Check out the interview with Edward Yang, Managing Partner of Firecracker PR, on MO.com.

There’s the old saying that the only function that matters in a
company is marketing.

After all, without a market or customers, there are no sales and ergo
no company.

Another truism that is just as appropriate in public relations should
be that all PR is simply sales.

Think about this for a moment. In sales, you are approaching
prospects with the ultimate intent of selling products or services.

In sales, you need to create a prospect list. The quality of the list
can play a big part in your success in terms of how close they match
your offerings.

In sales you approach the prospects, pitch them and try to close
them.

In sales, especially these days and in higher end goods, building
relationships is crucial.

Similarly, in PR you are approaching prospects (editors or reporters)
with the ultimate intent of selling them your story idea.

In PR, you also need to create a targeted list of media. Simply
blasting your release to the world or worse yet, spamming media that
aren’t in the area of interest is at best a waste of money and at
worst a good way to get yourself blacklisted by said media.

In PR you approach the media, usually initially through email but
ultimately through persistent phone calls. It will take multiple
emails and even more phone calls to get an editor or reporter live,
but do not rely on emails (unreliable) or voice messages (usually not
listened to). Again, you must get someone live on the phone to do
your pitch.

In PR, the pitch is all-important. What is your story idea? Why would
their readers care? Why is it relevant? What facts do you have to
back it up? How unique is it? Is there a tie-in to any major story in
the news currently?

In PR, you need to close the deal meaning get a commitment from the
media that they will run a story, a quote, an article, whatever.

And of course in PR, building long-term relationships with the media
is so critical. You want to position yourself not just as a
self-promoter, but more importantly a source of valuable information
when they are on deadline. If you help them, I guarantee you it can
only pay dividends in the future.

So re-examine your public relations efforts with a critical sales
eye. It can reap massive benefits in the form or more media coverage
for you…

Need PR advice and counsel? Contact Firecracker PR at http://www.firecrackerpr.com.

Have a great week,

Edward Yang | Firecracker
“Where Marketing and PR Ignite!”
o: (888) 317-4687 ext 1
c: (949) 500-6422
edward@firecrackerpr.com
www.firecrackerpr.com
twitter.com/firecrackerpr
Blog: firecrackerpr.com/wordpress
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/edyang73

Google Instant is Here

If you haven’t heard about the biggest earthquake to shake the search

engine world, you will soon.

In fact, some of you likely have already noticed something very
interesting about Google.

For those who think that microseconds are too slow,
introducing…Instant!

Yes, in this day and age of instant gratification, the great minds at
Google have rolled out instant results that dynamically change as you
type your search term on the results page of Google.com.

Unveiled with great fanfare at a press event in the MoMA in San Fran,
Google Instant was here on September 8, 2010.

In the unveiling, Google VP of Search Products and User Experience
Marissa Mayer said, “today’s announcement does represent what we
believe is a fundamental shift in search…search at the speed of
thought”.

According to Google, this new feature will save users two to five
seconds per search.

You can think of Google Instant as a more advanced version of the
“suggest” tool which suggests/predicts search terms as you type
letters, but instead of just recommending search terms in a drop down
box, Google Instant dynamically recommends enter pages of
results…even as you type single letters!

Credit to Howie Schwartz for the following information…

Benefits of Google Instant

Faster Searches - By predicting what users will search and delivering
results before they finish typing, Google Instant can save users 2 to
5 seconds per search.

Smarter Predictions - Predictions help searches guide through results
even when searchers don’t know exactly what they are looking for. The
top prediction is shown in gray text directly in the search field so
users can stop typing as soon as they see what they need or are
searching for.

Instant Results - Search results can appear almost as fast as a
letter is entered into the field. Before Google Instant, you had to
type a full term, hit “Enter” and hope for the correct results.

How Google Instant Effects Search Result Ranking

According to Google, Instant will have no effect at all on how search
results are ranked.

However, there is speculation on what the impact of Instant will be
on users’ search habits and pay-per-click advertising, such as:

-shorter attention spans for searchers, leading to the need for
strong copy that gets to the point. So pay attention to your title
tag and meta description tag.

-watch the impressions count for AdWords campaigns, which may
increase due to Instant.

