A press release is a great way to present newsworthy content for your readers. However, the cost can be prohibitive for a small business or association to subscribe to the big press release distribution sites. Before you shell out $350 or more to get your news noticed, you might consider registering for a few of the free directory websites. While the free sites do not normally contain links, video embeds, or graphic images, they do receive notice via Twitter, blogs, and search engines.

Before you launch into submitting your press release to any directory, ensure it is well written and targeted directly to your key online audience. David Meerman Scott writes extensively about online press release value. Here is a link to his blog post, the new rules for press releases.

Once you write your release targeted to your key audience, using your keywords, you can use hubspot’s press release grader to determine whether you have some revising to do.

If your social media budget is tight, register for free press release directories to share your content online.

www.24-7pressrelease.com
www.i-newswire.com
www.pr.com
www.pressbox.co.uk
www.przoom.com
www.free-press-release-center.info
www.clickpress.com
www.prlog.org

If you use a free press release directory and would like to share its domain, please add to the list!

Next we’ll take a look at distribution for high value “big news” announcements.

Army leadership began drumming operational security (OPSEC) into my head 20 years ago when my husband was a “butter bar” lieutenant. The recent explosion in social media caused me to wonder what the Army’s official take on this craze is, especially when it comes to OPSEC.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Lt. Col. Kevin Arata to ask that very question. He is the director of the Online and Social Media Division Office of the Chief of Public Affairs.

I first asked Lt. Col. Arata whether the explosion of social media is in direct conflict with the Army’s OPSEC policy. He explained that so far it is not. He clarified that from a soldier level, our men and women are well schooled in what they should and should not say. The Army continues to educate them about what is appropriate and what is not throughout their careers. “No soldier would do anything to intentionally harm the Army or put their fellow soldiers at risk,” said Arata. “As long as our leaders continue to educate them the right way, I do not see this changing.”

From an Intel (intelligence) perspective, could the enemy piece things together to figure out something critical? In Arata’s honest opinion it seems unlikely.

On the public affairs (PAO) side Lt. Col. Arata does not view social media as a security concern because PAOs are trained and schooled thoroughly in media relations and OPSEC. According to Arata, the information you read that the Army released through social media is already out in public forums. “We now use social media as another tool to distribute information,” said Arata.

I asked Lt. Col. Arata about family member use of social media and its impact on operational security. After all, civilians are not in the direct chain of command. (Though I can say from experience, we may as well be!) He answered that his focus is at the Army-wide level. His office disseminates information and policy. Currently there is not a planned higher-level mechanism for dealing with a family member’s responsible use of social media (concerning OPSEC).

What I found most interesting is that this platform of social media is still new and ever-changing. The Army, just like any organization, is learning and planning its most effective use, too.

“We are working side by side with our operational security counterparts to learn how best to implement social media,” said Arata.

Arata illustrated there are still gray areas when it comes to OPSEC violation and social media. One OPSEC specialist shared with him an example of an Army family member who posted on Facebook that her soldier was deploying to Sauder City. One staffer saw this as a clear OPSEC violation while another did not because the Unit was already in Sauder City when the information was posted. Arata believes educating family members about OPSEC is key. “My general guideline is if you wouldn’t write your comment on a sign stuck in your front lawn, don’t post it to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. If you have reservations in that scenario, go with your gut!”

I also asked Lt. Col. Arata what the Army is doing to support good OPSEC while recognizing that soldiers and family members are actively participating in social media. “The bottom line is we educate, not regulate,” he said. “I believe our people know the right thing to do, and I have not personally seen flagrant violations.”

The Army’s Web site operates the official U.S. Army social media pages for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and many more. As of this writing, the Army’s Twitter page had 8,959 followers and 29,082 fans on their Facebook page.

They are dedicated to telling the soldiers’ stories and, in return, promoting those stories to others on social networking sites. Official U.S. Army organizations can submit the URL to their social media page(s) and, once approved, those links will be posted to the social media glossary on the U.S.Army site.

