Public Relations

Over the last few years, public relations has become as much about creating online visibility as it has offline marketing and positioning.

In the real estate industry, I've read that approximately 80% of first-time home buyers begin their search for property online. A quick search on the "net" yields the following stats:

*approximately 40% of car buyers start their research online,

*76% of travelers book their travel online, and

*in 2007, Americans bought more apparel online than they did computers and electronics.

Lastly, 74.4% of America's population uses the Internet. That figure has grown 132.5% since 2000 - representing 15.7% of the world's total number of Internet users. Figures courtesy of www.internetworldstats.com

We have arrived at a time where you can post a 140-character comment on Twitter and be doing business with a "follower" that afternoon.

With Internet-based press release distribution outlets available, reporter query blogs, and dozens of services that facilitate massive visibility to a variety of markets, a PR specialist's job almost comes down to managing a dashboard of media sources - and, of course, doing it really well.

While the Internet makes it easier to get some quick "viz," and, certainly, that's popular with most clients, how we craft a plan really depends on what a client needs.

Sometimes it means sharing with a client a ready source of ideal client types hiding in a organization right under their nose...in their own community.

Sometimes it means showing them where to find potential clients online and how to interact with them without offending.

It could also mean helping them to secure hi-viz endorsements that will serve them and the business in a variety of ways. Or maybe, we are using one publicity event to create more.

It could be that what the client needs may actually have nothing to do with boosting a company's positioning - it may have to do with boosting personal marketing power (as in creating visibility in the right places to facilitate a career move).

Whatever the case, the crafting commences once it's clear we have a fit. Should the need be better served by an associate, referrals are made.

Listed below are the public relations services provided by Mary Kurek:

*Viz Consultation: (1 hour by phone or Skype - Career or Business positioning)

*Viz Push: (3 days, or 3 months, or 6 months. Concentration is on building links and driving traffic to your web site, with feature article and blog writing, and profile generation. With 6 months, we start with an overall plan that includes working on some offline visibility. Additionally, the 3 and 6 month plan can include some social media management. All include tracking the viz.)

*Business Writing: (press releases, blog postings, twitter postings, bios, marketing blurbs, and 800-word feature articles--distribution if desired.)

*Social Media Training/Management: One-on-one training or staff workshops are provided for those who need help in setting up and/or understanding how to use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and the like for marketing. Ongoing management services offered.

Speaking & Board of Directors Training on networking for visibility.

Click here for Client Cases.