-those relying on long tail keywords now face even more competition
in the form of Google Instant suggested phrases.

-use of Google’s suggested terms are now critical for keyword
research. If Google think it is important enough to show you, you can
bet you should incorporate it in your organic and paid search
strategies.

-users’ expectations of results has gone from fast to instant.
Remember in a previous newsletter of Google’s “Caffeine” update, I
mentioned that a website’s load time is going to be important from a
ranking point of view. Expect it to be important from a user
experience point of view as well.

———————————————————————–

Need help with your search engine strategy? We’ve helped scores of
companies manage their Paid Search campaigns, as well as achieved top
5 search results for competitive keywords in organic results.

One of our clients, Stonelite Furniture, went from nothing to top 5
results in six months for the keywords “granite furniture”, “granite
table” and “granite tables”…totaling 15.5 million search results.

Contact us today at http://www.firecrackerpr.com.

Thanks,
Edward Yang

Every so often, I come across articles that I find are valuable
enough that I want my contacts to read and understand it.

The below article by Steven is one of those.

It reflects the critical importance in a shift of mindset for today’s
marketing and sales.

It’s also one of the reasons why our bi-weekly newsletters are
more oriented towards education rather than self-promotion.

You see, people are sold to 24/7 these days.

The only way to break through the clutter is to help your prospects.

Enjoy the article, and stop and think about your entire sales and
marketing process.

Stop Selling and Help Your Customers Buy

By Steven Van Yoder

In the good old days, businesses could plan their marketing campaigns
based on a fairly consistent economy and consumers’ willingness to
spend. For decades, companies could conduct initial marketing
planning and research, followed by money, time and resources, and
good results were often predictable.

No more.

The recession has profoundly altered consumer behavior. Now, as home
values plummet, stock portfolios shrink and company profits erode,
prospects are less likely to purchase items they perceive they can’t
afford and thrift is back in vogue.

“Some suggest the recession has endured so long and spread pain so
broadly that it has seeped into the culture, downgrading expectations
… and eroding the impulse to buy,” reads a recent New York Times
article Reluctance to Spend May Be Legacy of Recession. “The Great
Depression imbued American life with an enduring spirit of thrift.
The current recession has perhaps proven wrenching enough to alter
consumer tastes, putting value in vogue.”

Before the downturn, many businesses and consumers had come to assume
that “affluence” was the norm and spent freely. As consumers and
businesses fear for the future, they are hardwired to say “no.” This
new consumer psychology is driving prospects to impulsively slash
spending and lend greater skepticism to your marketing claims.

Focus on making a difference, not getting a sale

Thriving in these uncertain times requires a new mindset. Your
prospects still have the same challenges, and your company can still
deliver value. But the recent shift in consumer psychology requires
new approaches for generating awareness and building a case for your
products and services.

The Beryl Companies, a provider of outsourced customer service to the
healthcare industry, implements a strategy based on educational
marketing over self-promotion. The company recently created The Beryl
Institute, a research and education arm for developing white papers,
webinars, and benchmarking statistics that are disseminated free to
healthcare providers nationwide.

“The richness of the information we have at our fingertips provides
great insight into the behaviors, needs, and demographics of
healthcare consumers across the U.S.,” says Paul Spiegelman, founder
and CEO of Beryl. “The Beryl Institute provides value to our target
market and positions our firm as a thought leader by disseminating
this valuable data.”

The Beryl’s white paper, Understanding the Importance of
Accountability for Hospital Marketing Investments, for example, helps
hospital executives measure the return on investment of their
marketing expenditures. Beryl’s educational seminars and webinars
about the value of customer relationship management are offered to
directors and executives at client and prospect companies.

Beryl’s educational efforts have helped a relatively small, privately
held company develop a national reputation. “Our thought leadership
initiatives give customers comparative data and case studies that
improve their businesses,” says Spiegelman. “Thought leadership
positions us as a partner who puts our customer’s needs first, rather
than a vendor eager to sell more products and services. We’ve
earned a reputation as a company that actively shapes our industry.”

Position Your Company as a Trusted Advisor

Today, prospects avoid, filter, and run around your well-crafted
marketing tactics. They use the Internet to find companies on their
own and verify products and services before committing their scarce
purchasing dollars.

