The Buyer Group PR + SEO News

Luxury medical condos are popping up in Coral Springs, Florida thanks to Bayshore Land Group’s Royal Palm Square. The Real Deal reported on the real estate development’s groundbreaking ceremony as a result of The Buyer Group’s interactive public relations efforts. Coral Springs Mayor Scott Brooks attended the event along with the Bayshore Land Group team. For the full story click here.

By Sarah Van Elzen

The thought of branding and formatting a creative HTML email or electronic newsletter with links and graphics can be overwhelming. However, knowing the importance of frequent, branded email communication kept me front row at the latest Constant Contact seminar.

After all, direct mail is becoming a thing of the past.

As industry trend watchers and online gurus, The Buyer Group team has found the next best thing: do-it-yourself email marketing.

After only a few minutes of the Constant Contact meeting, I was curious how businesses were ever successful in communicating with their customers before this option. Constant Contact is a powerful, cost effective email marketing solution that allows you to send content-specific, customer oriented emails to your entire database in a matter of seconds. Options such as double opt-in forms, customizable sign up pages, spam filers, and most importantly, reporting functions that allow even the most novice user to find their way around the click-through statistics and detailed analytics.

The reporting function is the most beneficial attribute of any online program. The Constant Contact reporting tool allows you to access detailed information about the percentage of recipients that opened your email, exactly who forwarded it to other people, and overall statistics about your open rate, bounces, unsubscribes, and list growth.

In addition to reporting, using Constant Contact makes it easy to build and customize your email messages with an email wizard that walks you through the templates step-by-step. You even have the option to customize each template to complement the look and feel of your business.

For more information on The Buyer Group’s Interactive PR email marketing programs email Lisa Buyer: lbuyer@thebuyergroup.com

By Sarah Van Elzen

Using email as a PR tool is done everyday on personal and business emails. All interactive public relations strategies should include today’s most universal mode of communication…email.

Your overflowing inbox stands as proof that the majority of today’s communication activity happens through online conversation and email. From a business standpoint, email marketing can be successful and beneficial if the right tactics are used.

On the other hand, when strong email marketing strategies are not employed, your message can stir negative associations with your brand.

To ensure positive brand recognition, ensure all of the elements of successful email campaigns are in place.  If not, do some more editing until the checklist is complete.  Here’s why:

1.    The subject line of your email determines if it will actually be opened. This has an impact on your company’s brand equity. In fact, 30 percent of consumers in a recent study by DoubleClick say the subject line most often determines whether they open an email or delete it.
2.    Your email may end up in the spam filter if your links are not set up properly or you have a poor reputation
3.    Special offers in email work best when they support the brand or industry you are sending to.  You can get more than three times the lift in response if the offer is relevant to the message, so recognize the importance of content/subject line relation.
4.    If you leave out the option to control the email subscription (opting in or out) you loose credibility and risk reputation issues.

We recommend sending all online communication by ways of best practice email marketing. If you are interested in taking the work out of your hands, The Buyer Group offers interactive pr programs that include email marketing. Email Lisa Buyer (lbuyer@thebuyergroup.com) to learn how to integrate email marketing into your online pr strategy and check back in the next few days for more pr tools and email marketing tips.

by Lisa Buyer

Heard it from a friend who…heard it from a friend who…heard it from another you’ve been…

In a matter of seconds your email can be forwarded to a parade of people. This can be a powerful PR strategy or not, depending on the intention of the forwarder.

So, the best interactive public relations advice is this – make every email count in the most positive way possible, because the power of email forwarding is priceless.

Who wants to read a poorly executed email marketing message? Not me. I don’t have the time. When creating your email messages, use the following checklist.

1.    The subject line communicates value. Don’t be vague or it will never be read!
2.    Make sure customers can subscribe to emails and get more information at your company Web site
3.    The ‘from’ line contains a recognizable company name and sender
4.    The footer is clear and complete
5.    The message is self-explanatory without the graphics
6.    Most of the content appears “above the fold”
7.    The email is a quick read with a clear message. Don’t waste your reader’s valuable time.
8.    The content of the email meets the expectation set by its subject line
9.    The recipient can easily control their email subscription
10.     There is call to action and relevant links throughout the text

Imagine the power of an email that is forwarded. Your exposure is unlimited.

Write your emails with public relations intention.

All Eyes Online

Best PR Strategies for More Visibility and Qualified Leads

By Lisa Buyer

What do you say when your customers ask “How come your company doesn’t come up in Google?”

