1. PR in the 21PR in the 21stst
CenturyCentury
Stacy ArmijoStacy Armijo
Vice PresidentVice President
Pierpont CommunicationsPierpont Communications
2. A little about meA little about me
Not your typical online evangelist
Live in the most exciting time this century
Believe there are lots of new opportunities
Also believe the fundamentals still apply
3. …Because you can, doesn’t mean you
should.
…Because you’re intimidated, doesn’t
mean you shouldn’t.
I Believe That…I Believe That…
4. Where we areWhere we are
Proliferation of media outlets
Barriers to entry almost eliminated
“Citizen Media”
5. Now everyone is an expert…Now everyone is an expert…
……So who really is?So who really is?
6. The good newsThe good news
More outlets = More, broader coverage
Specialized outlets = Better targeting
More interaction (can) = Stronger brands
Cheap, cheap, cheap!
7. The bad newsThe bad news
Fast news = Fewer controls, less
accuracy
Many outlets = More work for us
Bad news travels faster than ever
Credibility difficult to determine
Less control than ever
8. In defense of “MSM”In defense of “MSM”
“Barriers” serve
a purpose
“In print” and “on air”
still powerful
MSM as primary source
Traditional media far from dead, but
changing rapidly
9. Focus on the fundamentals.Focus on the fundamentals.
10. What’s the objective?What’s the objective?
Think twice if it’s because…
Your competitor has a MySpace page.
All of your Web developer’s friends are
doing it.
Your CEO’s neighbor has a blog, so he
wants one too.
11. What’s the objective?What’s the objective?
Dig deeper if it’s because you want to…
Drive sales leads
Supplement expert positioning efforts
Cultivate your online reputation
Extend the reach of other communications
Enhance employee recruiting efforts
…using online tools.
12. If you passed the first testIf you passed the first test
Ask yourself a few questions…
Is the Internet your primary source for
sales leads / employees?
Does your product or service inspire
“fandom”?
Does your organization like to experiment,
take risks?
13. If you passed the first testIf you passed the first test
Alternatively…
Do you operate in a highly regulated or
litigious industry?
Are you ready to endure severe public
criticism?
Do you have the resources (time, writers,
techno junkies)?
14. PR Tools of the 21PR Tools of the 21stst
CenturyCentury
15. Web SiteWeb Site
21st
Century storefront
Benefits: Risks: Good for:
• Critical in today’s
business
environment
• Accurate
positioning
• Technical security
• Introducing the
organization
• Educating your
audience
• Leveraging other
tactics
• Driving leads
16. Media RelationsMedia Relations
Reaching out to news media to generate coverage of your
organization.
Benefits: Risks: Good for:
• Third-party
credibility
• Longer lifespan
• More editorial
controls
• More cost-
effective than
advertising
• Story is in the
reporter’s hands
• You could be
bumped anytime
• Educating your
audience
• Positioning you as
an expert
• Awareness /
Credibility for your
organization
17. Search Engine OptimizationSearch Engine Optimization
Technical strategies for achieving a high ranking for your
Web site on search engines.
Benefits: Risks: Good for:
• Very targeted
audience
• Can be
inexpensive
• Changing rapidly
• Requires constant
attention
• Find a trusted
partner
• Lead generation
• Online reputation
management
• “Write your own
Google page”
18. Pay Per Click AdvertisingPay Per Click Advertising
Paid search results guaranteed to appear when users type
specified terms into search engines.
Benefits: Risks: Good for:
• Very targeted
audience
• Pay only for what
you receive
• Changing rapidly
• Click fraud
• Find a trusted
partner
• Lead generation
• Boosting organic
search rankings
19. Videos / PhotosVideos / Photos
Marketing your organization through videos and photos,
using online sharing services such as YouTube and Flickr.
Benefits: Risks: Good for:
• Shows personality
of your company
• Can use it to
supplement blogs,
Web sites
• Can be used to
educate
• Legal
considerations of
videos / photos
published
• Extending the
reach of your
events and
presentations
• Employee morale,
Recruiting
• Branding
20. BlogsBlogs
A regularly updated journal published on the Web.
Benefits: Risks: Good for:
• Targeted
audience
• Catalogues your
expertise
• Interactive
• Inexpensive
• Compelling copy
is time-intensive
• “Comments” can
become divisive;
expose readers to
negative views
• No editorial
controls
• Lead generation
• Search engine
rankings
• Expert positioning
21. PodcastsPodcasts
Audio recordings posted online for downloading onto
computers, MP3 players and PDAs.
Benefits: Risks: Good for:
• Catalogues your
expertise
• Applicable to a
mobile audience
• High quality can
be expensive
• Educating your
audience
• Expert positioning
• Entertainment
22. WebinarsWebinars
Meetings or presentations conducted over the Internet,
often in combination with a phone conference.
Benefits: Risks: Good for:
• Participation easy
for attendees
• Catalogues your
expertise
• Very inexpensive
• Attendees often
multitask during
presentations
• Educating your
audience
• Maintaining
contact between
live events
• Expert positioning
23. Social NetworkingSocial Networking
Online communities for users with similar interests such as
Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Benefits: Risks: Good for:
• Broad reach
• Fosters “fans”
• Interactive
• Inexpensive
• Access to
personal info
• “Comments” can
become divisive;
expose readers to
negative views
• Updating is time-
intensive
• Consumer
products
• Social causes
• Career / Business
development
(LinkedIn)
24. Mobile MarketingMobile Marketing
Communicating to your audience via cell phones and other
mobile devices.
Benefits: Risks: Good for:
• Currently, mobile
is growing, less
crowded venue
• Direct connection
to audience
• Recipients highly
sensitive to
“spam” on cell
phones
• “Do Not Call”
compliance
• Spurring action
among attendees
during events
• Extending the
reach of other
communications
27. Get the lay of the landGet the lay of the land
Online monitoring
– RSS feeds track blogs, social media
– Google Reader, Pluck, MSN, Yahoo!, others
Who’s the real expert?
– Technorati – View “authority” and Top 100 list
– Digg – Today’s most popular blog posts, videos, etc.
Tracking it all
– del.icio.us – Social networking bookmark site
28. What’s it all mean?What’s it all mean?
You’ve got some choices to make.
Ask yourself those questions.
Do you have some time on your hands (or
money to pay someone else)?
Where does it fit in your overall marketing
strategy?
Remember, it’s all gravy.
29. Stacy ArmijoStacy Armijo
Vice PresidentVice President
Pierpont CommunicationsPierpont Communications
512-448-4950512-448-4950
sarmijo@piercom.comsarmijo@piercom.com
www.piercom.comwww.piercom.com
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