Yet, consumers want to do business with brands they trust. When your
marketplace views your business as an advisor, rather than a
self-serving salesperson, you’ll experience lower sales resistance by
putting prospects needs first, helping them make sound, informed
decisions rather than pushing for the sale at all costs.

“The Internet and global competition have completely changed the face
of selling since the 1990s,” says Mahan Khalsa, author of Let’s Get
Real or Let’s Not Play: The Demise of Dysfunctional Selling and the
Advent of Helping Clients Succeed. “Companies are no longer relying
on a salesperson to get them information, because it’s now readily
available from a number of other sources. If you aren’t directly
helping the person in front of you by providing intelligence and
insight that they can’t get anywhere else, having a good relationship
isn’t going to get you sales anymore.”

The secret to reaching today’s buyers is delivering valuable, honest
advice at each stage of the buying cycle. Giving away valuable
information through thought leadership marketing is a cost-effective
way of positioning your business as a trusted resource, breaking
through consumer marketing roadblocks with educational information
they seek when it’s increasingly difficult getting your foot in the
door.

Now’s The Time To Reevaluate and Focus

Whatever your opinion of the current economic crisis, on this we can
probably agree: the rules of marketing and selling have changed. It’s
time to reconsider how to build and maintain a successful business in
an age of uncertainty.

If you’ve been fairly broad and unfocused in your marketing efforts,
it’s time to stop. It pays to cultivate a reputation within specific
target markets or industries. This approach is more cost-effective
and ensures that your marketing is aimed at consumers seeking maximum
value from products and services customized to their particular
needs.

If you’re a b2b seller, you need to focus on industries where you
have the potential to dominate the market. Trusted, industry-focused
brands are especially valued and have a better shot at earning buyer
trust and launching new products successfully.

Most importantly, trusted brands can quickly establish a reputation
as a leading provider of products and services to a particular
industry. Marketing is easier, and company principles can easily use
public speaking, webinars, teleseminars, white papers and other
thought leadership tactics to develop customized information to an
industry-specific needs.

Before taking action, talk to members of your marketplace, including
prospects, clients and non-competing vendors, and explore how to
tweak your existing offerings, or develop entirely new products and
services tailored to unmet needs.

When you mold your business to very specific audiences, it gives your
marketing a sharp, natural focus while ensuring that all your efforts
pull in a strategic, pre-determined direction. Target marketing will
help you allocate your marketing efforts and resources for ensure
maximum return and establish your brand in the most lucrative
markets.

Marketers ignore the new economic realities at their peril. The
recession has ushered in a wholesale reappraisal of consumer brand
loyalty. According to a recent article in The Economist, “The winners
will be those that adapt intelligently to the new reality. The losers
will be those who think they can win simply by telling consumers to
“Want It!”

Last newsletter we discussed how sales is simply a function of increasing leads as well as improving the close rate.

To read that post, as well as to access your free lead gen worksheet, click here: http://firecrackerpr.com/wordpress/?p=44

All About Leads, Part 2

This newsletter gives a very brief overview of all the various forms of marketing that can help generate leads.

One of my favorite sayings is that marketing is like a toolkit. You select the right tools for the particular job. No one tool is superior in and of itself.

Email Marketing

Pros: Relatively cheap, easy to create and distribute. Good means of tracking (open rates, clicks, conversions).

Cons: Heavily dependent on the quality of the email list. Creating an in-house list takes a lot of time and attention.

Pay Per Click

Pros: Strong reporting features, precise control over targeting, control over budget, pay only for action taken, relevant ads.

Cons: Growing competition means much more expensive prices for clicks, so easy to set up that many companies might blow through their entire budget without knowing it, no budget means no ads.

Display Advertising

Pros: Broad reach, different display ad exchanges or networks can reach different audiences, relatively cheap to start, creativity with the graphics of the banners.

Cons: Very low clickthrough rate, most web surfers are conditioned to ignore banner ads.

Social Media

Pros: Can be started with no marketing dollars, easy to set up and implement, more two-way interaction with prospects, fun!

Cons: Hard to tie social media into conversions or sales (social media has one of the lowest sales conversion rates), requires frequent attention, potential for negative feedback from prospects.

