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The Power of Social Media, Blogs and Online PR

Posted on Feb 16th, 2007
Written by Lee Odden
In this article

    Ready to elevate your B2B brand?

    TopRank Marketing drives results with content, influencer, SEO & social media marketing.

    When you attend conferences, read blogs or popular search marketing sites you’ll find plenty of subject matter experts in search marketing tactics ranging from search engine optimization to pay per click to local marketing and social media. It’s great to get those specific perspectives, but I get a lot of feedback from businesses that appreciate a more holistic approach to marketing online.

    Recently, I was able to do an interview on the online radio show, Online Marketing with RSS Ray talking about an overall  approach to using social media, blogs and online public relations.

    Below are links to the audio segments from the interview. All of the tactics discussed provide benefits for search engine optimization as well.

    The interview went about an hour including the rather generous ad spots. Thanks to RSS Ray for inviting me to do the interview. Past interviewees have included Mike Moran from IBM and Robert Scoble and upcoming interviewees include Aaron Wall of SEO Book and Rebecca Lieb from ClickZ and Search Engine Watch.

    Segment 1Social Media Marketing:
    What is social media? Why is social media becoming important for business marketing? How does the trust fostered by editorial visibility help marketers attract customers? How does social media affect search engine rankings? What businesses should use social media as a marketing tool? Are there certain channels within the social media space that are more attractive than others? Are certain industries more suitable to market via social media? What are some common mistakes people make with social media marketing?

    Segment 2Blog Marketing:
    When should a business use a blog for marketing? What is an online media room and what can it do for a company’s marketing or PR efforts? Why is a RSS feed important?

    Segment 3Press Release Optimization:
    Why are press releases so important for the 21st century? Consumers are viewing news sites and consuming press release information directly, more so than in the past. Are a lot of marketers understanding the power and effectiveness of press releases as marketing tools? Six tips for effective press release optimization. Can press releases be written to actually sell something? Should landing pages be used in conjunction with a press release? How can you measure the results from press releases? Tips for writing press releases and the importance of using multiple media formats and social media with press releases. How to go about implementing a program of marketing with press releases. How should you approach influential bloggers and journalists? Should companies go outside for help to produce social media and press release content? How does TopRank help businesses improve conversions and brand visibility online?

    Segment 4 Hiring a Social Media Consultant:
    What are some criteria for evaluating a social media marketing consultant? What does TopRank write about on it’s blog? What kinds of companies does TopRank work with?

    Overall I thought it went pretty well but I am very open to any feedback Online Marketing Blog readers have about it. I’ve been kicking around the idea of doing a podcast or videocast as part of this blog and this interview is a sample of the kinds of things we’d talk about.