Strategically managed business communications are typically the responsibility of an organization’s Public Relations or Corporate Communications department. Managing crisis communications and delivering messages to various audience groups requires use of all available media and increasingly, upon the internet. Coordinating many bits of data and information flowing through various media channels is a complex task. And now that the internet has emerged as the consumer’s choice for product and service information, PR agencies and corporate communications officers are using Google and Yahoo to help get their messages out.
Positioning information on the internet can be done via web pages and blogs, but getting that information out to the public requires positioning the internet pages so that they may be recognized by the internet search engines. The search engines in turn will assist users in finding the information. The entire process of positioning these pages and blog articles is termed SEO for Search Engine Optimization. Denver Public Relations firms have utilized SEO successfully to distribute information to specific target audiences using the internet search engines.
Public Relations agencies now rely heavily on the internet search engines to help get their communications delivered to the right audience. Blogs, websites and company pages are all designed with a specific corporate communications objective in mind. However, without getting that page into the view of the right audience members, it is all wasted effort. Search engine strategies can not only attract readers to the message or page but can target specific consumer groups that might be otherwise difficult to reach.
Positioning important messages so that users can find them using common search engines is an SEO challenge. Keyword selection, copywriting and composition must also be included in the central message or communication. In years past, the PR specialist would simply compose a press release and distribute it to her/his network of contacts. Now, the press release must also be carefully crafted to include keywords and text that will in turn attract the attention of the search engines. In this fashion, those media institutions that publish or release the press release on their web pages, can attract reader traffic.
Using SEO tactics to generate exposure and distribute the desired message can accomplish difficult-to-achieve communication objectives. Users that see a press release or web page as a highly-placed result when searching for information on a particular topic are likely to click on it and read the information.
Search engine methodologies can assist in other outreach objectives as well. Tasks that usually fall to corporate communications officers include brand recognition and strengthening, special event promotion and lead generation. Constructing a comprehensive plan to achieve objectives in these areas requires targeting a specific audience with messages that are meaningful to each group. After all, a purchasing officer may be more interested in pricing or feature characteristics than would an office manager responsible for supervising a large staff. The search engines provide an opportunity to reach out to each of these specific audiences with detailed messages that each group might find useful.
Many large organizations are using SEO and Public Relations tactics to reach very specific target audience groups. As internet usage continues to grow, users will continue to depend upon the search engines to deliver the information they need. Organizations that can embed their messaging into the way search engines deliver this information can greatly benefit. Given current trends, Public Relations and Corporate Communications officers will serve their clients and organizations well by incorporating more Search Engine and SEO methodologies into their craft.
Author Matthew Stone is an SEO Advisor to Denver Public Relations agencies as well as a variety of other organizations. Moving company messages and web pages to the top of the common Search Engine Results improves company sales, revenue and presents the opportunity to communicate data and information directly to internet readers worldwide.