Why do I love doing P.R.? Good question! Because it helps companies build credibility with their key constituents.

Most people have no idea when they're reading or watching their favorite news sources that folks like me have diligently worked behind the scenes to help get our clients “ink” or a “soundbite.” 

One of my favorite expressions was (and still is): “Advertising is what you pay for, P.R. is what you pray for.”

Credibility also builds trust. And people want to do business with people they trust. Period. I can’t think of a single time when I chose to do business or work with a company I didn’t trust.

Trust is ephemeral at best on the Internet – People want to trust you, but there are so many little ways in which you can lose trust. First – crawl around your website as if you were a new visitor. Are there any broken links? Typos? Pages that take a long time loading?

Now let’s get a little more sophisticated: Do you have enough content (see last week’s post) to build authority on your subject? Do you have ‘thin’ pages that have very little text or that don’t match up keyword-wise with your page titles and headings? That’s important, because you’re making it hard for Google to classify and rank your page for those all-important keywords.

Finally, are you getting your content out there in the webosphere? There are a multitude of places to rewrite and repurpose your content so that it’s seen by lots of people, including your propects, the media, industry analysts, etc. But that’s a subject for next week – the 4th ‘C’ of Internet marketing – Channels.

Content is king, queen and the entire court for that matter. Content is what helps you get found. And it’s what helps you connect with your audiences.  

But it can’t be just any content. 

First, it must be keyword rich. That’s what makes it a little tricky. When you start writing, you have to think about the keywords that your customers and prospects are using. Do they Google the word “solution”? Highly unlikely. It’s far more likely they Google the specific technology or service they’re looking for. So you’ve got to do your keyword research first. 

Second, it must say something. Content that lacks, well, content, is no good to your customers and prospects. It must be have some meaning or significance, and it must address your customer’s key issues.

The LinkedIn answers section is great for that: after joining the groups where your customers are hanging out, simply pay attention to what your customers are asking.  

Third, there must be enough of it (remember the first C – change) and it must be updated frequently. Gone are the days when you can put up a website and wait for people to come and find you.

In fact, in Google’s own SEO (search engine optimization) guide, they state: “Create fresh, unique content. New content will not only keep your existing visitor base coming back, but also bring in new visitors.”  

Of course, there’s lots more info. on this topic, and if you’re interested, here’s a great (but lengthy) article: http://www.toprankblog.com/2009/02/internet-marketing-content-seo/.  

Next week, I’ll talk about the third C: Credibility.

I have an old friend, Hollis Polk, who’s a psychic in San Francisco. Over the years, she has read my “chakras” (kind of like energy fields), helping me tune into my true desires and open my mind to new possibilities.

 As talented and clairvoyant as she is, she still has a hard time finding new clients. So she came to me for advice. And here’s what I said:

 Just as she helps her clients envision lives they love, she needs to envision the kind of clients she loves to work with. What are their issues? Why do they come to her for help? What questions do they want answered by a psychic?

And then we found the sweet spot.  

Last week, I gave a presentation on social media for 15 CEO’s of small businesses down in Faribault, Minn.
 
Their reactions ranged from engaged to downright resistant, bordering on belligerence. “What’s a blog?” asked one CEO. “Can you Tweet on a blog?”
 
It occurred to me that “getting” social media is all about having the right attitude. If you’re determined to NOT get it, guess what? You won’t.
 
Age has absolutely nothing to do with it. Sure, a lot of my contemporaries still do marketing and P.R. the old-fashioned way – writing brochures and sending out press kits in the mail.
 
The good news for me is that they then ask for my help when their clients ask them to set up a Facebook page, do keyword research and optimize their news releases and website content. I’m just as old as they are, but I have a different attitude: I am totally jazzed by the social media revolution and want to be a part of it.
 
Conversely, Gen X and Gen Y or the Millennials may be super comfortable with technology, since they’ve been on the web their entire existence. 
 
But while they know how to post their last frat party photos on their Facebook wall, they don’t know how to use Facebook and other social media sites to help businesses get found, connect with customers and increase referral business.
 
In short, if you want help developing a social media strategy to grow your business, find someone who has both the right attitude and the right stuff.