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It’s been said that “ads you pay for; public relations you pray for.” Your business, nonprofit, or cause can benefit from the art of getting name recognition without paid advertising.

We recommend including both paid ads and public relations in your marketing efforts. But just what constitutes public relations (PR)?

If you’ve ever watched a guest plugging his or her latest movie on Letterman, listened to a radio public service announcement or read an annual report or newsletter, you’ve been persuaded (or at least informed) by public relations.

Speeches, letters to the editor and radio talk show appearances are PR tools also available. Well-done, these types of communication not only inform… they inspire and persuade.

Public relations also works by using third-party endorsements. People generally perceive that a story by someone outside the company has more credibility than a paid advertisement.

Depending on the product or service you offer, you’re probably already using a number of public relations tools. Fact sheets, annual reports, open houses, press conferences… those are some of the many ways of informing your target audience.

Saving Carsons

Here’s a great example of how VIA has used PR to get people to take notice: In 2007, Carson’s parent company was considering closing the department store in Hammond’s Woodmar Mall. The city’s Urban Enterprise Association organized several events, including a public meeting (attended by 500 people), a petition drive (more than 4,000 signatures were gathered) and a letter-writing campaign (more than 300 letters were mailed or emailed). A “Save Carson’s” rally held in a parking lot in mid-January drew more than 400 people. With broadcast and print media coverage, “corporate” took notice: the store is still open.

If we were doing the campaign today, we’d create a Facebook page, open a Twitter account and post event clips to YouTube to get even more people involved.

Want to know more about the campaign to save Carson’s? Find info at HTTP://WWW.VIAMARKETING.NET/CASESTUDIES/CASE_CARSONS.HTML

Have you ever noticed that some layouts draw you in and present information in an easy-to-follow design while others are such a mishmash of colors, copy and graphic elements that you don’t know what to look at first?

If you compare an example of each, you’ll likely find the better layout makes effective use of white space. White space, which is not always white and is also known as negative space, is the open space between elements on the page. Your brain notices white space. Expert graphic designers understand that the absence of content draws you to the content and use this knowledge to direct your eye.

Graphic artists use this tool to control where you look first, second and third. Good design composition gives the reader a sense of order and instructions on where to look. Ineffective layouts are disorganized and lack focus. A page crammed full of text or graphics with very little white space almost always appears busy, cluttered and is typically difficult to read. Websites, by the way, are particularly hard on the eyes; white space allows your eyes to take breaks while scanning pages.

White space also improves comprehension. A Nielsen eye-tracking study found that more white space increases comprehension and reduces the time required to move through a page. Used correctly, white space will enhance the performance of printed and online marketing materials. It improves readability and makes a great first impression.

White space, when used generously, creates a sense of elegance. Ads selling high price-point items typically use a lot of white space. Think about upscale ads for jewelry, cosmetics or imported sports cars.

Now you know a design secret. White space is much more than background—it provides our brains with a resting point and time to absorb the material being presented. Negative space is really positive space.

White Trivia
The color white often symbolizes safety, cleanliness and purity. White suggests innocence, perfection and youth. Angels are usually portrayed as white. White represents simplicity and freshness. Doctors, hospitals and sterility are associated with white. Low-fat foods and dairy products are often packaged in white. But ghosts are white and giving white flowers to the sick is bad luck in many cultures. In many Eastern cultures, white signifies unhappiness, death, funerals, and mourning.

For further reading:
HTTP://WEBDESIGNTUTS.COM/WEB-DESIGN/USING-WHITE-SPACE-EFFECTIVELY-IN-WEB-DESIGN/

HTTP://WWW.ALISTAPART.COM/ARTICLES/WHITESPACE

For more information about how to use white space to your company’s advantage, contact us at 219.769.2299 or friends@viamarketing.net.

Many people erroneously think a search engine and a web directory are the same thing. They use different means to give different search results.

A search engine uses a computer program called a robot (or just “bot”) to look for any or all of the words you type into the search box. They operate algorithmically or are a mixture of algorithmic and human input. The answers aren’t organized by category, and you sometimes have to look through a bunch of them to find what you’re looking for.

A web directory has all of its sites evaluated and categorized by actual people. Thus, you can look for information by either browsing the categories, or searching with a keyword. The categorization is usually based on the whole website rather than one page or a set of keywords, and sites are often limited to inclusion in only a few categories. Because the directories use people to edit their sites, there is usually a charge for them to review your website.

Inbound links add value to your website because you are increasing the places people can actually find you. Plus, search engines use link popularity as one criterion for ranking. A quality site link tells search engines that there is something useful and reliable about your site. Submitting your site is a time consuming process, but well worth the effort. Build them steadily. If you make them too rapidly, you’re at risk of being seen as spam.

Move on if you see a “No follow” feature on a directory. The rel=“nofollow” attribute means search engines will give no weight to the link.

What Makes a Quality Link?
Your link will be treated as a high quality link if your website is mentioned as a source (link) from an article about a topic related to your industry. This is why blogging and sharing on social media are so popular.

Another quality indicator is a link on a page with a high hit rank, like a directory for example.

 

 

 

 

 

Where do I Find Directories?
Yahoo! Directory and DMOZ (Open Directory Project) are the two biggest directories on the web, but other important directories include local directories for your state, town, chamber of commerce, etc. The following list is a sample of directories suitable for nonprofit and for profit businesses.

1. DMOZ.ORG has extensive categorization and a large number of listings.
2. YAHOO! DIRECTORY
3. LOCAL.YAHOO.COM
4. GOOGLE.COM/MAPS
5. BROWNBOOK.NET lets users search by keyword, city and country. Businesses “claim” their free listing and may add text, photos and videos and sign up to be alerted when someone reviews your business.
6. CITYSLICK.NET narrows the search by city, zip code and radius. Cost ranges from free to a one-time fee of $149.
7. BUSINESS.COM targets B2B. Products include pay-per-click, banner ads, audience retargeting, and directory advertising. Advertising costs vary per service.
8. MERCHANTCIRCLE.COM allows owners to upload pictures, write blogs, publicize events, and create coupons and newsletters. Submission is free.
9. BESTOFTHEWEB.COM proclaims itself as the “The Internet’s Oldest Directory.” This comprehensive directory can help you choose a college, refinance a mortgage or plan a party. Cost is $149.95 annually.
10. GOGUIDES.ORG lists range from arts and humanities to lifestyles and relationships to money and finance for a one-time fee of $69.95; nonprofits may receive a free listing.
11. JOEANT.COM and RUBBERSTAMP.ORG are comparable to GoGuides. Both charge a one-time fee of $39.95. SITESNOOP.COM has comparable topics and charges $15 per submission.
12. SKAFFE.COM, lists the “best family safe websites on the World Wide Web” It costs $15 to submit a site.
13. GIMPSY.COM starts a search with “I want to…” topics range from adopt to convert to quit to write. Subscribe to their newsletter or jokes. Free submission takes up to six months to be listed, standard submission is $29 and premium is $49 (one-time fees).
14. MASSIVELINKS.COM features services for businesses and individuals. Nonprofits may list for free; standard listings are $39.99 (one-time listing) and premium listings are $79.99 annually.

For more go to MASHABLE.COM and scroll down to find the Human Edited Search Engines and Directories listing. Scroll further to find Business Search Engines and Directories.

If you’d like to hire someone to systematically enter your business into online directories, contact us at 219.769.2299 or friends@viamarketing.net