The Buyer Group PR + SEO News

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As millions worldwide watched a stoic, unfamiliar Tiger Woods admit wrongdoing and attempt to repair an image shattered by secrecy and sex, reactions on Twitter were as diverse and polarizing as Tiger’s mistresses. Much has been made about Tiger’s public relations response, or lack thereof, since the golf icon’s single car crash in November and stories of infidelity flooded the news.

Today, The Buyer Group was monitoring the public’s reaction online and has compiled a collection of Tweets. Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments section, or join the conversation online with @thebuyergroup or @mattinnes (more…)

Websites, blogs, texting and social media are serving as a viral PR and marketing platform for the recent Haiti disaster relief efforts.

The Red Cross texting campaign went viral through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and donations for Haiti alone have already doubled the $4 million that was donated to all charities by mobile texts in all of 2009.

Think about how you can use your own website, blog or social media network to spread the word and make it easy for people to access ways to donate. If you haven’t already done so, think of these possibilities for your business to help Haiti.

• Create a banner add on your website linking to your favorite organization that is helping Haiti. Here’s one. http://www.redcross.org/psa/bannerorder/all/singular.asp
• Add Tweets to your Twitter broadcasts linking to an organization such as the Red Cross
• Post info on your Facebook
• Add a link to your  email signature
• Donate some time to helping locally

For example help a local Red Cross chapter. My sister’s restaurant La Gondola donated food to the Chicago Red Cross on Friday via @PrSarahEvans Tweet media push. Evans spent the day on location with the Red Cross Tweeting and pitching in to help spread the social good. You can too.

The Buyer Group will continue to donate time and a portion of sales to the Clinton Bush Haiti Relief Fund as well as ShopToEarth’s partner Charity Water.

What can you do? Get creative! Below is a list of some ways the media and social media are spreading the word:

1. The Huffington Post has an ongoing list of relief efforts and how you can get involved that it is going to continue updating. Check it out here.

2. CNN has compiled a list of organizations that will be providing support to the estimated 3 million people that have been affected by the earthquake.

3. Many people are engaging the Twitter community to raise awareness, as well as funds. Search “Haiti” and see what the latest updates are.

Unprecedented damage and destruction on the island nation of Haiti has been met by an extraordinary fund raising effort through the Internet and social media.

Aid workers began updating followers on Facebook and Twitter within minutes of the 7.0 earthquake striking Port-au-Prince on January 12.

The Red Cross alone has raised over $8 million through their “Text Haiti” campaign that allows cell phone users to donate $10 via text message.

The Buyer Group has compiled a list of ways social media is contributing to the relief efforts in Haiti.

@RedCross has been providing updates and requests for assistance through Twitter. They announced yesterday that more than $35 million has already been donated in support of the people in Haiti.

@PRsarahevans is volunteering @ChicagoRedCross. Follow her on Twitter for live updates, video and more.

@wyclef Wyclef Jean tweeted a message to his almost 1.4 million followers: “Please text ‘Yéle’ to 501501 to donate $5 to Yéle Haiti. Your money will help with relief efforts. They need our help.” His followers have responded by donating nearly $1 million since Tuesday.

@decappeal is the Disasters Emergency Committee, a group that coordinates efforts by United Kingdom charities. The DEC has seen its followers double in Twitter following the quake and is expecting “astronomically higher” donations because of their increased Web presence.

@whitehouse Even President Obama is using social media as a fundraising source. The White House issued a video update Thursday afternoon and has designed a graphic for bloggers and Web sites to post on their pages.

@cbhaitifund At the request of the White House, President Clinton and President Bush are also partnering in the efforts to help the Haitian people reclaim their country and rebuild their lives through the creation of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

Lisa Buyer and Sarah Van Elzen interview with Greg Jarboe at SES Chicago. The question? What can Google give me for Christmas this year? The answer. Page one in search!

Let it snow for SEO at Chicago’s Search Engine Strategies conference where Lisa Buyer presents on the News Search SEO panel today with Newsforce CMO Dana Todd (@danatodd) and YouTube and Video Marketing author Greg Jarboe (@gregjarboe), moderated by Top Rank Blogger Lee Odden (@leeodden).

The power of search is changing the game for public relations and social media says Buyer, president and CEO of The Buyer Group, an interactive online PR and branding agency.