To read the Army’s official blog or connect to their social media sites, visit their Web site.

“From an OPSEC perspective, we do have people that have included, as previously mentioned, such things as when or where their spouses are deployed,” said Lt. Col. Arata. “That could include unit names, locations, sizes, etc. While it’s seemingly harmless, over 80 percent of what Al Quaeda collects is from open source information, so a dozen, or a hundred pieces of information, pieced together from hundreds or thousands of pieces, could end up creating answers to the enemy’s questions. It’s best, therefore, to be very careful about what details are released. For instance, don’t post on a blog that your spouse is deployed. Don’t tell people in an open forum that you are anxiously awaiting your spouse’s return, and put a date! Keep postings and musings generic.”

I found three examples of postings on The U.S. Army Facebook fan page. (I xxed out specific unit names.) Comments like:

Butch xxxxx “just wanted to say again, my son is leaving for iraq, friday his birthday, to help defend our country and freedom, wishing him and all our men and women to be safe, remember to keep your head down and the power day. lets give mark and all our troops a big HOOAH!——”

Lauren xxxx “I love and miss my soldier who is serving in Afghanistan right now!! I have survived two weeks of this deployment. Just want to say thanks to all the soldiers for their service and to the families as well for their love and support!!”

Tami xxx “Glad I found this site, my son Tony is currently serving with the xxxth BSB, xxx BCT, xx xxxxx xxx, (Fort xx xx) in Afganistan. I pray every day for his safe return along with his fellow soldiers.”

While each posting alone is not a clear description of unit movement dates and times, it could contribute to giving information to our enemies. Keep in mind I pulled these three quotes from hundreds in a matter of minutes.

Our Army continues to expand its use of social media alongside the business community. This summer they start using social media to monitor key terms and phrases. This can help the Army determine where they need to engage and respond. They already participate in conversations with some military bloggers.

In an effort to ensure consistent knowledge and use of social media across the services, the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard collaborate in their social media efforts by meeting monthly. They have established an All Services Social Media Council comprised of about 50 people across the services, to include the Department of Defense. They have been meeting regularly for six months now, and in addition to discussing the best practices in social media, they also invite experts to help their efforts. This past month their normal two-hour meeting was arranged as a day-long seminar, hosted by Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies. Presenters included representatives from each of the services, a Georgetown professor, a civilian social media firm, and a Facebook representative. This helps keep all of the services abreast of the latest trends in this quickly changing and advancing field.

Our military’s leadership understands the value of social media to reach out to the public. Admiral That W. Allen, commandant of the United States Coast Guard, updates his blog, iCommandant, from his Treo. General Ray Odierno, commanding general of the Multi National Task Force in Iraq, owns a very popular Facebook fan page that he updates with comments and news segments from Iraq. (Become a fan and watch a video of Gen. Odierno shaving comedian Stephen Colbert’s head during his recent visit to Iraq.)

I guess I can stop worrying about my Facebook page and adhere to the same standards I learned many moons ago. It’s ok to share my thoughts in social media as long as I remember safety first for our soldiers, their families, and our country!

Blog Directory

<

internet marketing, social media, NetStrategies, Northern Virginia, blogging, public relations

I recently read Adam Ostrow’s Mashable blog entitled, “Is Social Media Making Corporate Websites Irrelevant” and wondered how my Northern Virginia team at NetStrategies would react to that headline. Keep in mind, our area of expertise is helping businesses optimize their Web sites! So I asked my team for a rebuttal and here is their take:

NetStrategies President Rodney Loges comments, “My abbreviated two cents is as follows — social media must play a role in the building of a successful online presence but should not be the only endeavor. To me SM sites are just another channel to reach clients when and where they are online. The basics of marketing apply even in the world of social media. Do you know your customer? Are you solving their problem? What action do you want them to take and is the customer rewarded for doing such? You have to build your foundation etc. before you can install the interior decorations.”

