The Buyer Group PR + SEO News

Deerfield Beach, FL – October 31, 2008 – Hanging out online is not just for kids anymore. Customers are writing about products on blogs, reviewing businesses on Yelp, joining fan clubs on Facebook, and cutting up corporate commercials on YouTube in record numbers! It’s a social phenomenon – the groundswell – that is creating a permanent shift in the way the world works, plays, lives, and thinks.

As search engine savvy, online PR gurus, The Buyer Group knows the tactics that work best in this industry.

Published in 2008 by the leading company in online research, “Groundswell” is the number one recommended book by SEO/SEM professionals. Authors Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, lead analysts at Forrester Research, define the social media groundswell as “a social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other rather than traditional institutions like corporations.”

With clients ranging from non-profit advisors to bioidentical hormone therapy physicians, The Buyer Group has mastered the channels of the groundswell. Whether you’re an online marketing newbie or a new era genius, “Groundswell” offers something for all.

“We recommend that each one of our prospects and clients take the time to read “Groundswell,” said Lisa Buyer, The Buyer Group President. “This is the most informative book available on the ins-and-outs of the social media revolution. A revolution that we are implementing now with our clients to augment their existing marketing strategies”

This “new era” of the groundswell is created by three trends: people’s desire to connect, new interactive technologies and online economics.

The numbers speak in volumes when it comes to social media growth:
• 25 percent of Americans report reading a blog regularly
• 44 percent participate in a social media network such as Facebook, MySpace or Twitter
• 132 million unique users can be found on Facebook, more than double since 2007
• 30 percent watch user generated video on sites such as YouTube
• 25 percent of online users read ratings and reviews
• 11 percent write ratings and reviews

“Groundswell” gives marketers a way to look at their audiences’ social media participation through social technographic tools, allowing them to see the profile of a target market including demographics and psychographics with a stong focus on technology behaviors. The social technographic profile divides individuals into these categories:
• Creators – These people publish blogs and Web sites, upload video, write, and post articles
• Critics – Post ratings/reviews, comment on other blogs, and contribute to online forums and articles
• Collectors – Use RSS, vote for Web sites, and mark or tag pages and photos
• Joiners – Maintain profiles on social networking sites, visit social networking sites
• Spectators – Read blogs, online forums, customer ratings, and watch videos. or listen to podcasts
• Inactives – none of these activities

Where do you fit in? Where do your customers fit in? Groundswell helps you profile your own customer with a free tool at http://www.forrester.com/Groundswell/profile_tool.html

“Groundswell has become the bible in our office lately, we use it as a reference point for ways to tap into the groundswell using public relations and social media strategies – strategies that must be added to your current marketing mix,” said Buyer.

The groundswell interacts in peculiar ways. No matter which angle the system maneuvers, three common denominators drive its force: people, technology, and economics. The first common factor is people. Throughout history, people have always depended on each other, rebelling against institutional power. Technology is the second force driving the groundswell, allowing people to communicate on new levels through the spread of social technologies. Finally, the third factor is as simple as online economics: on the Internet, traffic equals money.

Take the example of the movie, “Snakes on a Plane.” Word got out that the movie was in production and before long, “Snakes on a Plane” was owned by the Internet. Fans created t-shirts and started an unofficial blog called, “Snakes on a Blog.” The online visibility and community created around this blog attracted thousands of fans, who insisted on adding a line – a very popular line – to the movie. The producers, knowing they had to please their die-hard fans in order to succeed, changed the movie, added the line, and lost the film’s PG-13 rating in the process.

“If you can’t beat ‘em … join ‘em,” said Sarah Van Elzen, Interactive Producer at The Buyer Group. “The online world has shifted to a place where corporate brands are redefined by the public, distribution channels are modified, and relationships are built upon and retained. The best way to get ahead in this sector is to just join, learn, and reap the social media benefits.”

For more information about The Buyer Group and it’s interactive public relations programs contact Lisa Buyer at lbuyer@thebuyergroup.com. See what social media can do for your company.

by Nicole Balistreri

It’s a Social Media Revolution!

Social media is poised on the brink of a new revolution. Google recently filed a patent application for it’s newest proprietary technology that determines the biggest influencers on the web.

So, it’s like high school except instead of boyfriend stealing and homecoming queens, this popularity contest helps determine how to place ads and brand-related applications with more targeted accuracy than ever before.

For those of us in the online PR world, that means more valuable opportunities to place our client’s brand and messaging on pages that are undoubtedly visited/run by the biggest influencers online.

Better ROI anyone? Yes please.

So far, Google has remained pretty mum on the subject, declining to be interviewed for Business Week’s article on the topic. However, we do know it’s based on the same principles as Google PageRank; that coveted number that tells us how popular our client’s pages are in a group of online search results.

Google’s social media ranking has the potential to be more valuable to online PR than PageRank could ever be. Just imagine, finding your best online brand advocates – and talking only to them. It’s an online PR and social media dream!

AAAMS Courses Teach Physicians Botox, Dermal Fillers and Internet Marketing

Deerfield Beach, FL – October 22, 2008 – What do Botox, Dermal Fillers, Red Carpet peels, Facial and neck rejuvenation, mesotherapy, and public relations have in common? Physicians learning these techniques and procedures are also getting a crash course in how to best promote these services to patients and prospects through online public relations and search engine strategies.

This week Dr. Sam Assassa, President of the American Association of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery (AAAMS) invited Lisa Buyer, president of The Buyer Group to add a new dimension to his physician training sessions through online PR strategy education. These new sessions will offer added value to AAAMS members, giving them tools to increase profits in a challenging economic climate.