Presenting to Internet savvy CEOs, senior marketing executives and search engine optimization professionals, Buyer offers insight and examples of ways to use public relations techniques, social media channels and SEO strategies to leverage an increase in online visibility.

“Google’s roll out of Real Time Search yesterday is a big indicator of the direction in search and social media,” Buyer said. “News is happening in real time, and now Tweets as part of Google Search shrinks the press release down to 140 characters or less. Let’s not forget Facebook alone has added 50 million new users in the past two months to reach a total of more than 350 million.”

“Interactive media has taken the communications industry by storm in the past year,” Buyer said. “With this enormous growth comes a frequent and exciting shift in strategy and practice.  Implementing SEO strategies into public relations is the latest movement as search engines begin to place increased importance on these messages.”

“Writing a killer press release and distributing promotional materials is not enough in today’s multimedia landscape,” Buyer said.  “Journalists in today’s fast-paced environment are using search to find or add to stories, while consumers are finding their news via the search engine, alternative networks like YouTube, and even through social networks.”

For more information, join the conversation on Twitter by following @lisabuyer and @SESConf.

About Lisa Buyer

http://www.thebuyergroup.com/60-seconds-with-lisa

About SES Chicago

http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/chicago/

Things will never be the same…

It may sound like a break up line, but in business, it’s true. Social media and search are changing how we do business – including everything from customer service to online branding to marketing.

Looking for me this week?  Follow me on Twitter.com/lisabuyer for status tweets. (And if you’re wondering what Twitter is, then ummmm, we should talk.)

I’m a speaker at PubCon Las Vegas, a national search marketing and social media conference. You can find me on the panel “PR Experts and Twitter,” but better yet – I’m attending the coolest sessions, hand picked for today’s PR strategies.

How valuable is all this?

P-R-I-C-E-L-E-S-S – especially in this economy – forget about the way things used to be done, it’s a whole new ball game. Question is: Are you on the field or in the stands?

Check out my agenda for the next few days:

• Behind the scenes headquarter tour of e-commerce powerhouse Zappos
• Reputation Monitoring and Management
• Online Brand Management Strategies
• Using PR Campaigns to Grow Traffic
• Domain Names and Trademark Legal Issues
• Hot Trending Topics with Twitter
• Capitalizing on Twitter and Microblogging
• Killer Twitter Apps and how to apply them to PR
• Intersection of Search and Social Media
• Tracking Results

Interested in getting together to see how you can apply strategies to your biz? Let me know.

Send me a direct message on Twitter @lisabuyer or email me at lbuyer@thebuyergroup.com.

See you online,

Lisa

Every social media user puts such great importance on building a large following on Twitter or group of Fans on Facebook. It definitely  is important  to connect with as many people as possible in both public relations and social media, however the strength of your connection is dependent on how well you know your audience.  Ask your followers questions about themselves. Gain a sense of who they are, and customize your responses to them based on their personal details.

Deerfield Beach, FL –October 15,2009– Wondering what your Tweets are worth? With Twitter’s new estimated value at $1 billion, there must be a very positive PR Tweetfactor. Lisa Buyer, president and CEO of The Buyer Group, joins Internet marketing experts in Las Vegas, November 10-13, at WebmasterWorld’s PubCon Internet Marketing Conference, highlighting the impact of social media on public relations.

Opening the conference as keynote speaker is Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, who has made his mark as an early CEO adapter of Twitter as a PR tool. Zappos has become famous for its fanatical devotion to customer service, and Hsieh has proven the power of Twitter as a relationship-building tool.

“Tony has put Zappos at the forefront of the Twitter revolution within the CEO world,” Buyer said, “He’s been the CEO darling of Twitter and provides a perfect launching pad for the conference, which will be something to Tweet home about for sure.”

Incorporating social media tactics into everyday PR is The Buyer Group’s specialty. At PubCon, Buyer will delve into “the Twitter factor” and describe its power in a corporate public relations strategy. Buyer uses her own case studies as well interview results from other Twitter professionals who dish out the Tweets for PR and media purposes.

With over 15 years of business management and communications experience, Buyer understands the importance of engaging with customers in an online social sphere that encourages them to speak openly about brands.

