I remember taking a journalism class back in college where the professor harped on using the same adjectives more than once in a story. He urged us to be more creative to come up with different adjectives, and would even dock points if we duplicated words. Since then, I’ve always had a thesaurus at my desk.

Admittedly, this was before today’s search engine revolution, with its emphasis on keywords. Now, instead of using a thesaurus to help write a press release we turn to the Keyword Tool on Google AdWords, which allows you to test keywords or phrases and see how often they are being searched. You don’t want to select words with poor search results.

This presents a dilemma for many writers who like to use their official company lingo, abbreviations, or even generic wording (e.g., the word
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When the economic recovery begins to vibrate the sales needle in your industry, what's one thing your customers will demand before they buy? Credible references: Other satisfied customers; proof you have handled successfully their type of application before.

Traditionally we tackled this with reference lists and case study articles, often posted on-line with relevant photography. Why not kick this up a notch with video case studies so prospects can see and hear your customers talk directly about their experience with your firm?

Video has impact and authenticity. It's flexible; it can be used on-line and in sales presentations. It is searchable and shareable on the Web, and views can be tracked and quantified. And there is growing evidence that on-line video has a solid place in B-to-B marketing communications and PR programs.

A recent study by Knowledge Storm Inc.
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Should you preserve your PR budget in 2009?

I think most marketing managers have heard that it’s unwise to cut advertising activity when the company budget is tight. But what about public relations activity, which is often moved to the back burner in favor of direct lead-generation tactics?  Here are a few reasons why your PR investment still makes sense even with an ultra-tight budget.

1) Your Company Needs a Voice.
Even if budgets are cut, you don’t want your company to “lose its voice.” If your company goes silent, another company will certainly fill the void. Plus, how much “louder” will you need to speak when customers are ready to buy again? If you don’t have the budget for a large advertising campaign (or even a small one), PR is a good way to keep your voice out there in the news media, whether it’s through a basic press release program or even interviews for round-up articles.
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Social media is about engaging in conversations with decision makers and influencers directly via the Internet. It’s about community and collaboration. And, with the changing media landscape, there are a lot of ways to engage in those conversations – from blogs to podcasts to social networks… the list goes on and on.

In fact, check out Brian Solis’ Conversation Prism to see the endless possibilities. At first glance, this conversation prism may appear overwhelming. But, instead, think of all of the opportunities that exist within this prism for you to have conversations – and build relationships – with ALL of the various channels you are trying to reach.

With social media, you are able to: improve customer communication and collaboration; track sentiment about the company; identify advocates, influencers and enthusiasts; spot any
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About a year ago we started using the term “Convergent PR” to describe the blend of traditional PR techniques and the new, 2.0/social media PR techniques. I was thinking recently about what I’ve learned since then. Most significantly, it’s that PR and search can – and in most cases should – be integrated in a way that delivers impressive results – results like I’ve never seen before or even imagined possible. We’re seeing that play out for a number of clients.

I also asked some other members of our PR team what they’ve learned about the so-called “new PR.” A sampling of their answers follows, and may provide some things to consider for your own PR program.

Matt Gaffney, PR copy director: Social media/2.0 has evolved as a direct, parallel response to the way our lives and businesses have evolved
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A recent article in B2B Magazine cites moves by B-to-B media companies Reed Elsevier, United Business Media and Ziff Davis that, collectively, point to the difficulties trade publishers are having in managing the migration from print to online.

Ziff Davis filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing a decrease in revenue from print advertising and subscriptions. UBM announced that it had restructured CMP and eliminated the CMP name. And Reed Elsevier put its Reed Business Information unit on the block.

While we are not happy to see reputable trade publishers suffering, the future belongs to those who leverage technology and find, or hold on to, the B-to-B audience. As we discuss in our white paper on this topic, trade magazine publishers once owned the franchise as aggregators of information.
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For the past year, Godfrey has been educating and counseling clients about the “new wave” in public relations – Convergent PR.  If you’re not familiar with the term, here’s a brief definition: It’s a blending, or convergence, of traditional PR tactics (e.g., press releases, press kits and trade show support) with new social media PR techniques (e.g., blogs, podcasts, videocasts and social media press releases).

Some of our clients jumped on the Convergent PR bandwagon right away.  (We’re thrilled.)  Others are still trying to understand how Convergent PR works and how it can complement their “hyperintegrated” marketing communications programs.  (In this respect, we see ourselves as educators and advisors.)

Of course, Godfrey isn’t the only entity that sees a convergence of traditional (print) media and social (online) media. 
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It’s that time of year again when friendly, “let’s re-affirm our relationship” calls from vendors start rolling in. Whatever your news distribution affiliation, (be it PR Newswire, Marketwire, Business Wire, eNR Services, etc.) it’s time to revisit the methods you’ve used, and re-survey the landscape of vendor capabilities. The difference could be a long, healthy, interactive life for even the “smallest” serving of your story, or a quick & costly plunge into 2.0blivion. Consider the following:

Build an arsenal
The bottom line is agility. There is no “silver bullet” vendor that has all of the capabilities to match convergent PR needs. Shirk year-long contracts to broaden your arsenal of services at hand. Create a strategic cache of vendors poised to distribute your story the
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As a former newspaper reporter, I was always skeptical about people – presidents, CEOs, owners, spokespeople – who were too slick for their own good. You know the type. They say the right things, do the right things. But do they really mean what they say? Do they really believe what they’re doing? Or is it all just a façade?

I’ve always felt that, in business and in life, honesty truly is the best policy. Whether you’re right or wrong, be honest with yourself and your constituents, take responsibility and be authentic.

The slick vs. authentic dilemma recently came to light while I was working on a couple of Godfrey podcasts. The first one covered Convergent PR – the blending of traditional business-to-business PR tactics with the new, social media PR tactics (one of which, coincidentally, is podcasts).

The podcast team asked itself, How slick, how professional do we want this podcast to be? Should we write a
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