice in conjunction with an open text field to collect information on answers you never thought of. In this case, you will be faced with the unstructured data challenge outlined in #3 above.
6. Use a 7-point Likert scale to measure attitudes, motivations, preferences, etc.
It is best practice to use the following questions phrasing and answers format: “Indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following …” Then provide the attitude statement, for example “I like ice cream” and the answer choices in the format of a scale: (1) Strongly Disagree (2) Disagree (3) Somewhat Disagree; (4) Neither Agree nor Disagree; (5) Somewhat Agree; (6) Agree; (7) Strongly Agree.
7. A few pointers about formatting Likert-type scales
Always have the middle point be neutral. The more points you have, the higher fidelity analyses you can do – 3 is too little, 11 is too many, 7 is a good balance. Make sure that during the analysis stage all negative end-points are coded as 1 (for example all “strongly disagree”, “not at all likely”, etc. should correspond to 1; you do not have to label all points on the scale – it is ok to have a scale like (1) Strongly Disagree (2) … (3) … (4) Neither Agree nor Disagree (5) … (6) … (7) Strongly Agree.
8. Make sure that your survey is not too long
A survey that takes participants more than 20 minutes to complete is too long and will result in a dismal completion rate. The standard “cold email” survey response rate is about 2%. Providing material incentives for completing the survey will naturally improve the response rate.
9. More complex surveys involve branching logic
This means that some questions or sections of the survey are visible only to some of the participants depending on their prior answer choices.
10. Some good and reasonably priced DIY online survey tools
SurveyMonkey; Zoomerang; FluidSurveys; QuestionPro and other.
This post was contributed by Alex Genov, PhD. Alex is an experienced customer researcher who applies his psychology background and his passion for research, design, and innovation to the software industry. If you’d like to learn more about persuasive design, customer experience and research, visit his blog at http://persuasivedesign.wordpress.com/.
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Posted on February 19, 2013
In recognition of Clearpoint Agency’s 10 year anniversary, our content will be featuring posts all year long about the number 10. So here are 10 steps to getting paid for your marketing materials. Have a tenacious idea for a blog post? Let us know!
How often have you heard yourself say the same sound bites when speaking to and advising clients, colleagues, prospects, and other audiences?
Imagine generating money directly and indirectly from those sound bites, those pearls of wisdom that effortlessly trip off your tongue, ideas that seem so basic to you yet are crucial and eye-opening to people around you. It is completely possible to do all that – in a tips booklet. Here’s how.
1. Capture your information tidbits immediately. Recording them on paper or electronically lets you grab them as they surface. Raw format is fine, jogging your thinking to refine later.
2. Let some time pass after most gems bubble up. Rarely does everything come up in that two hours on Thursday afternoon. You may get most out in one sit-down, but even more later.
3. Refine and organize the tips. Your tips usually go into categories. Editing for grammar, consistency, clarity, and flow happens later.
4. Include contact details. Your readers may want more from you beyond the basics. Making it easy to connect with you helps them and you. A brief “backgrounder” section identifies your qualifications.
5. Hire a graphic designer so your words look good. The finished printed product is a 3½” x 8½” tips booklet. The designer’s output is a PDF. You can sell and/or strategically give it away.
6. Send the PDF to a printing company. A first printing of 100-1,000 copies provides samples to hand out and inventory to sell. It minimizes angst over a missed typo or valuable tip, fixed in the next print run.
7. Think of who can use the booklet to promote their product, service, or cause. Your list grows as you ponder it. Your contacts are your clients (current and past), prospects, colleagues, vendors, audiences, and even friends.
8. Consider corporations, associations, publications, and groups appropriate for your topic. There are more prospects than you realize. Some prospects prefer printed copies. Others want to review the PDF.
9. Realize large-quantity buyers promote you while promoting themselves. Many bulk buyers want your contact details added to theirs. A sample booklet or PDF and cover letter with ways to increase their sales starts it all.
10. Expand your customer base and your checking account. You now reach a larger audience than you can single-handedly, thanks to your large-quantity booklet buyers. They pay you to market you as they distribute your booklet with their marketing message.