“It is so incredibly important for companies to stay on top of the conversations surrounding their brands,” Buyer said. “Social media is opening the door for more people to broadcast their opinions than ever before in history. This change only adds to the responsibility of companies to actively engage with consumers and drive discussions that are mutually beneficial to both the public and their brands.”

Las Vegas PubCon 2009 will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 10 – 13, 2009. The event will include sessions on search, Web 2.0, net marketing, SEO/SEM, affiliates, domainers, video, and multimedia and is sponsored by bing.com and Raven Internet Marketing Tools.

For more information, join the conversation on Twitter by following @lisabuyer and @pubcon.

About Lisa Buyer
When it comes to relationships, Lisa Buyer believes the chemistry between search, social media and public relations is exponential. As the founder of three media companies and current CEO of The Buyer Group, Lisa is ambitious about the influence public relations has on Social Media, SEO/SEM and continues to share her innovative approach with clients, peers and associates. The Buyer Group is an interactive public relations and branding agency in South Florida that also offers consulting services for agencies transitioning from old school media to today’s best search engine strategies. The Buyer Group’s PR/SEO clients consist of public and private companies in the technology, real estate and health/beauty industries.

Lisa is a Certified Google Adword Professional, member of SEMPO, SFMIA and past Agency Management Roundtable. She also publishes a PR/SEO news blog in addition to her social media involvement and expertise. When it comes to interactive PR and corporate communication – Lisa believes Social Media, SEO/SEM should be part of the boardroom marketing mix.

About PubCon
PubCon is an educational conference and industry trade show produced by Webmaster World Inc. Specifically designed for internet professionals, the conference focuses on topics related to search engine marketing and optimization as well as website publishing and management.

Demonstrating the explosive growth of social media sites, USA Today may have become the world’s first major news outlet to write a story entirely from interviews on Twitter, the Web’s newest hotspot.

According to a social media webinar presented by SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization), more than 14% of CEOs are now actively tweeting.  USA Today Money Section’s Del Jones completed his story exclusively with CEO sources reachable through Twitter.

This statistic highlights SEMPO’s assertion that the future, if not the present, of all media is social.  Even more important to the world of online public relations is the intersection between social media sites and online search results. SEMPO stressed the point that search engines are increasingly displaying social media as top results.

The instant response platforms of social media sites have allowed for more to be said about brands than ever, placing new pressure on companies to monitor and engage in dialogue with consumers.

For information on how your business can use social media to its advantage contact Lisa Buyer at lbuyer@thebuyergoup.com.

Tweeting doctors boost exposure and uncover their market
South Florida Business Journal – by Jeff Zbar

Paul Wigoda tweets a few times a week. It may be about breast augmentation, statistics on pectoral implants or the difference between “smart” and traditional liposuction.

To date, some 122 Twitter users are “following” the doctor. He hopes he’s reaching a new audience with every tweet.

“This is just one more way to speak to patients and potential patients,” said Wigoda, who practices plastic surgery in Fort Lauderdale. “It’s a quick way to interact with them.”

As a physician whose practice is 10 years old, Wigoda isn’t alone – or even a pioneer – in using Twitter to promote his business. In February, surgeons in Detroit tweeted live from the operating room during a cancer procedure. Across the social media landscape, more physicians – and other professionals, like attorneys and accountants – are using Twitter to reach their target market and establish their expertise.

The “Twitter-verse” is the new social and commerce marketplace, even for professional service providers like physicians, said Marvin Dejean, CEO of Markcom Industries, a Coral Springs interactive marketing agency. While some physicians, attorneys or accountants historically have shied from marketing and advertising, social media outreach for many no longer can be ignored, he said.

“This universe is becoming larger and larger. It’s becoming the marketplace touching every commerce and consumer point you can think of,” he said. “Online is the next marketplace, and social media plays a tremendous role in that.”

Wigoda works with a local interactive marketing firm to write three or four tweets each week, which the firm then posts to his site. Tweeting a few months now, Wigoda often will write a blog post – maybe on a procedure or a special offer – then tweet about it, he said. Whether Twitter is driving new business or new leads are coming from his Web site or blog, Wigoda cannot say. But, he believes he cannot ignore that marketplace.

To read the full article visit the South Florida Business Journal.