Does your public relations strategy consider your buyer’s online ‘search’ habits? Are you coming up in key word searches related to your brand name, product or service? Are you participating in the online conversations and getting search engine visibility in Google News, YouTube, Yahoo News and reaching out to influential bloggers?

The answers should all be yes, without question, and if there was any hesitation in coming up with the answer, your public relations direction is very “yesterday”…impacting your bottom line tomorrow, if not today.

The public relations world is in a major transition offering more opportunity for sales and lead generation than ever.

Yesterday’s traditional PR agency focused on generating editorial coverage in the likes of print and broadcast media. Landing a story in USA Today or CNN was a measurement of success. Clipping books were the proof points. Print coverage does still have its place; the return on investment for online media coverage is the best bet.

Consider these statistics:
• A PEW/Internet and American Life study reports that the place Americans turn to most for answers is the Internet.
• Health is one of the topics that online Americans turn to the Internet for most, but also area in which searchers are most concerned about accuracy and privacy.
• Over three quarters of reporters see blogs as helpful in giving them story ideas, story angles and insight into the tone of an issue
• News search engines are the major source for online news
• Press releases have topped trade publications as the top source for online news
• 80% of home buyers begin their search online and Real estate professionals say that search engines are the most popular venue for marketing
• Nearly 70 percent of all reporters check a blog list on a regular basis
• 44% of US consumers will use social networking such as LinkedIn, Facebook or My Space at least once a month in 2008.
• YouTube attracts the most online traffic and is consistently rated the favorite social media site by US Internet users, some say it will predict the election
• One in four reporters (27.7%) have their own blog and about one in five (16.3%) have their own social networking page
• Over half said that blogs were having a significant impact on the “tone” (61.8%) and “editorial direction” (51.1%) of news reporting
• Nearly half of all journalists report visiting a corporate website or online newsroom at least once a week.” *
• More than 85% report visiting a corporate website or online newsroom at least once a month

Most companies are adjusting and evolving based on this momentous shift in the industry and experts predict more will change in the next five years than have transpired in the past 50 years for media.

News is no longer delivered to the front porch and print ads are quickly losing the luster.

People are customizing the news they are looking for on personalized home pages with specific keywords and brand names subscribing to iGoogle or MyYahoo. They are following niche-oriented bloggers who are talking about topics and trends of interest. They are having online conversations and socializing in LinkedIn, Facebook and Twiiter. They are sharing experiences, stories, and photos, creating their own content, and acting as their own publishers.

So if PR is no longer merely the sources of content for the media and bloggers are out there publishing their take on the news, not to mention determining the news… what can you do to adjust your online PR strategy?

Companies today need to have a public relations plan that includes an Internet strategy. Without it, companies will quickly loose marketshare, exposure and opportunities to generate leads and retain business.

Online conversations are happening and businesses can choose to participate in those online conversations and take a proactive approach or they can sit on the sidelines and do nothing.

More now than ever, PR is redefined with the opportunity to communicate and interact directly with targeted audiences. Whether these audiences find their information at multimedia forums, such as YouTube and FlickR or they subscribe to a specific blog that feeds to their Google home page, online public relations is one of the most influential components of communications.

In April of ‘07 IProspect.com did a social network user behavior study which is still highly relevant today.

One finding…
"Social networking sites are influencing the purchasing decisions of a meaningful percentage of the Internet users who visit them, requiring marketers to identify the sites where the level of influence is high, and to devise ways to positively engage with the visitors of those sites (“communities”)." To download the full white paper from IProspect Click Here .

Online PR Musts
1. Optimized content - Optimized press releases and web content using SEO (search engine optimization) best practices such as strategic keyword phrases will help improve online visibility and can drive measurable traffic and sales.
2. Distribution – channels to push and distribute content include newswire services such as PRWeb, BusinessWire and PRNewswire, Flickr, Technorati, YouTube, Blogs and Search Engine News.
3. Social Media Relations – It’s matchmaking for business. Targeting and connecting to your target market is becoming easier as networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn add millions of new users each week. If you’re not on it, join it. Facebook actually has a group called Power Social Media Strategies that is a very useful resource.
4. Measure the Results – Online public relations is measurable with analytics programs that tell where your visitors come from and how they interact with your site. Analytics tools from sources such as Google Analytics, Wire service reports and blog monitoring services can tell you a wealth of information from key word related results to map overlays and visitor trends.
5. Blogs – If you don’t have your own blog, start following the bloggers who are talking about your industry, interests or trends. If you want to follow more about search engine marketing and public relations, check out some of these SEO/PR Blogs http://www.thebuyergroup.com/blog , http://www.seomoz.org/blog/ , http://www.toprankblog.com/
6. Local Search: Hone in on the local market and get better results in a more efficient manner with avenues like Google Local Search and Local.com.
7. Online Reputations: Monitoring and interacting with reviews on sites like Yelp can drive traffic to your Web site and generate sales – pay attention to online conversations.
8. Learn from the Search Rock Stars – If you feel like you need to learn more, you should attend a professional search engine marketing conference and get ahead of your competition. Best bets include Search Engine Strategies , PubCon
and most recently, the leader is Search Marketing Expo