Those sound bites you have said for years now help your buyers, their clients, and your business. You get paid directly for your information product. You also get paid indirectly by generating new client sales from your booklet’s promotional activities. Yes, you are getting paid for your marketing materials, directly and indirectly from a single activity. Keep those sound bites coming as they improve your bottom line.
This post was contributed by Paulette Ensign. Paulette is an author and speaker who has sold well over a million copies of her own tips booklet and its content in four languages and various formats without spending a penny on advertising. Paulette and her company have helped thousands of people, worldwide, create solo-authored and collaborative co-authored tips booklets since 1991. Contact Tips Products International at 858-481-0890, San Diego, CA, or www.tipsbooklets.com; www.CollectionOfExperts.com; www.AssociationBooklets.com
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Posted on January 08, 2013
In recognition of Clearpoint Agency’s 10 year anniversary, our content will be featuring posts all year long about the number 10. This time it’s 10 ways you can encourage your team members to become advocates for your brand. Have a tenacious idea? Let us know!
When businesses think about marketing, they often see customers as the main and more important target audience. However, employees are the face of the company and can be your most valuable brand ambassadors. We recently attended a webinar led by Elaine Fogel, president and CMO of Solutions Marketing & Consulting on “How to collaborate effectively within your organization to strengthen your brand.” According to Fogel, employees value open communication and want to be recognized. We agree and put together a list of 10 key points based on the webinar, along with a few of our own, to consider for a successful internal communication program.
1. Put employees in the first market of the company: Fogel says that employees have to be happy and engaged in order to promote the brand before they can promote externally. Happy employees will also be loyal to your brand. 
2. Let employees get creative: during the webinar we learned that employees who are given the opportunity to collaborate at work are more likely to bring new ideas. This also ties into employees’ professional development – being exposed to new projects will enhance their skills, and will make work more fun too.
3. Create an internal marketing plan: this is the way a company promotes its brand and values to employees internally. Fogel states that employees are the face of the company, so they need to understand the vision and values in order to be able to promote it.
4. Encourage employee engagement: research shows that engaged employees are happier and deliver better customer service. We’ve seen many companies strive to provide excellent customer satisfaction, but in order to achieve it they need to ensure that their employees are satisfied first.
5. Ask for feedback: leaders often think that their way is the right way. Fogel advises leaders to not be afraid to ask employees for their points of view. This way, you will not only gather feedback, but will make them feel valuable. We have found that conducting surveys, interviews and holding regular meetings helps leaders to receive the feedback they’re looking for.
6. Establish a reward program: it will only reassure employees that they are doing a great job and that you appreciate their hard work. It doesn’t have to be a big bonus. If you are tight on the budget, even praise, a gift card or a random day off can be enough to make an employee feel acknowledged. Remember, every gesture counts!
7. Use the Intranet: we get dozens of emails a day, and they often get buried. Fogel suggests using the Intranet to its fullest potential. Post content, interactive displays, video presentations and more. The intranet will serve as a portal where employees can receive all the information they need from one place. We also recommend sending an employee e-newsletter or creating a marketing group that everyone is required to follow. Share stories and clips you find from the web that they might find interesting to talk about.
8. Organize team building events: we have learned that you don’t have to go crazy to spend quality time with your employees. If the company is too big, group teams together and have them go to off-site meetings. This way they will break away from the routine and will be even more productive.
9. Communicate openly: at Clearpoint, we believe that open communication at the workplace is essential. If you want employees to trust you, make sure they are “in-the-know.” For example, if the company is undergoing rebranding, tell employees and ask them for their opinion. Hold brainstorming sessions, ask them for new ideas and feedback on upcoming milestones.
10. Focus on brand building as a long term play: to motivate employees as brand ambassadors, keep them engaged throughout the year. There is usually a combination of things you need to do – and it all takes time. It all depends on your company’s culture – as PR experts we can tell you that what works for one brand, may not work for another and vice versa. So, don’t be afraid to try new strategies and tactics over time to see what’s best for your brand.