“Aesthetic surgery public relations is a strategy today’s physicians must embrace in order to remain competitive,” said Buyer who is an invited speaker at Internet conferences such as Search Engine Strategies and PubCon. “Physicians and staff must participate in the online communities that patients turn to for information on physicians.”

Basic training on the benefits of social media strategies such as Facebook, Twitter, optimized press releases, search engine savvy Web sites, and innovative internet marketing strategies are included in Dr. Assassa’s AAAMS courses.

“The physicians, RNs and medical professionals who attend my courses are learning cutting edge medical aesthetics techniques in Botox Cosmetics, fillers, proper analysis of aging face an dneck, and the latest techniques in facial , neck and hands rejuvenation,” said Dr. Assassa. “I realized they needed some insight about how to take these new services back to the practice and see a return on investment. Infusing a public relations and internet marketing strategy is the best way to do that.”

About AAAMS
The American Association of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery (AAAMS) is committed to teaching the artistic act of aesthetics in a practical, clear-cut approach with safety in mind and to ensure uniform excellence in the care of patients. Both the rapid demand and acceptance of the public for aesthetic medical services, such as dermatology and cosmetic surgery, substantiate the importance and the need to standardize these practices. The AAAMS serves to set standards for aesthetic surgery practices, establishing reconstructive and aesthetic surgery treatments as a separate specialty in the world of medicine.

About The Buyer Group
With more than 16 years of interactive public relations and branding expertise, The Buyer Group provides clients with online public relations and branding services using the most effective Internet strategies and search engine optimization.

Connect with The Buyer Group
Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/thebuyergroup
Connect with Lisa Buyer on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabuyer

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When an optimized press release generates online news and captures traditional media coverage, it’s a good thing. The Buyer Group netted the most coveted goal in online PR this month: delivering positive media coverage for clients.

Luxury clients Me Day Spa, Colorado Mountain Estates, and Dr. Paul Wigoda got more than an ego boost this week while featured in major media outlets around the country. Leads, Web site visitors, and third party exposure are just a few of the bonuses when working with The Buyer Group.

To accomplish varied client online PR goals, The Buyer Group utilizes a mix of traditional PR outreach, online PR, social media, and blogging. This combination forms a synergistic mix that appeals to online and traditional media alike, while encouraging direct consumer brand interaction.

In the news this week:

• Me Day Spa and Dr. Paul Wigoda – Profiled online and in print by the Miami Herald and South Florida lifestyle TV program “Deco Drive”
• Colorado Mountain Estates – Profiled online and in print by The New York Times

Client roster update:
The Buyer Group welcomes Southern Specialties, leaders in premium produce and Shop to Earn/Shop to Earth, the fastest growing online shopping portal in the world.

Reality Blog Follows Women Through Menopause and Targets Journalists

Deerfield Beach, FL – October 16, 2008 – Sex, gossip, fights, and…menopause? The kind of drama normally reserved for “The Real World” and “Survivor” is coming to desktops and laptops everywhere courtesy of The Buyer Group’s latest social media project, MenopauseManiac.com.

Sponsored by BodyLogicMD, The Buyer Group’s first foray in the reality blogging world follows in the footsteps of teenage anti-heros LonelyGirl15 and Lil’Loca, However, differentiating itself, the content posted on Menopause Maniac is true, real life hot flashes, a waning sex drive, and a hankering for Snickers.

According to Forrester Research, the industry’s leader in analytics. 25 percent of Americans who are online read blogs and 14 percent of them actively participate in blogs. The marriage between the world of menopause and the blogosphere is a match made in PR heaven for blog sponsor, BodyLogicMD. In addition to the blog, Menopause Maniac is also active on Twitter.

“Menopause Maniac offers something no other menopause forum can – and it comes in the form of Judy B; our first menopause maniac,” said Lisa Buyer, President and CEO of The Buyer Group. “Judy’s willingness to be open about her challenges with menopause invites other women to participate actively in the online conversation happening on the blog and gives them the opportunity to be exposed to BodyLogicMD’s message of relief from menopause symptoms.”

By partnering with The Buyer Group and Judy B, BodyLogicMD has increased their likelihood of being profiled in both online and traditional media outlets.

Now that’s smart PR.

About Menopause Maniac
Sponsored by the bioidentical hormone experts of BodyLogicMD and brought to you by The Buyer Group, Menopause Maniac is a blog that is dedicated to helping women understand the realities of menopause and finding their way to treating their symptoms and living the best life possible using bioidentical hormones. The blog is a slice of life documenting real women who are suffering from the severe symptoms associated with menopause and hormonal imbalances.

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

Online PR Company Gifting Policy… meaningful more than monetary

Choosing client gifts can be tricky. Do you go with something professional like a paperweight, online public relations book, or logo business card holder? Or do you give something more personal like a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant?

The Buyer Group goes with meaning.

Gift giving for client birthdays and holidays is an important part of relationship building and maintenance.

Jeff Zbar, noted South Florida media writer and blogger, took note of the strategy behind The Buyer Group’s gift giving.

“Lisa Buyer with online marketing firm The Buyer Group has purchased her clients art (simple stuff, nothing from Sotheby’s), CDs, and one year, a copy of The Richest Man in Babylon”

Rather than typical “throw-away” gifts given by some agencies to clients, we like to gifts to send a message other than, here is our logo on something you might throw away.

Top of the list of The Buyer Group client gifts is the book Groundswell by Charline Li. This book helps to educate clients on the wave of social media, especially those that are intimidated or not participating in social networks.

Happy Gifting!