SEO is an extension of your marketing department. SEO services are much better for your business than you ever imagined they could be! Working with a good SEO company these days is not just about website optimization, it’s also about writing quality content or editing content that you already have and positioning it in a way that it brings in the maximum amount of traffic.

The benefits of SEO today also relate to the ever-evolving technologies around us. Search Engine Optimization can now help you reach your customers’ mobile phones and tablets and is no longer limited to just their computers.

Needless to say, using the Internet and best available technology is the way to organically grow your business. The following are some of the many benefits of Search Engine Optimization.

Make the Cloud (Internet) Work for You

We live in a world where if someone’s car breaks down on the street, they can simply search for the nearest auto repair shop on their mobile phone, call the shop up and make arrangements to have the car repaired. A situation that could take hours to address “back in the day” can now be tackled in a matter of minutes.

What is important in this situation is that the auto shop that the customer finds and calls using his mobile device is yours and not your competitors’. This is where SEO comes into play.

SEO Revolves Around Your Niche

It is important that you give prime importance to your niche when optimizing your website for search engines. SEO can be used to bring in new clients to your business, but real organic growth tends to come from another sort of interaction – the industry exchange. SEO techniques should be applied to your website so that people searching for information within your niche will come across your site. All you need to do is give importance to the site content and provide answers to common questions up front.

These ideas have inspired many businesses to create blogs and forums where they can post their ideas about the industry and also get feedback from consumers and other professionals in the field. Not only do blogs improve SEO for your site, they also act as magnets for frequent users and even subscribers to your RSS feeds.

Getting Personal

Social media has opened the doors for businesses to make a personal connection with their customers – both current and prospective. More businesses are using this power of the Internet to reach out and engage with people on a personal level. With a Facebook page, Twitter account, LinkedIn account, Pinterest boards, a blog, forums or any other social media medium on the Internet, you will be able to directly reach out to your customers. A plethora of online tools are available to help you set up and manage social media campaigns. This has also given birth to – and is the success behind – Social Media Management companies.

Once again, it is important to focus on delivering quality content – whether it is information or entertainment. If your readers enjoy your content, they are highly likely to stay on your page longer and share it with their social networks, thus opening up untold possibilities for your business. Working with a professional SEO firm, you will get the help you need in making your next impact with your followers (customers) in an unforgettable way.

Making It Work

SEO assists in gaining the organic traffic – from attracting new clients or by retaining existing clients. Here are some recommendations for improving SEO for you business’s website:

• Quality Matters: Improving, editing and optimizing your text so that it fits with your company’s message and theme
• Focus: Positioning your text within a specific niche or industry by using appropriate keywords
• Measurements Are Important: Setting up monitoring and analysis systems that will help you understand and react to the traffic you are getting to your website
• Share the Knowledge: Providing advice and information about other technologies, networks and Internet resources that can be used to create even more growth in the future
• Write for People: Search engines are getting more and more advanced. Using black-hat techniques are bad for your website’s SEO and for your business, too.

We at Domus, Inc. are experts in all forms of Digital Marketing and have helped our clients achieve great success using the latest strategies in digital marketing. Contact us today and let us help you reach new heights using the most widely spread (and still spreading) information medium in the world – the Internet!

Dhawal Sehgal is a Programmer at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

For the past four months, I have been training for my second half-marathon. Through the wintry months when it felt like I was bordering frostbite to the warm weather this spring, I’ve been increasing my mileage week over week in order to build up my endurance and condition my body to run 13.1 miles. During each run, I try to envision myself crossing the finish line. I constantly try to keep the end result in mind and recognize that all these small runs will ultimately help me improve my stamina and accomplish my goal.

Good public relations professionals know the importance of keeping the end goal in mind. How do the hours spent finalizing a press release or crafting the perfect pitch ultimately help the client reach their goals and support their mission? It’s important to understand how each individual tactic will contribute to the client’s desired results. Following are some tips to keep in mind:

It Takes Time

Your new client wants how many Facebook “Likes”? Implementing a social media strategy is an extensive process and results are not always immediate. Give yourself some time to nurture your audience and build brand recognition. Remember – every Retweet, every “Like” on a Facebook page and every well-crafted post is supporting exactly what you set out to do: raise awareness of your client’s products and services and make strides towards meeting their corporate objectives.

Use the Right Tools and Channels

How will you reach your target audience? As a PR professional, you have a myriad of tools to utilize to promote your client. Take a mental inventory of the resources and mediums available to you and determine which is the most efficient way to get your message across. Before you begin a task, think about how to best communicate messaging that will resonate with your audiences and encourage them to learn more about your client, buy your client’s products and services and positively impact their bottom line.

Set Your Own Goals

That media list isn’t going to get any shorter, and the opportunities on that editorial calendar won’t pitch themselves. The truth of the matter is that unfortunately, not every editor will love (or even read) your pitch. Rather than getting discouraged by the negatives, focus on the positives. Set a goal of obtaining X number of leads by the end of the week. Be realistic, and increase your goal from time to time. Sometimes it’s important to focus on your own personal, constantly moving finish line in order to help your client reach theirs.