Search Engine Optimization

Pros: Organic search results have the highest clickthrough rates for Page 1 of Google and search engines, not dependent on available advertising budget.

Cons: Long lag time to implement and measure, can be expensive especially for competitive keywords, a bit of a gray science.

Public Relations

Pros: Lower costs than broad advertising, higher credibility than advertising, longer shelf life, media coverage can build on itself and lead to more media coverage.

Cons: Hard to directly measure benefits of PR to sales conversions, depending on target media can require high budgets, placements aren’t guaranteed and are based on how good the PR agency is and the media.

Print Advertising

Pros: Long shelf life, many different sizes and colors, flexibility in the creative, can track with 1-800 number of unique URL.

Cons: Can be exceptionally expensive, print outlets are slowly going out of business, most readers ignore print ads.

TV/Radio Advertising

Pros: Broad reach, visual or auditory ads are still quite powerful, can use 1-800, URLs or promo codes to try and track.

Cons: Can be highly expensive.

Direct Mail

Pros: Relatively affordable on a per-piece basis, well-suited to testing, high degree of creative control.

Cons: Heavily dependent on the quality and accuracy of the mailing list, junk mail gets tossed almost immediately.

Word of Mouth

Pros: One of the most effective forms of marketing, technically free to implement, powerful and viral.

Cons: Difficult to control, difficult to measure, can backfire in a big way if you screw up.

Content Marketing

Pros: Engaging, long shelf life, can be highly viral, positions you as a thought leader, more compelling than advertising.

Cons: Less control over where prospects can access the content, hard to directly tie it to sales conversions.

Craigslist:

Pros: Free to post, huge audience, easy to do.

Cons: Craigslist doesn’t allow duplicate ads. Thus if you want to post in 20 cities, you’ll need to write 20 different ads. Requires time to constantly delete and repost ads.

———————————————————————-

Hopefully this newsletter has given you a good overview of all the various types of marketing tools available to you. Maybe we’ve even given you some new ideas.

The bottom line is to test, test, test. Test everything.

Keep what works. Throw out what doesn’t. Put your resources behind the methods that do work. Scale up and watch your leads increase!

Contact Firecracker if you need help with your lead generation.

Bonus: Don’t forget to download your free lead generation worksheet at the end of this email! My gift to you…(and courtesy of Hubpages).

All About the Leads: Part One

When you boil it down, everything in business comes down to one thing: leads.

Whether it’s a person wandering into your store, a caller ringing you on the phone or a prospect visiting your web site, having a steady stream of leads is crucial to any business.

Indeed, it may be the MOST important thing for any business. Because without leads, there are no sales. And without sales, there is no business for long.

I remember back in high school putting in some time in telemarketing jobs. Even though they were a lighter form of hell, for the age I was it they paid quite well.

Everyone in telemarketing knew that it was a numbers game. Therefore, the more you called, the more sales you could make (theoretically).

Lead generation today is similar in a sense. If your conversion rates are set, logic dictates that increasing the volume of your leads would mean more sales.

That’s definitely one aspect, quantity of leads. Increase leads, increase sales.

The other aspect is your close rate, that is, how many leads turn into customers.

The close rate is the ugly stepsister of sales. It doesn’t get nearly the amount of attention as leads does. But it is just as important.

If your close rate is 5%, then finding a way to double it to 10% could be a cost-effective way to double your sales.

I think the reason close rates are not addressed often is that it is harder to measure and quantify.

After all, leads can be tracked quite well with toll-free numbers, clicks, promo codes or simply asking customers.

Close rates/conversion rates depend on a variety of factors. Online it could be the sales order process, the ease of use of the web site and how quickly pages load. Offline it could be as simple as how good your sales persons are.

The free worksheet courtesy of Hubpages is a great and simple tool. Using it you can quickly see how just some simple improvements can make a big difference in your bottom line.

Feel free to use it to plan for a strong close to 2010. Don’t use the recession as an excuse. Use it as an opportunity to steal market share and pummel your competitors.

Next newsletter we’ll discuss the pros and cons of various methods for generating leads.

Download your free lead gen worksheet by clicking on the link: http://www.firecrackerpr.com/Lead-Calculator.xls

If you have any problems downloading the spreadsheet, email me directly and I’ll send it to you.