Our vice president and Web development expert John Schultz explains, “The bottom line is that social media is an important communication channel with prospects and customers, but the corporate Web site is still the core of how companies engage customers online. (Adam Ostrow’s) example uses a consumer product where the company is trying to generate buzz online — most of our customers are people who do real transactions or lead development online. The corporate Web site is still the core of customer engagement, and social media is just a touch point or spoke in the wheel that can help the company broaden its reach online.

Another point is that “fans” on Facebook don’t necessarily drive their KPIs. 250,000 fans don’t mean that a company will sell more. It’s a valuable communication channel and an impressive number, but the critical piece of this is how a company uses that channel to drive sales.

You could contrast consumer products (Coke, Pepsi, Vitamin Water) with the real business of generating leads and sales online. Branding is a whole different effort than lead generation and in the B2B world the approach has to be different.”

Robert Moses is the director of operations at NetStrategies. “Corporate Web sites are now and will still be the authoratative source for a company. When a social media user hears about his or her favorite company on Facebook he/she will need to reach the corporate Web site to read the official press release, announcement, opt-in to a spcial offer, or complete an online transaction.”

Stevan Loges is our analytics and Pay Per Click expert. “To me social media is really an extension of a corporate site and involves meeting your customers where they are.

While it seems like everyone is on Facebook, etc. there are still demographics who are not or who are overwhelmed by the majority of applications/requests they receive on a daily basis. There needs to be an alternative for those other users.

Just some ideas, but I agree with the consensus that a social media site could/should never completely take the place of a corporate Web site.”

Steve Reali produces our video and tackles other multi-media projects as well. “Social media CAN be an excellent way to reach a broad audience. Sites like YouTube or MySpace or Facebook allow people with certain needs to find businesses/info they are looking for; however, eventually they will need to come to/interact with the company itself. This is where having the Web site and phone number of the actual company will become a necessity.”

As social media and content marketing manager for the company I believe social media continues to grow in its importance to organizations of all kinds. Will SM ever take the place of a corporate Web site? When it comes to the Internet and how rapidly it is changing, nothing would surprise me.

(Twitter bird compliments of Productive Dreams.)

Blog Directory

<

internet marketing, social media, NetStrategies, Northern Virginia, blogging, public relations

The shear number of Twitter tools to make Tweeting “easier” is somewhat overwhelming! You can discover thousands of programs that do this and do that. How can you stay on top of it all?

Take a deep breath and realize that you cannot. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by Twitter, create some categories for your Twitter use and then find the applications that work best for you. (Even better, find the freebies.)

These are my categories and the programs that I use. If they work for you, fantastic! If you want to share your suggestions, I’d love to check out your favorite Twitter tools too!

Manage Multiple Twitter Accounts

HootSuite is a neat little application (free) that allows you to manage multiple accounts. Your business might use separate Twitter accounts to communicate with your different customer profiles. Logging in and out of Twitter every time you want to Tweet under a different profile is time-consuming, but with Hootsuite you can manage them all at once. Best of all, you can schedule Tweets in advance. This ensures a few Tweets per profile go out throughout the week.

To see what others are available, read this Mashable blog post authored by Jennifer Van Grove.

Find Followers

Who says the Yellow Pages are dead? Not users of Twellow, the Twitter Yellow Pages. Register for a free listing and find oodles of people to follow by category. If you want to follow people Tweeting about growing roses, type it into Twellow’s search box, then every Twitter profile that discusses rose growing pops up into a list. Choose to follow as many as you’d like.

WhoShouldiFollow is an application that offers suggestions on people to follow that mirror those already in your profile.

FriendorFollow shows within your profile who follows you that you do not follow, those you follow not reciprocating, and mutual followers.

Organize Your Followers

I use TweetDeck to organize the people I follow in Twitter. Set up as many categories as you like and follow those Tweets in separate columns. My columns are organized to follow my full Twitter stream, another by industry experts, one by the topic SEO, etc. You can also see a column of replies, direct messages, etc.

