Deerfield Beach, FL – November 10, 2008 – Using online PR to increase Web traffic for businesses is as easy as three letters: S-E-O. Search engine optimization not only increases the likelihood of web site visits and page rank but also generates quality leads and conversions.

Florida online public relations agency CEO, Lisa Buyer, is speaking at PubCon, the annual conference for web writers and developers in Las Vegas, Nevada. As part of a panel on growing web traffic through online PR, Lisa’s presentation will focus on how effective PR campaigns offer a great way to achieve targeted Web site traffic through search engine optimization and other tools.

“In today’s economy, utilizing all tools possible to reach key audiences is extremely important,” said Buyer. “Online PR campaigns are an effective way for businesses to improve online visibility for lead generation. With that, PR professionals can’t lose sight of the journalist or news bloggers searching for relevant story sources, another great way to generate quality business leads.”

Buyer will be sharing the results of a media focus group asking top tier media including news bloggers about their perspective of online press releases and how they use online search.

“I will be in good company sharing the panel with online PR industry experts Joe Beaulaurier of PRWeb and CamcorderInfo.com Founder, Robin Liss,” said Buyer.

The Buyer Group is a member of Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, South Florida Interactive Marketing Association, Agency Management Roundtable, and is recognized as a Google Advertising Professional Company.

For more information about The Buyer Group and its 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 The Buyer Group on Twitter at www.twitter.com/thebuyergroup
Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabuyer

Bernoff is a Forrester Research analyst and blogger who calls on Obama to create “a community of committed Americans to discuss the solutions to the problems that face us.”

After the stunning Internet strategy Obama used to secure the presidency, harnessing the groundswell to govern is certainly a logical next step. Obama’s revolutionary social networking site, mybarackobama.com (MyBo), engaged hundreds of thousands of voters and supporters in an unprecedented fashion. Designed by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, MyBo’s contribution is described as “maximizing group collaboration, while acting as a gateway for millions of ordinary Americans to participate in the political process.”

MyBo was just one factor in Obama’s groundswell efforts. Through the use of social networking sites including Facebook pages and Twitter updates, Obama was able to rise above the press in a proactive way. By giving supporters and “naysayers” alike, direct access to his campaign via the Web, Obama achieved online PR goal “numero uno”: Positive messaging given directly to the target audience, no message clutter in sight.

Now that’s good PR.

*UPDATE!* 10.7.08: It seems we were correct in our assessment of President-Elect Obama’s commitment to harnessing the groundswell to help him govern a new America. Visit www.change.gov to see social media in action, changing the government one blog at a time. Also, guess who’s the most popular Twitter user? Yes, President Obama.

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.

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!

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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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.

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

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!

The best cocktail for marketing these days is public relations mixed with online media – the more social, the better. The 2008 Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose, CA saw online PR industry heavy hitters come together to discuss the SEO “state of the union.”

Lisa Buyer, PR/SEO expert and CEO of The Buyer Group was among the invited list of search engine optimization conference panelists along with Dana Todd, Lee Odden and Greg Jarboe. Her presentation, discussed the ins and outs of online PR and social media relations, plus its interaction with the consumer.

Optimized Press Releases
Optimizing press releases is the easiest way to reach today’s 24/7 journalist. These journalists often work for multiple publications, leaving less and less time to deal with PR professionals directly. The optimized press release has effectively, and for all intensive purposes, taken place of media relations. In fact, most journalists prefer to be contacted via email with a link to an optimized press release on PRWeb.

Lisa’s Online PR Tips
Looking for a guaranteed front page story headline in a top tier online media outlet? Lisa’s latest tip is a new resource called Newsforce, the first and largest online PR Network for guaranteed news placement that also offers cool tools to help clients gain exposure in news search engines.

Social Media Gains
Don’t neglect your social media options either. The majority of journalists now use Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites to find sources for their articles.

Online PR By The Numbers:

•    64 percent journalists report they use Google or Yahoo! online news services to follow the news
•    70 percent reporters check a blog list on a regular basis
•    61.8 percent say blogs were having a significant impact on the “tone” of news reporting
•    1/2 journalists report visiting a corporate Web site or online newsroom at least once a week
•    85 percent journalists report visiting a corporate Web site or online newsroom at least once a month
•    3/4 reporters see blogs as helpful in giving them story ideas

Online PR and the Consumer
Lastly, always remember journalists aren’t the only key stakeholders online. Potential leads and consumers have access to optimized online content through a variety of channels. Google news, social media, and just plain search engine use can provide this key group with access to your client’s brand and message online.

Search Engine Strategies (SES) is the leading global conference & expo series that educates delegates on search engine marketing (SEM), including optimization (SEO) and advertising strategies, tactics and best practices. SES Search Marketing Events provide instruction from the industry’s top Search experts, including representatives of the Search Engines themselves.