Day 1 of #BlueglassFL in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While 9AM is hardly “butt-crack” early, many a search marketer were visibly feeling the effects of last night’s… networking event. For the conference attendees struggling to hoist peeper lids up over their pupils, a straight shot of espresso was top priority before taking seats in the first session on the BlueGlass agenda. Turns out Online PR – The Art of Getting Your Business Talked About was a healthy surge of awesome on its own– heavy with memorable sound bytes and on-point suggestions all from stellar panelists Lisa Buyer, Brian Clark and Peter Shankman. Loren Baker, smart as he is tall, moderated the session in an open discussion format.
The conversation revolved around what it takes to position an online marketing campaign for “needle moving” PR successes. AIMCLEAR live-tweeted gems from this inspiring dialog…read on for a condensed version of the discussion packed with speakers’ key takeaways & unforgettable nuggets of advice.
Q: What does online PR mean to you?
Brian Clark – The new PR is about the concept of persuasion from the people you already trust. Understand that big wins in online PR are about being able to become part of the media instead of relying on the media.
Peter Shankman – PR now is getting other people to say how great you are rather than you telling people how great you are.
Via @RyanJones: “PR is like dating. Don’t tell girls how great you are, have others tell girls how great you are. #blueglassfl @petershankman”
Lisa Buyer – Online PR is a combination of blogging and social media. It encompasses blogging while taking advantage of different social media channels with a consistent message across each.
Q: How would you pitch differently to a blogger as opposed to a journalist?
Brian – If I receive a mass pitch from you and it’s apparent you’ve never read anything I’ve written, I mentally burn your name and then I delete you. Get your PR pitches read by appealing to the blogger’s ego. Â Long story short: mass pitches wreak, you can smell them a mile away. Be personal and show the blogger you’ve given their work the time of day.
Via @SocialMichelleR: Beyond being deleted, you will be remembered with shame if you demonstrate you’ve NEVER read anything I wrote @copyblogger #BlueGlassFL
Lisa – If you’re going to pitch a journalist, read them. Get familiar with them. Reach out to them on a personal level. Also recognize that journalists are either going to start or end their search on Google. Write a good press release, couple it with good SEO and show up in the SERPs when they do. Peter emphasized this point when he mentioned never to underestimate a well-written press release, seeded with good SEO.
Peter – Your first interaction with a reporter should NOT be a pitch. It should be something helpful to them.
Q: What About Using Social Media to Drive Traffic…
Peter – Passion is the key to getting people to follow and interact with you. If you write well and love what you’re doing, people will respond to that. Remember, good writing is brevity and brevity is social media.
Via @AmyVernon: Spandex is a right – just like u have a right to post sh#!!y content @petershankman – doesn’t mean u HAVE to. #BlueglassFL
Brian – Really work at establishing permission-based relationships. Know exactly who you’re trying to reach, what they’re interested in and meet them there with something of value. Determine the right mix.
Lisa – Meet your audience in whichever social channels they’re in, but ultimately, all roads should lead back to your blog or website. Also, don’t get too caught up in social media and forget that traditional media is still there.
Big thanks to the lively panelists for their thoughtful advice & plentiful notable quotables. To follow live coverage of Blueglass Florida monitor the hashtag #BlueGlassFL & check for tweets by @SocialMichalleR, @AIMCLEAR & me, @mannyrivas.