With today’s online public relations opportunities, the key word is measurement…and the measurement is in the key word.

About Lisa Buyer
Writer, publicist, brand junkie and SEO geek, Lisa Buyer is president and CEO of The Buyer Group, an interactive public relations and branding agency specializing in search engine savvy consulting catering to real estate, health, beauty and technology companies. A University of Florida graduate, Lisa has owned a PR agency for more than 15 years and regularly attends professional search engine strategy and Internet conferences to continue to deliver best practices.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lisabuyer
Find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com
Connect me on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabuyer

Online PR and Social Media News:

The Buyer Group Launches Social Media Campaign for Beverly Hills Aesthetics

Deerfield Beach, FL – April 21, 2008 – The Buyer Group announces today it will launch a social media campaign for its latest client Beverly Hills Aesthetics . Owned by the renowned Dr. Sam Assassa, Beverly Hills Aesthetics will receive search engine strategies and social media relations as part of The Buyer Group’s interactive public relations and branding services.

Trends come and go, but what seems to be here to stay is the desire for noninvasive alternatives to cosmetic surgery. As a result, techniques like the nonsurgical facelift, face and body sculpting, cellulite reduction, and erasing wrinkles and lines are big business with Dr. Assassa, the nation’s industry expert.

Dr. Assassa’s Beverly Hills Aesthetics joins the social media revolution with the launch of its official nonsurgical aesthetics blog and increased Internet exposure through conversations on sites such as YouTube, Twitter, Yelp, Google and Yahoo. 

According to the latest industry stats reported at OMMA Global, 43 percent of online users will use a social media site this year. Social media networks are advancing faster than any part of online culture and as Wee World’s VP of Lauren Bigelow said it best, “Social media is all about the art of engagement – involvement, interaction, influence and intimacy.

“Social media platforms have an important common component — interactivity that fosters dialogue and offers significant communication opportunities to engage with targeted users,” said Lisa Buyer, The Buyer Group president and CEO. “We help clients look at ways to best use social media relations and most importantly find ways to measure its success and monetize the exposure.”

For more on Social Media Relations check out The Buyer Group social media facts and stats.

For more information about The Buyer Group and it’s interactive public relations and branding services call Lisa Buyer at 954.354.1411.

Connect with The Buyer Group
Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lisabuyer
Find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=64535777
Connect me on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabuyer

by Lisa Buyer
president and ceo of
The Buyer Group, an interactive public relations and branding agency

After attending OMMA, the global online media, marketing and advertising conference, I came back a new person, literally. Besides being privy to the forecasts of online media, I now officially have my own personalized WeeWorld avatar. As you read this, you may think what a techie geek. Well, there are 21 million of us and growing along with the social media space.

Online Media Keynotes

The Internet has already surpassed television based on one significant statistic–the number of gross advertising impressions served, concluded keynote speaker Gian Fulgoni, executive chairman and co-founder of comScore. He also noted the latency effect of search, which measures the long-term brand and sales effects of online advertising and search campaigns.

•    16 percent is a direct response online
•    21 percent overtime response online
•    63 percent caused consumers to do something offline overtime

So think like this, take the money you are spending online “x amount” each month and measuring how many direct leads are converting – well 63 percent of those dollars spent will eventually result in some offline sales and marketing effect in the future…

Know your user and make better content. That was the message from Patrick Keane, now chief marketing officer for CBS Interactive after spending four plus years at Google.

Keane talked about the math and science of online marketing. More video grit than I really cared about. But a few amazing stats: Facebook is almost as big as Google with page views…Meanwhile, YouTube has surpassed search and wins the popularity contests against Google with more page views!

So what’s the big deal with video and why is it the next big thing? People are lazy and video is easy. Searching and reading text is a lot more work than searching and watching a video about, let’s say, the house or computer you want to buy.