Tweepler is a handy little program that makes following and ignoring people a bit easier. Whereas before I tried going into Twitter and manually looking up every new follower and either keeping or ignoring them, this app is much quicker!

If you would rather block than ignore, use MyTweeple. It is similar to Tweepler, but offers the block function. Once you upload your Twitter followers, MyTweeple shows you whether they follow you, you follow them, or it’s mutual. This app allows you to block and it is a huge time saver for me!

Dainis Graveris compiled a great list of Twitter tools for finding and managing followers. I suggest you give it a read.

Get Questions Answered on Twitter

Many people use Twitter as a surveying tool. It’s a wonderful use of this social medium. Rather than spending a bucket of cash on a focus group to test customer response to a new product or service, ask thousands of Twitter followers. Mashable posted a useful blog post on this topic. It lists and describes five Twitter apps for posting questions including iknowtweet, Twttrstrm, twtpoll, and twitQA. (The author Stan Schroeder also lists toanswer.com which as of this posting was no longer a working link.)

How Well Do I Twitter?

Whether you are a new Twitter user or a more seasoned expert, it’s nice to monitor effectiveness. I ran across three applications that do just that.

Visit Twitalyzer. Simply enter your Twitter user name and then wait for the results. Categories include influence, signal, generosity, velocity, and clout. Each category is explained on the site. There is also a search function and a way to see what brands are Twittering.

Another program from Chitika, analyzes your Twitter echo, or influence factor. Once again, enter your user name and wait for the results.

HubSpot offers a number of free graders including Twittergrader. Enter your user name and this app ranks and grades your account. Another section I found interesting was the Tweet Cloud which lists the terms you Tweet most often. I was pleased to see in my cloud words like Web, useful, analytics, RT, marketing, and thanks!

If You Twitter, They Will Come

Once you start Tweeting on a regular basis your following will increase. It takes time, but stick with it. Remember to monitor your brand, name, industry terms, and even competition through search. Add your “Follow me on Twitter” icon to everything you send out. Select a fun Twitter icon. This TwiTip blog post offers hundreds of free Twitter icons.

Twitter icon courtesy of productivedreams.

Blog Directory

<

internet marketing, social media, NetStrategies, Northern Virginia, blogging, public relations

Twitter icon courtesy of Productive Dreams.

It takes some commitment, but Twittering is fun and educational. You can benefit from an endless stream of resources, and better yet, set yourself up as a credible resource within your area of expertise.

(Twitter is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time. A “Tweet” is the mini blog entry you type, in 140 characters or less.)

When you type “Twitter for Beginners” into a search engine, a long list of results reveals blog posts and articles to get started; however I found many of the postings do not necessarily mean the true “I don’t know where to start” beginner. In this post I assume you are a true newbie just as I was a few months ago. Read these step-by-step instructions to create your Twitter account today!

Step 1
Link to Twitter’s sign-up page.
Keep a few things in mind when you create an account.

Your username is what people see when they read your Tweets. If you plan to use your Twitter account for business, you might want to use your business name. If your business is large and several employees Twitter for work too, then you might use your own name or one related to your business. Try not to use a stream of nonsense letters because your Twitter name is part of your brand or identity.

Step 2
Once you create your account, select settings and personalize your Twitter account for your identity.

Step 3
The first tab under settings, account, includes fields such as your user name, email address, time zone, location, and language. You can also enter a one line bio. This bio should include the words you want people to use to find you, so if you plan to Twitter about your association’s mission of saving the world from the passive voice in writing, then include that in your bio. When potential followers type “passive writing” into search, your profile appears.

Step 4
The password tab allows you to change your password. Self-explanatory, right!

Step 5
Devices
The devices tab is where you enter your mobile phone number so you can Twitter from your cell phone, iPhone, Blackberry, etc.

Step 6
Notices is the tab where you make selections for which items get emailed to your account. If you want to receive notification of new followers, direct messages, and @replies, make the appropriate selections here.