This post was contributed by Antonia Genov, Clearpoint Agency, Account Coordinator
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Posted on November 22, 2012
In recognition of Clearpoint Agency’s 10 year anniversary, our content will be featuring posts all year long about the number 10. From “10 Social Marketing Tips You May Have Missed” to “10 Reasons to Blog,” we’ll brighten your appreciation for all things 10. Have a tenacious idea? Let us know!
1. Prepare ahead of time: this is the most important step so you can accommodate both the reporter’s and your own goals. Review background on the reporter and previous articles, understand the topic, and know the reporter’s audience. Then identify your objectives, and know the key messages you want to cover. Many times, your PR team can provide this information to you.
2. Be human and approachable: be energetic, smile (even on the phone), and display a confident, yet approachable attitude. And remember to be honest, and by that I mean, provide honest information, but be honestly yourself and don’t be afraid to show your personality.
3. Avoid clichés and overused concepts: in your answers, avoid clichés such as “burning issue” and “tip of the iceberg,” as well as over-used phrases such as “innovative solutions,” and “we have no competition.” Be original and creative. Skip the fluff and get to the truth of what you’re trying to say about your company, products or services.
4. Don’t go off the record: nothing is ever “off the record.” If you don’t want something printed, don’t say it. If a reporter finds something interesting, they will find a way to use it.
5. Be credible and relevant: during the interview, provide information that relates to the reporter’s audience and to your customer’s needs. Use statistics to support your statements when appropriate. In addition, quote an industry guru or third-party report to add credibility to your messages. To make the interview interesting, use simple analogies or comparisons that people will understand easily. For example, “The Internet is like electricity. Customers do not care how it works; they just want to be able to plug into it and use it.”
6. Make friends with brevity: make your points quickly and concisely. At Clearpoint Agency, we always recommend giving the short answer first, then filling in with additional detail if the journalist asks. Remember reporters are interested in the five Ws and one H—who, what, where, when, why and how. So answer accordingly, then go beyond those to address the reader’s question of “What does this mean to me?” Personal and customer experiences can illustrate your main points and help the audience relate to a real world example.
7. Use bridging: bridging is a conversation control method that allows you to move from one subject to another. It incorporates briefly answering a reporter’s question and then following that response with your specific messages that relate.
8. Use flagging: this conversation method is used to highlight your most important messages by calling out and emphasizing their importance. For example, say, “The three most important things to keep in mind are….”
9. Incorporate images: a picture is worth a thousand words. Whether it’s a company photo related to the topic, an appropriate chart or graph, or even a headshot of you, an image will make the content more interesting, so reporters may give you more space or better placement.
10. Rely on your best tool: remember, a good PR agency just might be your best tool to nail media interviews. We know the reporters, the audiences, your key messages, and the best ways to prepare, train and support you.
This post was contributed by Alexia Haynes, Clearpoint Agency Senior Account Executive and Bonnie Shaw, Clearpoint Agency President
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Posted on October 18, 2012
In recognition of Clearpoint Agency’s 10 year anniversary, our content will be featuring posts all year long about the number 10. From “10 Social Marketing Tips You May Have Missed” to “10 Reasons to Blog,” we’ll brighten your appreciation for all things 10. Have a tenacious idea? Let us know!
Researchers tell us that the fear of public speaking is one of the top 10 fears that people express. An entire industry has sprung up to help speakers deal with this anxiety, including US-based organizations such as Toastmasters International or POWERtalk International and the Association of Speakers Clubs in England, as well as many academic training courses in presentation skills that help people reduce the fear to manageable levels.
We think all these resources are great, but some speakers just need to boost their confidence a bit more by ensuring their content is worthy and that they know the basics. We work with many clients to help them develop better presentations. The ten tips below are ones that we have found will help you master the art of public speaking and be interesting to your audience.