Need more leads? Contact Firecracker to discuss. Visit us at http://www.firecrackerpr.com.

Facebook SEO? It’s Coming!

For those familiar with search engine marketing, the ongoing
battle for high rankings on Google, Yahoo and Bing is part and
parcel with generating a strong online presence and driving
traffic.

The field known as Search Engine Marketing (SEO) has grown
around the ability to following best practices and give websites
a shot at high rankings for certain keywords.

Just as that industry has matured, along comes some earth-
shattering news. Facebook is looking to get into the search
engine game.

Sound weird to you? It shouldn’t. Back in March of 2010,
Facebook overtook Google for the most visited website in the
US. See this article for details:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Firecracker/256357fc25/TEST/aada725d6d

Think about that for a second. Google, the once undisputed
leader of the web, is now overtaken by a website that was
started up to reconnect long-lost classmates.

Facebook’s new search engine is currently called “Open Graph”.

Here’s how it’s going to work as far as we know right now.

Facebook is giving web masters and marketers two tools to
index their websites for Facebook Search:

1. “Like” button to install on their pages that Facebook users
can click. These Like buttons have been finding their ways all
over the Internet in recent months, generating their fair share
of controversy.

2. A set of tags that allow web masters to tell Facebook what
their site is all about (think Meta Description-type tags).

The search results that Facebook gives will be based on how many
‘Likes’ the page has received and the information provided in the
tags. Essentially creating a search engine based on “likes” instead
of “links”.

Remember, Google’s original flash of brilliance was to use backlinks
as a major criteria for their rankings.

What does this mean for you?

We’ve seen Facebook successfully enter the Pay Per Click
market that Google dominated. It’s not inconceivable to think
that this foray into search engine indexing will lead to Facebook
being a major player in the years to come.

This means that those who jump on this boat early may reap the
benefits before their competitors.

Remember, SEO itself isn’t a magic bullet. It’s just another tool in
your marketing toolkit that if used correctly, can lead to a channel
of rather inexpensive traffic.

SEO, PPC and other acronyms have your head spinning? Outsource
it all to Firecracker so you can focus on growing your business.
Contact us today and find out how to cost-effectively integrate
search engine marketing into your mix.

Heard of Google Caffeine?

If not, I don’t blame you as it’s something most of us
nerdy marketing people have been following. But the
impact of the changes is one of the most closely watched
changes to the Google Search Engine.

And with over 70% market share of all searches, any
time Google sneezes, the rest of us catch a cold.

Google Caffeine is the codename for the upcoming major
changes to the Google search algorithm, the core of what
has become one of the most successful companies on
earth.

Many of you integrate SEO into your marketing mix, and
even those who don’t need to pay attention. When people’s
first inclination is to “Google it”, you can’t afford to ignore
Google.

>From the initial results and feedback, here is what we can
figure out how Caffeine will impact you:

1. Relying solely on link building to increase search positions
isn’t going to work any more.

2. The speed at which your webpage loads is more important
than ever. Seems as if Google is penalizing slow-loading pages.

3. Webpages with fresh, relevant content is rising faster than
before in the rankings.

4. Leveraging Social Media is a good way to diversify your link
portfolio.

5. Purge unnecessary spammy content, including ALT tags, etc.

6. More emphasis on blended real-time results, including
Twitter feeds.

7. Examine your sitemap. You may need to redo how your site
navigates. Google’s spiders love getting to deep fresh and
unique content in as few clicks as possible.

8. Again, Social Media is a necessity not just for pure linking
but for being in tune with Google’s more “altruistic” model
of relevance. If you don’t have a social media presence, get
one going.

Marketing in the age of Google is a constantly changing
landscape. Stay on top of things, and you can build a
significant edge over your competitors.

Need assistance with your SEO and social media efforts?
Contact Firecracker today and find out how to succeed.

From the sounds of the media last week, you’d have thought Apple had invented something no one had ever seen before.

In fact, the tablet PC has been around for many, many years. But just as Apple didn’t invent the smartphone with the iPhone either, they did take an existing product and make it lightyears better than anything else out on the market.

Remember the Palm Treo? Not many will in another decade or so.

So what does the iPad mean for companies and marketers?