The history of the Internet goes like this:
‘90s – we used the Internet for email and communications
‘00-05 – the rise of search content
Today – communication and content are converging with email, instant messaging and blogging. Think tweets on Twitter.

On the creative side of search, there was good news. “Good stories don’t come from machines," said Chuck Porter, co-chairman of Crispin Porter. "If you’re creative and good at it, you probably don’t need to worry about machines." Porter emphasized the importance of story telling and used examples of his agency character stories with a viral effect such as Burger King’s subservient chicken
and Whopper Freak-out
He says the game has not changed from offline media to online media, it just got faster.

OMMA Session Highlights –

I sat through sessions for two days, some good, some I felt I could have done a better job.
Here are the highlights from my favorite OMMA sessions

Paid versus organic?

The question is whether it is better to be number one in paid results or number one in organic results. The answer is – be number one in both.

In a recent SEMPO survey, nine out of 10 advertisers say they compete in SEO natural search results, 70 percent on SEM – paid search campaigns.

The disconnect? The amount of money poured into online advertising dwarfs the amount invested in search engine optimization. It seems we are greedy, we want the immediate gratification of paid advertising but we say we want the results of natural search without the investment. The overall time and resources invested is natural search is nominal across the boards with most companies. Pay to play is easier than participating in the relationship of search. Organic search is kind of like a relationship. If you say you want to be in it, spend the time nurturing and cultivating it. 

What can you do?
•    Get your web team focused on natural search strategies
•    Use your digital assets on the Internet – videos, press releases
•    SEO and SEM work in tandem, analyze the traffic together
•    Test out different landing pages with SEM and then apply to SEO
•    Find keywords working on SEO, transition to SEM
•    Get as much shelf space on the search results page as possible

Search and perception. Research also tells us consumers don’t care if they find you through a paid or natural search result, they only care about relevancy. But there is a slight perception factor. Being at the top of natural search results is perceived as leadership, being at the top of paid searched means you have deep pockets.

One final note on search – paid or natural – consumers are becoming smart searchers and searching with longer more detailed keyword phrases (long tail keywords).

Social Media – Jump in headfirst or toe in the water?

Chat rooms, blogs, forums, social networks, social bookmarking and virtually any site that allows conversational interaction is a prime venue for the rapidly growing field of social media marketing – an essential tool in every PR/SEO campaign that is often misunderstood or just plain ignored.

The social media stats today:
43 percent of online users will use a social media site this year
5.7 percent of media dollars will be spent on social media sites

So  there is an obvious divide between adoption of users and adoption of marketers.

Let’s go back to the history lesson again
The evolution of the Internet and behavior shift
90’s users looking for content
2000 users were hunting, sharing mp3 music downloads
2008 – doing – interact with each other

The good news on social media marketing, if we can figure out how to do it right and monetize, there has never been a more targeted way to interact with users. For example, a yoga studio owner in Boca Raton can market direct to all yoga enthusiasts on the Palm Beach network of Facebook. The author of “Eat, Pray, Love,” can announce to a targeted group of readers when her next book is coming out.

The day I turned into an avatar.

Last but not least, my favorite social media speaker was Lauren Bigelow, senior vice president of marketing for WeeWorld, A SOCIAL NETWORK turned virtual world and home of the popular WeeMee avatars. At first, I thought…how relevant could this be to my interactive PR and branding agency? Little did I know I would be obsessively creating a Lisa Buyer-mini-me avatar and changing outfits 10 times and decorating my online office for my avatar to be productive and cozy in. I’m happy with my outfit … even though I couldn’t find a pair of True Religion jeans or a Prada purse from my WeeMee closet, but I am sure to expect designer labels available soon. A Starbucks coffee would also be nice.

Considering there are 21 million avatars in the world and I am one of them, there is something to be taken seriously here. The WeeWorld company has grown 614 percent in the past year and that number is probably bigger in just the past week since the stat was reported. “When it comes to social media and interacting with users, it’s all about self-expression, creativity and entertainment,” says Bigelow.

Bigelow shared the Fours I’s of social media engagement as:
•    Involvement
•    Interaction
•    Influence
•    Intimacy

The email marketing session was also top of my list, but I will be dedicating a whole story to that in my next week’s blog. But I will tell you this much, I am now analyzing every subject line more than ever. 

By Lisa Buyer

Looking for me?
 
I’ll be in Hollywood, California March 17-19 at OMMA Global Hollywood
– connecting with the world of online media, marketing and advertising gurus.
 