1.Is your topic compelling?Is your topic worth the time it takes you to put it together and the time for your audience to sit through? Put it to the test by asking a couple of colleagues to give you honest feedback on whether your topic reaches your goals to entertain, persuade or educate. Does it have impact and timeliness; does it identify or create controversy and put forth a clear position? Be sure to assess the attention value, topic prominence, conflict, uniqueness and worthiness for your audience.
2.Know your audience.Customize your examples so that the analogies really speak to them and make obscure points clearer. In some cases, you may even want to conduct research or do a survey of your anticipated audience so you can be sure you are hitting their hot buttons.
3.Research but don’t plagiarize. It’s always a good idea to make sure you are up to date on the topic you’ve chosen, so check the Internet for information, articles, or news coverage that may have come out about your topic recently. But be careful not to accidentally steal someone else’s ideas. If you are using a particular reference for credibility, be sure to source it.
4.Use specifics to create believability. What is the biggest criticism you hear about political speeches, for example? It’s usually that they are full of platitudes, but too vague and short on substance. Don’t make the mistake the politicians do! Use facts and figures to support your premise, but remember to be selective. If you overwhelm your audience with too many numbers, you will lose them.
5.A picture truly is worth a thousand words. Maybe you are using a PowerPoint®, but don’t make it boring with text bullet point after bullet point – add some art! No Powerpoint? Ok, what other visuals could you use that will make an impression? Photos, interesting art, props, charts and graphs help to make a speech more interesting and memorable.
6.Master the flow. Keep your introduction short and pithy. Give some information that people might not expect. You have only a few minutes to capture their attention so use it wisely; let them know why this topic is relevant to them. Then deliver your information clearly with life and enthusiasm in your voice. And be sure to pause before you make your final point or conclusion. Don’t make them guess that this is the important stuff! Signal it by recapping the key points and then emphasizing the end – with impact!
7.Your body language has impact, too. Stand or sit straight and tall so you can present with authority. Keep your voice well-modulated. Make sure your clothing, makeup and appearance fit the occasion and do not distract from the topic at hand. Gesture naturally, as you would in a group of close friends. Most important of all, make eye contact with your audience. Let everyone in the room know that you are speaking to them.
8.Practice, practice, practice! Many people think that once they have developed the topic and written out their notes, they know it well enough to just deliver it on the fly the day of the engagement. And perhaps you are one of those lucky few who really can do this. But if you’re not, or if this is a new topic that you haven’t delivered before, take the time a couple of days before, to work out the kinks. You’ll be glad you did!
9.Don’t forget to publicize your speaking engagements! Don’t just send a calendar item to the events editor. Research appropriate reporters for the news topic and let them know about the engagement, including a few key points that might interest them in writing a story. Put a news release out over a wire service, too – you would be amazed at the pickup you’ll get, which will help with search engine optimization of your website, too.
10.Don’t play hard to get! After you have completed your delivery, be available to the members of the audience for a few minutes. Some people would rather speak to you in person to get more information or your card than to follow up by phone or email. If you have media interview requests, make yourself available soon for an interview to maximize your exposure.
Best of luck with your next speaking engagement. If you think you need more training, we are here to help you.
To get the recognition you deserve, contact us at Clearpoint Agency, www.clearpointagency.com
This post was contributed by Beth Walsh, Clearpoint Agency Vice President
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Posted on September 27, 2012
In recognition of Clearpoint Agency’s 10 year anniversary, our content will be featuring posts all year long about the number 10. From “10 Social Marketing Tips You May Have Missed” to “10 Reasons to Blog,” we’ll brighten your appreciation for all things 10. Have a tenacious idea? Let us know!
Whether you are a B2B or B2C company, you want to consider a blog. Blogging is a great marketing tool that along with social media will increase your online presence and enhance your company’s brand. Here are 10 reasons why you should use blogging to target your audience in a meaningful and creative way. 
1. Become an expert. Remember, by running a business you already are an expert in certain areas. Stick to writing on topics you are already comfortable with and have knowledge about. This way you can define your niche, provide insightful information and become an expert in the area.