Here are some of my thoughts:

1. It’s not a given the iPad will be a wild success. Not everything Apple touches turns to gold. See the iTV.

2. However, with the wild success of the iPhone and the iTouch (the iPad is just a larger version of both, after all), those involved in online advertising need to monitor how it does closely. Initial sales have been strong.

3. There is a very real possibility that the iPad will be the saving grace for the magazine and newspaper industry. With circulation cratering for paper-based media, the industry has been struggling to figure out a subscription model to generate revenue. Besides a few success stories like the WSJ, not many have had success. The iPad represents a real opportunity to start making money again for the media.

4. Consequently, expect to see new advertising formats online with the iPad. Apple has already thrown the gauntlet down vs. Google with their announcement of their iAd network, primarily to prep them for advertising on the mobile side. But you can be sure that iAd will spill over into iPad applications.

5. Just like with social media, don’t overemphasize the importance of iPad marketing in lieu of the nuts and bolts of marketing. These include a solid corporate website, lead generation, public relations, search engine marketing. Keep the marketing budget and focus on the fundamentals. Extra resources can be used to monitor newer, emerging channels.

6. Of greater importance, watch how the new competition between Apple and Google progress. Google literally created a whole new category called “search engine marketing”. Apple may do the same with “mobile application marketing”. Apple has already stated that Google’s search model of advertising isn’t well-suited to the new mobile world. Instead, Apple is going to be heavily into advertising from within applications, potentially creating an entirely new marketing category.

Whatever the result, we can be sure the next few years will be one of anticipation and excitement.

It ain’t easy defending a brand these days.

In the good ol’ days, all one had to worry about was
print media, TV and radio. Sure, bad news for a company’s
brand hurt, but the speed that the news traveled was limited
to either the traditional media or word of mouth. Both could
be countered with enough time.

These days, word travels literally at the speed of light.
Bad reviews and bad news can shave billions off a company’s
worth. Just look at Toyota.

Worse, these bad reviews can stick to Google like gum on
your shoes. The last thing you want when someone types
in your company’s name is to have two or three bad reviews,
with words like “fraud”, “sucks”, “complaints” and “cheats”
associated with your name.

To be sure, every company will have their share of detractors.
And the larger you get, just the way percentages work, the
more complaints you’ll have.

But there’s a difference between negative listings when someone
types in just your name, and when they type in “Name Sucks”.
If you Google your company name and the first page has many
complaints, you’ve got a problem. The problem is especially
magnified the more valuable your sale is; selling $10 t-shirts is
different from selling high-end database migration services.

This has also given rise to the ability of troublemakers to use a
concerted effort to smear company names and brands. There’s
nothing to stop people from spreading lies and slandering you
all over the Internet, protected by the First Amendment and
anonymity.

This has contributed to a new, growing field called online
reputation management. The goal: monitor, identify and combat
online negative listings on search engines or social media.
Here are some things you can do:

1. Set up Google Alerts for your company name or “Name +
Sucks” or other variations. They are free. Get updates delivered
to your email.

2. If you find complaints or outright lies being posted on public
message boards, respond once and only once. This is very
important. If you get sucked into a back-and-forth war of words,
you will likely only harm yourself. The more activity is on a thread,
the higher Google will tend to rank that thread for being fresh and
active. Remember, just respond once!

3. Keep emotions out of it. State your side of the story, state the
facts and offer a way for those aggrieved to reach your company.
Don’t be too defensive nor aggressive. Grace under fire is a trait
your customers will appreciate.

4. Now you will need to use the skill of SEO in overdrive. While
you don’t have the ability to actually move negative listings down,
you can squeeze them down by moving other listings up. These include:

-registering your company name for all the major social
media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
-registering your company name on all major blogging
platforms: WordPress, Blogger, LiveJournal, etc.
-reserving domain name variations immediately, eg. .net, .com,
.org
-trying public relations to get your company featured on
prominent media websites for stories

5. Start building out quality content and link building for all the
sites you created in #4.

All of the above take time and persistence. SEO is a long
term process, so the sooner you start the better. Don’t despair if
your brand is plagued by negative search engine results. Take
action!

Firecracker has experience helping companies defend their brands
through online reputation management. Contact me directly at
edward@firecrackerpr.com if you have any questions.