A Handful of Hints: Tactics for Blogs and Other Online Media

Tactics for making the most of traditional mediums such as mail, telephone or television advertising have been hammered out through decades of trial and error. But blogging, podcasting, Web page design and search engine optimization are cutting-edge enough that many organizations can still use a guiding hand when exploring them.

What follow are tips culled from New Media Marketing Communications: A Primer for Using Emerging Technologies to Reach Targeted and Motivated Audiences, a report from iPressroom, an online/interactive public relations firm, and Schwartzman & Associates, a public relations agency.

1. Organization blogs should have dialog–and attitude. Blogs should not be considered mere information delivery channels. The best blogs allow online conversations, and visitor posts can be good sources of qualified Web traffic. But a poorly constructed blog can also turn off a savvy audience by being overly promotional. While blogs can be used to present clearly identified marketing material, their value stems from being a source of opinion and personality.

(Side hint: To make them even more relevant, be sure to offer clear links to offsite information. This will also boost their rankings within search engine results.)

2. Remember that video and audio podcasts are located through text searches. Text-based search engines aren’t likely to pick up the content of audio/video files. Written summaries of podcasts increase the chance that they’ll turn up as relevant results. That said, the “show notes” should not be so comprehensive that there is no need to access the podcast.

(Side hint: When writing summaries of podcasts, remember to reflect the content in carefully chosen, appropriate keywords.)

3. Make your online efforts as organic-search friendly as possible. Microcontent on a Web site page, such as browser page titles; taglines; indices; navigation bars; headlines; decks; subheads; captions; bold-faced lead-ins and highlighted text, aid both in search engine rankings, and in enabling site visitors to scan and retain the information presented. Good microcontent should lead a page visitor to dig deeper into a site.

(Side hint: Be sure to provide clearly identifiable links that go deeper into your site for more information.)

4. Choose words on your site with an eye toward search optimization. Search engines aren’t exactly savvy when it comes to wordplay, and puns and ill-chosen phrases can be perceived out of context, resulting in irrelevant click-throughs – or misses by searchers who need your content. Likewise, marketing jargon and the name of your organization can be less important than what someone using a search engine is actually looking for.

(Side hint: Summary notes, which pop up on search engine result listings, should consist of brief précis that clearly state what is on the individual Web page. These summaries should rely heavily on subjects and verbs.)

5. Finally, capture information from these newer media and incorporate it into marketing databases. A site visitor who accesses a blog, or a podcast, is going to be more receptive to sales messages.

(Side hint: Give site visitors a reason to volunteer usable information, such as an e-mail newsletter, electronic coupons, online cross-promotions or premium content in exchange for key access information.)