Step 7
The picture tab is where you upload your photo, logo, or icon that represents your Twitter profile. I use my own picture for my personal profile and the NetStrategies logo for our company profile. This again is part of your branding and I suggest you use a distinctive photo.

Step 8
The final tab in the settings section is design. Twitter offers a variety of free sample designs. Most Twitter aficionados recommend you upload your own background design. Create your own by uploading a digital image. You could tile it, which is what I did. Get as creative as you like. Some folks even hire a designer. This again is part of your branding. Play around with a few to see what works. Keep in mind that the stream of Twitter updates blocks a significant portion of the screen.

Step 9
You can now begin to Tweet! Take a few days to add posts for practice. Look around within Twitter to investigate the search function (found at the very bottom of the page), blog (bottom of page), and find people feature. Once you have a rhythm, take advantage of the many applications available to manage your Twittering.

Twitter just posted their own Twitter 101 Guide for Beginners!

Next week learn about a few Twitter applications I use to find followers, track and measure keywords, manage accounts simultaneously, and schedule Tweets.

Blog Directory

<

internet marketing, social media, NetStrategies, Northern Virginia, blogging, public relations

If you read blogs, you know that any blogger worth her salt (his too!) includes an occasional Top 10 list. There are Web sites like Toptenz dedicated to Top 10 lists and even solicit for your ideas on what lists they can compile. David Letterman capitalizes on the public’s fascination with all things Top 10. You can watch those segments dating back to August 1993 on the CBS Late Night Web site.

Here are 10 ways you can come up with a Top 10 list to write your next blog!

1. Use your social media network to solicit answers to your topic. Post a Tweet asking, “What feature do you like best about our Web site?” (Remember to include your URL.) Or post questions through LinkedIn or Facebook. Compile your responses by popularity, and wham, you have a list!
2. If your business solicits customer comments, review that feedback and look for trends. Customers love to be heard. Turning their feedback into a blog entry is a great way to deepen their relationship with your organization.
3. Read someone else’s article for ideas, then add your own research and spin. It is important to give credit to the originator of that idea in your blog.
4. Read a great book lately? Chronicle the Top 10 things you learned from it. The author will appreciate the love and your readers can read the book for a more complete picture of the topic.
5. Ask your co-workers for input. You are surrounded by experts in your industry. Tap into them as a resource.
6. Google it. Search engines open the world to researching a topic at your fingertips. Simply type your question into a search engine and follow the results.
7. Explore your industry Wiki for trends and answers.
8. Register for online research. I use Forrester to substantiate writing on Internet marketing topics for our company, NetStrategies. Forrester allows limited access to registered non-paying customers and greater access for paying ones.
9. Phew, coming up with 10 is harder than I thought… This is not a way to generate ideas, but important blog content nonetheless. Remember to incorporate your keywords into your Top 10 list. For instance, writing, Web content, NetStrategies, and Laurie Dunlop are some of my keywords. I want to make sure some or all of them are included (in a clever and meaningful way) near the top of my list.
10. Ask your blog readers! If they already read your content, invite them to comment on your proposed topic. Once again, this helps develop that two-way conversation with your stakeholders. So, what do you think? How do you come up with a Top 10 list for your blog? Please share your tips with us all!

Blog Directory

internet marketing, social media, NetStrategies, Northern Virginia, blogging, public relations

Notice my headline reads “solid writing” and not perfect, fancy, or academic writing. Most public relations efforts involve the written word. Whether you compose a blog, Web page, news release, or video script, pay close attention to the words you choose and how you use them.

I believe solid writing is direct, active, and descriptive. If you see the word “be” in your sentence, remove it and find a better way to write your sentence. A passive voice is no way to convince your reader to take action.

For example: (A) I am trying to be a better writer by using a direct approach. (B) My writing improves when I use a direct approach.

The second sentence is active.

I attended a conference back in the ’90s and the speaker made two valuable writing recommendations that I took to heart and put to use.