2. Share with the world. Okay, you’ve already found your niche and want to share your ideas and opinions with your readers. Even better, you can promote your company’s culture and tell your customers about the latest fundraisers you’ve had or fun holiday parties you’ve attended. Another big component is providing tips to your current and potential customers.
3. Expand your social media channels/platforms. Hosting a blog doesn’t require being tech savvy or knowing HTML code. There are free user-friendly platforms like WordPress and Blogger that will let you do that without knowing HTML code. They offer themes that allow you to customize your blog to best fit your company’s brand. Consider adding your blog to your website to make it easy for customers to find and boost SEO.
4. Cross promote your brand. Having multiple social media channels will help enhance your brand. With an established blog, you can’t miss on sharing your new posts via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other platforms you use. Cross promotion is important because using several social media channels will help you reach the most audience. Keep in mind that depending on demographics and other factors, certain audiences may have preferences to a particular social media channel.
5. Interact with your audience. Your readers and followers will be interested in the insight you provide on your blog and it is likely they will comment on your posts. Responding to these comments is a great way to interact with your audience, be it customers, employees or partners. This will make your blog more human and will eventually enhance your brand even more.
6. Measure results. As any other social media channel, blogging platforms provide an analytics section where you can browse the traffic and views you get as well as search terms, click throughs and so on. This is a good way to experiment with keywords and include more terms that will lead users to your blog, or even better, to your company website.
7. Educate your audience. Let’s say you are launching a tech-heavy product or offering specialty services that need a deeper explanation. Writing a blog on it will be a great way to educate your customers on the specs and details of your products and services. You can use it almost as an FAQ, but in a narrative form.
8. Attend special (VIP and invitation-only) events. Once you have a solid following and a good online influence, you could receive perks like invitations to fun private events, pre-opening parties, or even speaking opportunities. Attend these events to further promote your brand.
9. Increase your Klout score. There has been a lot said about the Klout score, but it still remains the main indicator that calculates your overall social media influence. Writing a blog will definitely help increase your Klout score and make you a specialist in the topics you want to be known for. In fact, some those special events mentioned above require a Klout of 45 or higher.
10. Show diversity. Don’t think that the blog is another responsibility for the marketing manager. To keep it fresh and current you will need to post entries often. Here is where your resources come in place. Once you have your topic schedule, ask different employees to help you depending on their background and expertise.
This post was contributed by Antonia Genov, Clearpoint Agency Account Coordinator
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Posted on August 31, 2012
In recognition of Clearpoint Agency’s 10 year anniversary, our content will be featuring posts all year long about the number 10. From “10 Social Marketing Tips You May Have Missed” to “10 Reasons to Blog,” we’ll brighten your appreciation for all things 10. Have a tenacious idea? Let us know!
Social media has changed the landscape of business; it has altered the way companies and customers interact with each other. It’s important to remember that social media is not your ticket to a quick sale, or an excuse to intrude on personal space. It is about cultivating a relationship with your customers and building brand loyalty.
1. Set-up your hub. This is the place you want customers to go to view products or services and make a purchasing decision. It could be your website, blog or newsletter for example. Driving traffic to your hub via links will help convert fans and followers into customers, and will increase your search engine rankings. Every inbound link to a website informs Google that others are checking out the site, and demonstrates that it offers good content.
2. Choose your social media platform(s). Some of the most popular ones are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram. Choose the social network where you are most likely to reach your customers. Be where they are! Set realistic goals on how many social networks you can handle, because an inactive profile can actually do more harm to your reputation than not having one at all.
3. Identify your activity goals on social media. Know the outcomes you would like to receive from being on a social network, so you can take strategic steps toward achieving those goals. For example are you looking to gain valuable feedback on your products, receive more engagement on your posts, get more customer referrals, or build a community for support and customer service.
4. Determine brand positioning. Before you start promoting your business online, decide what messages you want to communicate to your fans. Are you tech savvy? Community focused? Earth friendly? Are you a financial services company that offers a better way of doing business? Find ways to weave in what your company is about. Customizing the Facebook cover image or Twitter background is a great place to start.