In the day-to-day life of public relations, the finish line can often seem like it’s 13.1 miles away. Yet it’s important to keep the goal in mind and remember why you’re scrutinizing every word of that media alert or diligently tracking press coverage each day. Your PR efforts, though seemingly small, are helping your client reach their goals and achieve their overall mission. Don’t forget about the finish line!

Marissa Sudol is an Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

As someone who leverages social media on behalf of my company and clients, I have been able to take a few lessons from Disney and apply them as best practices for a successful social presence and strategy.

1. Always be prompt. Social media posts should always be timely and relevant. If you are late posting important news, you will seem both disconnected and uninteresting to your audience.
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2. Have a voice and don’t be afraid to use it.Be sure to use a consistent voice and message in all postings. Multiple, fragmented social contributions may seem scattered, inconsistent and impersonal. On the other hand, when all messages are delivered using the same tone of voice, they will appear more thought out, familiar to the reader and relatable. You will build a rapport with your audience.
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3. Think before you speak.Social media is a great outlet to make a point at the click of a mouse, but as many have learned the hard way, once something is posted on the Internet, it’s there forever – even if the original post is deleted. For that reason, it’s imperative to think through potential consequences of anything you say on behalf of your company before you say it to avoid having to bite your (virtual) tongue.
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4. Work as a team.No social media professional is an expert in all subject matters. For that reason, working together with fellow colleagues to generate interesting, relevant content makes your company seem well educated and well versed in many different areas. Also, by posting about various topics, you will have a much broader audience.
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5. Be playful (sometimes).Although there is a time and a place for serious, business-minded posts, there must also be time for more playful messages. Social media should allow your company’s personality and culture a chance to breathe! When appropriate, post things that are less serious. It will make your company seem engaging, likeable and human.

Although social media is constantly changing and growing, we can always count on classic childhood films to teach us important lessons. At Domus, we take inspiration from our surroundings to keep our readers interested in what we have to say. What are your favorite social media tips and tricks?

Meghan Becker is an Assistant Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

Innovation is not meant to be only for a select few organizations. In the book The Innovator’s DNA published by Harvard Business Review Press, the authors outline the following characteristics that managers can focus on to generate innovation:

• Associating – Connecting unrelated ideas
  • Apple’s iPhone combined a computer and a phone.
• Questioning - Asking how might things be different?
  • The Polaroid camera was inspired by the inventor’s daughter asking why she couldn’t see a photo right away.
• Observing - Seeing better ways of doing things
  • Campbell’s Soup At Hand allows soup to be microwavable and enjoyed without a bowl.
• Networking – Experiencing diverse perspectives
  • Starbucks’ Howard Schultz visited Italy and experienced the community feeling of Italian coffee shops, which was applied to Starbucks.
• Experimenting – Trying new ideas
  • Amazon is known as a regular experimenter, with offerings such as the Kindle, Kindle Fire, Amazon Prime and Amazon Cloud Player, among many others.
• Courage - Desire to change the status quo; comfort with mistakes
  • Netflix’s transition from DVDs to streaming was courageous. In addition, the company experienced backlash from consumers over its pricing plan change.

Management consultant Peter Drucker outlines specific requirements of innovation that also can be studied and practiced by the everyday manager. According to Drucker, a successful innovation should be:

• Simple and focused
  • Chipotle Mexican grill is a wildly popular yet simple and focused concept.
• Set the standard
  • The Toyota Prius set the standard for hybrid vehicles.
• Achieve category leadership
  • Apple’s iPod has been the category leader since its introduction in 2001.
• Require hard work, diligence, persistence and commitment
  • Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani worked hard to create the best possible experience in the yogurt category.
• Have knowledge, ingenuity and focus
  • Hayley Barna and Katia Beauchamp, founders of Birchbox, understood consumers like to sample personal care products when they created their Internet beauty products sampling service Birchbox.

Domus, Inc. consults for its clients on innovation strategy and planning, including market opportunity analysis, idea generation and evaluation, go-to-market strategy and testing and measurement.

Ed Samide is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

Communication Is Key

A project manager acts as a liaison between what the Client wants and how the Creative team understands – and plans to achieve – the request. Before the wheels start turning (and hours start to rack up), it’s always a good idea to take a step back, recap the request at hand and make sure the Client is in agreement with the understood approach before the creative work begins. Not only will the Client appreciate the thoroughness of the follow-up, but you will have established an opportunity to set the expectations for both sides. Plus, you’ll be halfway done with your internal paperwork! Never underestimate the power of effective communication. It is the primary factor that can lead to a project’s success or failure.