First, he suggested we read The New York Times every day. His argument was NYTimes reporters write rich openings and that reading good writing makes better writers. Whether or not you agree with the paper’s editorial slant, the writing is very good. Read these two examples from April 10′s online edition:

Laurence Ulrich wrote, “If you listen closely at the New York auto show, you can almost hear the pent-up pressure beneath the optimistic speeches and aspirational displays of gleaming sheet metal: it is the sound of an industry holding its collective breath.”

Bill Pennington wrote, “It was said, over and over before the 2009 Masters began, that the green coat power brokers of the Augusta National Golf Club had ruined a stirring golf course by making it too long, too narrow, too hard and too dull. Approaching most Masters tournaments, people usually natter themselves silly in their admiration of the place’s unmatched traditions, but earlier this week all anyone wanted to talk about were the changes to Bobby Jones’s revered layout.” (I love that word “natter!”)

His second bit of advice was to take words ending in “ly” out of your writing. Get rid of the adverbs and find a better way to describe the action.

For example: (A) He silently walked across the room. (B) He crept from one side of the room to the other, not making a sound.

Use your thesaurus and select verbs that enrich your content. Do you mean walked or crept? Other choices are tiptoe, sneak, skulk, steal, and slink.

So sorry Shakespeare, the question is not “To be, or not to be,” but rather, is it, or isn’t it?

Blog Directory

internet marketing, public relations, NetStrategies, Woodbridge, social media, internet optimization

Some days I hate the drive to work. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job as Web content writer at NetStrategies. But those traffic lights — there are 24 of them between my house and workplace. Some days I sail right through and other days, ugh!

Waiting at traffic lights (and believe me, in Northern Va. people spend hours waiting in their vehicles) made me think about the Internet. When I hit those traffic signals wrong, I immediately look for other routes to the office. I like to keep moving.

In much the same way, when I surf the Internet seeking a product or information, I cannot stand to wait. If a site takes more than a few seconds to load, I revert back to the search results and try another vendor, or if while shopping in a site I encounter a glitch during checkout, I exit and leave my shopping cart full. That split second of hang time is enough to make me pause and stop before selecting “buy.”

What red traffic signals irritate visitors on your Web site and cause them to exit? Many factors affect customer satisfaction on a site. Your mechanics, DNS, host, navigation, content, calls to action, eCommerce, design, and so much more integrate to provide a positive experience to a visitor. A successful Web site then goes a step farther; it employs sound analytics to track a visitor’s experience within your site. Quality content draws that prospect through your site to conversion.

Visit your own company Web site often and look hard for those red lights. My next posting suggests a couple of writing tips to improve your content.

Photo credit

Technorati Profile

internet marketing, public relations, NetStrategies, Woodbridge, social media, web content

The Internet marketing gurus say blog. It makes perfect sense. If you’re an expert in your field, who better to share that knowledge, that passion, but you? In theory you can write a few blog entries a week, engaging your readers (hopefully your customers) in conversation, educating them about your industry, your business, your specialty. OK, perhaps it is not so easy to get started, but I got my feet wet commenting in other blogs for a few months, so here I go! 

My specialty is public relations. My career started back in the 1980s when I learned the nuts and bolts of traditional PR while attending Marywood University (then a women’s college) in Scranton, Pa. (Maybe that’s why I love The Office!) Since then I practiced my trade in eight different states and two European countries for numerous businesses ranging from non-profits, like the American Cancer Society, to U.S. Army Morale, Welfare, and Recreation. I provided media relations, served as a public affairs officer, publicity director, newsletter editor… the full spectrum in traditional PR.

But in 20 years, the world changed, my hair grayed, and the field of public relations transformed, too. As I adapt my traditional PR practices to today’s more targeted approach, I want to convert you, too. Read our company blog, as well as follow me on Twitter to learn how to drive key audiences to your Web site, where I hope you can turn visitors into customers.

I work for NetStrategies as a Web content writer. Learn how we can help you drive measurable results when you visit our Web site.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/internet

internet marketing, blgging, NetStrategies, SEO, social media, search engine optimization