It’s all about Internet search, email, video, mobile, behavioral and metrics and the way the Internet is changing everything we do. I’m joining top executives from all sectors of the online world at this MediaPost semi-annual conference.
 
The Internet is reordering the way we live, love, work and communicate. And, it changes everything about the way online public relations
and reputation management mesh together into a digital strategy.
 
The conference kicks off Monday morning with keynote speakers including the Executive Vice president of CBS Interactive.
 
Here are some of the sessions I will be attending
 
Paid versus Organic Search – Where to allocate budget
Online Brand Awareness
Social Media and the Coveted Communities that Lie Beneath
Email Marketing: The Experts Answer Tough Questions
Email in 2008 – One of Your Strongest Media Vehicles
Where’s all the “Good” Content? How and Why.
 
I look forward to sharing this new knowledge with you when I return.

By Jill Swartz

I just finished an interactive PR  and social media seminar conducted by ‘SEO Joe’ aka Joe Laratro
on Blog writing for PR and SEM and I couldn’t help but feel empowered. Not having a blog in corporate America today can be compared to a retail store not having a website.
 
The most valuable bit of information I can share with The Buyer Group
blog readers, if you start a blog, stay committet. Blogs are all the buzz today and they have add a new layer of socialization to the Internet and open new channels to your prospects and clients.

Some tips on blog content

News – Since Blogs can be syndicated, content additions are easily dispersed throughout the Web. Company press releases can make great content.
Education — Google created an Adwords Blog, http://adwords.blogspot.com. They use it to further educate Adwords Advertisers on the latest innovations and uses for their product. The Inside Adwords Blog was customized to fit within the look and feel of Google’s Adwords system, even though it is hosted with Blogspot. It is updated weekly with very useful content for its readers. It is even optimized for keywords, while truly educating on new techniques.
Commentary — Insightful analysis of Industry specific news and events is welcomed
Promotion — Blogs can be a great channel to promote new products or services. This promotion can be achieved through a combination of news, education, and commentary.
 
To learn more about the How’s and Why’s of blogging, email me at jswartz@thebuyergroup.com
and I’ll send you a white paper on blogging from expert Joe SEO, Joe Laratro.
 

Deerfield Beach, FL – February 21, 2007 – The Buyer Group, an interactive public relations and branding agency , added four new clients to its roster including Bayshore Land Group, Kogen Construction, Me Day Spa, and The Aesthetics Institute. These real estate and medical aesthetics clients will receive search engine strategies
and social media relations as part of The Buyer Group’s interactive public relations and branding services.

“Today’s PR and branding strategies include social media relations and gaining quality online visibility,” said Lisa Buyer , President of The Buyer Group. “Our clients benefit from getting more search engine visibility through programs including getting quality exposure on sites such as such as YouTube, Yelp, Digg, and Facebook.”

The Buyer Group’s new clients include:
Bayshore Land Group - a full service real estate development and investment management company providing targeted site acquisition services, entitlement administration and commercial/residential development capabilities. www.bayshorelandgroup.com
Kogen Construction Company - a local builder dedicated to the construction of green luxury homes, green renovations, including remodeling of kitchens and baths in the luxury home market. www.kogenconstruction.com
Me Day Spa - a full service day spa and hair salon for men and women located in Miami Beach, Florida. Founded by Paul Wigoda, MD, a board certified plastic surgeon and founder of The Aesthetics Institute. www.medayspa.com
Dr. Paul Wigoda’s The Aesthetics Institute - a plastic surgeon in the Fort Lauderdale and Miami area. www.drwigoda.com

About The Buyer Group
The Buyer Group leverages more than 15 years of interactive public relations and branding expertise, talent and resources and specializes in PR for luxury real estate, health and beauty as well as food and wine.  Sparked by the desire to personify a distinct style and brand mindset, Lisa Buyer introduced her signature company. Before launching The Buyer Group, Lisa Buyer co-founded two other agencies, L&L Communications and the Moxie Group.

Resourceful, talented, energetic, intuitive, creative, hip, groundbreaking, spirited, strategic and fresh. That’s what you get at The Buyer Group. A powerhouse team dedicated to best position clients in the marketplace with positive press and best branding practices.

For more information about The Buyer Group and it’s interactive public relations and branding services visit http://www.thebuyergroup.com or call Lisa Buyer at 954.354.1411.

Connect with The Buyer Group
Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lisabuyer
Find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=64535777
Connect me on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabuyer