Do you need an eXtreme MarCom 2.0 makeover?

Well, below are some tips for strategic consideration.

Public relations and marketing is about the conversation. Right?

And, depending on which camp you are in; communications, marketing or both, you can more effectively enable “conversation” by shaping opinion, and opening the door towards selling the products, services and information you offer with MarCom 2.0.

MarCom 2.0 offers new ways to do business. An evolved and matured communications model is continuous communications,strategically integrated across multiple channels. Consider, that if you are not part of where and how the new conversation is taking place then you could be missing huge opportunities with the advent of Now PR and the changing social media landscape.

In putting the cards on the table, I preface this post with the following obvious statements. And, I will never discount or dismiss that:

1. Face-to face communication and personal relationship building is still very important and relevant.
2. Research is key to excellent communication, marketing and business success.
3. Traditional PR ethics, and methods still have significant value.

But, the times and new technology is changing how we start the conversation. And, it is time to consider restrategizing how to make use of MarCom 2.0 tools, and 2.0 enabled audiences by going where the people are located.

Key to your strategic planning questions, “who are your x-2.0 influencers?” (See that recent Govtech Article as well)

I assume, if you are a PR, MarCom, communications professional, you want to help the media, constituents and your influencers to do their job more efficiently to help achieve your overall communication and business goals.

More, to the point, shape opinion, create change, win more business and win more clients with consistent continuous integrated communications.

The Internet never sleeps and it transcends all business time zones and media deadlines, 24/7/365, no matter where you are. Hence, the term Now PR.

An online corporate newsroom with stagnant content and a lack of adequate media “engagement” could be minimizing your ability to sway public opinion, increase awareness about your products and services or simply marginalizing your ability to win new business.

I provide the following analogies purely for contextual consideration (and some fun):

1. Would you still use a scythe, hay rack, horse and a single fixed steel plow blade, harrowing disks to “cultivate and harvest” or would you use a modern combines and ??? Wait, let me make the analogy more relevant to communications.
2. Would you use a Gutenberg press, telegraph/tele-type, the linotype machine, or the typewriter to issue your Brand, messaging or news to those “harvesting” information about your company these days? My, my, my we sure have come a long way. We have so many more channels to chose from. Bull horns are still optional, as well.

If you use one antiquated method, tactic, tool or channel you could be missing the boat. You do not have to swallow the entire elephant at one time. But, I preface, if you are not strategically instituting incremental changes in moving towards communication 2.0, then you could be presenting your brand, your corporation or your agency as an out dated Linotype machine that it operates at a slow technological pace versus current day new media and other MarCom professionals who require new media formats and newer interactive elements. And, if well planned your Internet newsrooms can serve to meet many MarCom needs.

If you’ve built your online newsroom, and realize that your corporation, small business, organization, agency and/or Brand needs a makeover then the following tips can help in moving you towards making use of some new tools, new standards and evolving new interactive communication best practices to attract media,

Journalists, editors, and new business prospects require the basic nuts and bolts about who you are, what you do and how you do it. Before beginning your strategic communication 2.0 makeover, please make sure that you have the core communication basics covered by incorporating:

1. Your public relations/media contacts (who is your key editorial/media voice for your CEO & Company?
2. Company basic facts
3. Perspective on the industry/Your target business sectors/events/issues
4. High resolution images for downloading/use by media (executive images, salient other images)
5. Updated financial information ( private companies would not do so, but may provide a one pager on percent of growth, general sales/revenues and growth goals and growth direction
6. Archived news releases by date ( possibly by key words as well)

Here are a some next steps for strategic communication 2.0 planning consideration:

1. If you are operating on limited funds, you might consider using some free resources already widely in practice on the Internet and even free open source and multi-platform distribution tools to save money and time (YouTube, Yahoo! News, Google News, Topix.com, bit.ly, Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Ping.fim, SlideShare, IM Tools, Tubemogul and many others).
2. Give your news room “legs” by enabling it to be more virtual, more viral and more mobile. Plan to incorporate Really Simple Syndication (RSS), Multi-media Syndication (MMS), and ShareThis.
3. Incorporate an advanced search tool for news release archive, executive bios, E-press kits, key words.
4. Further consider arranging your contacts by your line of business, sector verticals, capability, growth/industry sector. You may want to also provide executive social media bios, consider offering speeches, presentations, a relevant and timely short video snippet, quotes and sector remarks.
5. Incorporate Technorati’s functionality, it searches, tracks and organizes top blogs by topic and records timely up-to-date links relative to your subject matter/sector (technorati.com/about)
6. White papers and research findings, and real-time subject/industry buzz metric graphs.
7. Product and Service information.
8. Provide an e2.0, email, status update bar, media content update functionality or Twitter alert functionality for media, editors, constituents, and journalists.
9. E-press kits ( for core lines of business, events, initiatives, issues).
10. For enhanced SEO/SEM, VSEM/VSEO, strategically build, use and replicate key word meta tags/cloud tags, alt tags and meta descriptions across multiple channels, within your back-end newsroom source code, videos, E-press kits, graphics, speeches, events, blogs and pictures.
11. Create a multimedia library (High resolution photo library, video library, B-roll library, MP3 files).
12. Create external links/iconic image links to other key social networks where your business and executives maybe networking (Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, LinkedIn).
13. Seriously consider your Twitter strategy and it’s value to your business.
14. Link or steam media past, current or related industry coverage by using Digg.com and del.icio.us.
15. Implement a new press release template, a social media news release (Stay tuned for my next blog post on this topic). This new press release format should enable your intended targets, constituents, and media garner the information, materials, and interactive media from within the news release itself to allow them to more easily create that earned media story more efficiently.

These are just a few thoughts for strategically planning a MarCom 2.0 makeover.

Let me know what you think?

Useful?

Relevant?

What are some great social media newsrooms you have come across, lately?

Any case studies out there that you know of on this? The Web 2.0 enabled newsroom?