As the dust cleared in Washington and New York, the Internet came through as the one mode of communication that held on. With this in mind, it may be the right time for
companies to apply interactive PR strategies to business initiatives particularly during this economic downturn.
The implication of direct communication channels to all households and eyes around the globe These 10 tips on Interactive PR can get your business back and booming.
1. Build your Net presence. In the words of The Economist, "In the high-tech world, if you're not on the Net, you're not in the know." A Net presence will build impressive
connections; every organization can benefit from a boost in external communications available through the Internet.
2. Make Use of All Your Channels of Communication. Develop an e-mail marketing campaign to keep in touch with prospects and let them know your capabilities. Keep an up-to-date
online database of clients and prospects, as well as marketing activities that have been successful. Include marketing campaigns on your Web site. You may want to create an "Are
You Strategic?" icon that, when clicked, reveals the "Top 10 Ways to Tell If Your Business Is Thinking Strategically!" (See sidebar.) The more you make use of all marketing
channels, the more your name will stick in a prospect's mind.
3. Maintain Your Brand Online. The key to attracting and keeping customers is through a trusted, interactive brand. Make sure your Web site and all online materials mesh with
your traditional brand. Remember, your brand is not merely a logo or color scheme, but an emotional connection and promise your company makes. Your brand needs to come through
online as it does offline.
4. Enjoy the Economies of Email. First, email communication will drastically cut communications costs. Businesses waste too much money on postage, phone and fax bills,
unnecessarily. Companies will see measurable cost savings by substituting electronic mail for even a percentage of communication. With email communication, you can communicate
more for a lot less. In light of recent Anthrax fears, companies must reconsider blind mailing teasers and promotions.
5. Customer Connections. From the pages of Fortune magazine, "You can't say it often enough; don't lose touch with the customer." No matter what type of business, the message
is the same; customer connections are essential for success. In today's competitive environment keeping connected to customers means more than the occasional phone call. It means
constant, real-time market updates, trends and analysis. Send monthly market pulse newsletters to update and educate current as well as prospective clients. Keep these
newsletters on your site.
6. Maintain an Online Pressroom. Create an online pressroom as a hub of strategic information for clients and prospects as well as a place to tout your own good news. Place new
hires, employee news and community involvement announcements in your Web site to show clients the great things your firm "family" is doing!
7. Online promotion. An effective promotion can put you ahead of the competition. A unique package, promotion or contest online can help a firm break through the clutter. Be
sure that your publicity program is focused and strongly targeted. Create a market survey targeted at a specific business. Draw companies to the survey with a clear incentive,
such as an Amazon.com gift card or the promise of the survey's results.
8. Play it Smart and Research Online. When contacting potential clients or feeding information to current clients, play it smart and know the space. Documents that demonstrate
your brain trust will show that you know your stuff. Wow your clients and potential customers with online research, analysis and reports.
9. Become Associated with a Cause. Use your Web site to promote causes in which you believe. Place links to these companies on your Web site to direct visitors to make a
donation. Include cause press releases and other information in a specific philanthropic section of your Web site to inform and educate visitors!
10. Last, but of course not least: Don't Forget the Importance of Internal Communications. Play it smart and cut unnecessary costs, but don't forget the importance of your
employees. Employees need to feel wanted, they need promotions, and they need to be paid. Pennies can be pinched in other areas including real estate and bagels at meetings. But
your business is based on the quality of employees; when you cut their benefits, you lose the best and brightest working for you. Share statistics, market research and other brain
trust documents with employees.
Alisa Fogelman-Beyer is senior managing director and practice leader of the technology practice at Hill and Knowlton, Washington, DC, and a PR NEWS Advisory Board member.
Contact her at 202/944-3360 or [email protected]
Strategic Enough?
Take this simple test to see if your strategic position needs strengthening. How many questions can you agree with?
- Our company has a contingency plan in place for today's changing market conditions.
- Our company has devised a new business strategy plan since Sept. 11.
- I know who's winning the race for market share in my marketspace -- and who's in second place, too.
- I can identify my target customer's five pains and what keeps them up at night.
- When devising our business or contingency plan, we took the pulse of existing clients/customers to determine if we are meeting their needs, if they have other needs or if
their needs are changing. - Once the business plan is implemented, objectives and goals are measured, tracked and used to evaluate the relevance of the business path.
- Resources are properly allocated to support the programs and business initiatives that the company is depending on to drive our market position.
Put This on Your Web Page
Jakob Nielsen, co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group and author of a new book, Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed, lectured a group of 400 Web designers and
developers in Washington, DC, last week -- he's on a mission to eradicate bad Web design. His top tips for your home page: (1) Put your site's search box on it, (2) Spend 10% of
your project budget studying how visitors will use your site to design a site easily, (3) Display prices on e-commerce sites, (4) Be sure your search engine is flexible enough to
recognize typos and land visitors on the right page, (5) Include fewer items and use special text to describe images, (6) Place logo prominently in upper lefthand corner (8)
Convey basic messages prominently. Nielsen says a homepage should download in 10 seconds, though most take up to 26 seconds. His tips will result in sites easier to read for non-
American and vision-impaired visitors. (http://www.nngroup.com)