5. Research your target market. It all starts with research. Before you start engaging fans, you need to find out what their needs and desires are. Don’t be afraid to visit a competitor’s page for inspiration and note what types of posts are (or are not) getting engagement.
6. Make a calendar. Decide the types of posts you want to make and how many posts you will have each day/week/month. This requires a little extra work up front, but will save a lot of time in the long run and keep you focused and consistent. If you find your activity level is becoming too time-consuming, consider signing up for a social media management system or seek out a PR agency to manage social media for you.
7. Create your own content. It’s nice to share others’ content, but it’s best to share your own. That way YOUR key messages, differentiators and personality are being communicated with YOUR audience. When creating content, make it visual, concise and deliver it in a human voice.
8. Don’t wait for others. Start the engagement. When you a make a post, think, “Who can I mention or tag in this?” This is a way to gently alert someone that your post involves them. Keep in mind that this works both ways, if someone kindly mentions or tags you, comment back.
9. Promote your channel. Just like a new product on the market, promotions are necessary to let people know what exists out there. If you have a new social media profile, let people know! Embed feeds on your website or blog, add icons to your promotional collateral, and add links to your email signature and regular newsletters. If on Facebook, you may want to think about running targeted ads to help build your community.
10. Measure results. Go beyond likes and followers. Those are just numbers. Keep track of how well your posts are engaging others. Have your links been shared, pictures commented on, or polls voted on? Bitly.com is a free tool that shortens long links and measures how many times the link has been clicked. Google Analytics is another free tool that can be easily embedded into your webpage or blog to measure traffic. After you have discovered new insights, make adjustments to your strategies where needed.
Now you are ready to engage your customers and spread the word about your company. Clearpoint Agency regularly provides expert social media support to our clients, so if you feel overwhelmed, check out our social media page for ways we can help you.
This post was contributed by Rachel Hutman, Clearpoint Agency Account Executive
Posted in Blog, Branding, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Marketing, Pinterest, Public Relations, Social Media, YouTube | Leave a comment
Posted on July 19, 2012
We don’t need to tell you that it’s a competitive marketplace just to get a few shares and likes these days. According to an infographic put out by Digital Buzz the average daily online activity involves: 294 billion emails, two million blog posts, 864,000 hours of uploaded video, and 35 million apps downloaded… and that’s just a snippet.
As a result of the many digital distractions, people are skimming for information that is digestible, valuable, and easy to fit into their already busy lives. So, if you’re a blogger or web content manager, here are a few quick tips on how to write for today’s internet user:
- Stick to the facts - cut out the fat already. Leave the opinions and long winded examples for your next dinner party.
- Bullet point or list - make the most important points bolded so they stand out quickly.
- Use images/ videos - not only can an image replace a 1000 words, but it helps break up the text and can add substance.
- Use social share buttons - if you make it easy, people will share.
- Stick to one topic - not only will this help you to spread out your content ideas, but people like their information in small spoonfuls these days. Sticking to one topic won’t overwhelm your readers.
- Use links - linking within can keep viewers on your site, and also save you from veering off subject with explanation.
- Pull out quotes – and pull your reader in.
- Think quality over quantity - we tend to share everything on the internet, but that doesn’t mean everything should be. Before you write, ask is this relevant to my industry and will my readers find this of value?
- Be unique with your titles – titles are the first thing people see in the search engines, so you’ll want to grab their attention then. *Tip: Use numbers in your titles to signify a list of short, valuable tips to your readers.
- Use a conversational tone - the internet is all about building a human connection with your readers and fans. Do you actually read the “Terms of Service” agreement? We thought so.
- Think keywords - if you’ve got a great article, make sure people can find it. Use Google’s keyword tool to find the right keyword phrases to implement into your text and title.
Remember, we are a society that tweets in 140 characters so be fast. How did we do? Does anyone think this post was too long?
This post was contributed by Morgan Ketterman, Clearpoint Agency Account Coordinator
Posted in Blog, Branding, Google+, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Uncategorized | Leave a comment