It Takes a Village to Make a Timeline

Unless you work at a one-person agency, there will be many departments (i.e., hands) that touch each and every project that comes through the doors. In order to understand the scope of the task at hand and also gauge the effort necessary to deliver, it’s crucial to have an open dialogue with all parties to identify the variables that may affect turnarounds. Once the internal deadlines of the Client are understood, work back from that point and outline a project schedule. Remember, you must keep in mind your team’s capacity to do the work. Both ends of the spectrum must be pacified! Once solidified, the project schedule and the time intervals established can act as a guide to keep the project on track and on budget.

Eliminate the Cliffhanger

Whether documenting a project or providing a verbal status, take the time to outline the next steps – using your handy timeline – to share not only what the agency will be charged with, but also what role the Client is expected to play. This step allows all parties to understand the current state of the job, see the trajectory and prepare as necessary. This proactive approach will solidify the project plan while instilling faith in the Client and your team that you are in control. In the field of Communications, it is ironic that so often projects can become derailed due to a lack of just that. At Domus, we strive to efficiently manage our Clients’ expectations so we can consistently deliver high-quality work that addresses their needs. We understand that the beauty of setting expectations is that once they are identified, we can work toward exceeding them.

Mara Rueter is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com/. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

Let’s start with the aesthetics. The layout, look and “feel” of the site are just the shell. The navigation and design are equally as important – eye-catching, visually interesting graphics and images and easy-to-use links are the first elements that the user notices. But your intranet needs more substance in order to survive and thrive … you need to remember that it’s more than just a pretty face. Add some brain to the beauty!

So how do you ensure that your appealing façade doesn’t become stale or obsolete? How do you continue to impress your readers and keep them coming back for more? Content. Interesting, engaging, relevant and useful content and the regular flow of it to your intranet are absolutely vital.

When it comes to content, there are 10 characteristics to keep in mind:

1. Useful: your stories can be very pretty and polished, but it’s essential to provide valuable information that your readers need to do their jobs. Otherwise, there’s no tangible reason for them to visit your site.
2. Accurate: what good is providing information if it’s wrong?
3. Complete: what good is providing information if it’s not comprehensive?
4. Up-to-date: what good is providing information if it’s outdated?
5. Trustworthy: transparency and honesty is paramount. Your readers shouldn’t learn more about your business from an external website (CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters) than they do from your internal site.
6. Easy to read: learn from USA Today. It’s not the widest-circulated print newspaper in America for nothing. Readers love the colors, photos and graphics.
7. Concise: in the age of Twitter and Instagram, communicators need to get their point across in 140 characters or less. While your intranet isn’t that restrictive, you should get to the point and move on. Plus, your readers are busy! They don’t have time to read rambling missives.
8. Targeted to audience needs: this is perhaps the most important point to keep in mind. It’s easy to get wrapped up in posting “perfect” content. That’s nearly impossible. Instead, adopt a targeted approach by focusing the largest majority of effort on the most important information and gradually less effort to content that is not as important. You’ll save time and energy and increase ROI.
9. Delivered in a suitable format: what’s the best way to get your message across? A standard article? A blog? A photograph? A video? An infographic? Think of new ways to creatively tell your message.
10. Cross-linked: everyone doesn’t go to the same place for their information. Link from multiple pages to ensure that your readers get what they need as easily and quickly as possible.

You can draw your readers in with an appealing homepage and simple navigation. But in order to keep them coming back, you need to provide some substance in the form of engaging and interesting content. That combination will provide the sustenance your intranet needs to flourish and prosper. We at Domus can guide the way.

Lisa Sawicki is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com/. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

Great leaders often have that same penchant for connecting with another person. And because of this, they’re quite successful. But how can this observation help you and your company? Assuming your company is engaging in social media, you actually have the opportunity to be charismatic in each and every conversation. Virtually.

It’s undoubtedly easier to have and effectively use charisma in person, but there are also ways to draw an audience in with your charming ways in the social media world too.

Here’s the key – it’s not really about YOU, it’s about THEM. Any charismatic person knows that the key to captivating an audience is 50% what you say and 50% how the audience feels about what you say. So how do you get an audience to feel a certain way towards you through the cold glow of a computer screen?

Here are a few tactics and guidelines that we adhere to when developing social media campaigns for clients, such as OKI Data Americas – https://twitter.com/OKIData

• Have a photo and bio easily viewable on your company blog page and/or social media pages.
• Reach out to your audience and draw them in by having a genuine and candid conversation. For example: “Has anyone tried out our new iPhone app? What did you think? Would love to hear your suggestions!” Sure, you’re inviting naysayers right in, but once they’re talking to you (and not to potential competitors) you have the chance to turn their opinions around.
• Speak in the first person, using “I,” “we” and “our” and writing about things that you truly care about. Avoid the third person. E.g., “Domus, Inc. is excited for this year’s Grammys!” Really? All 30 of you collectively can’t wait for the Grammy Awards? I don’t think so. Writing as a company sounds too forced.
• Show that you’re a person too – admit that you were affected by the natural disaster, the looming tax deadline, the coming of winter, a long night at the office or the flu virus that finally caught up to you.
• Have fun with it – show that you enjoy what you do and your audience will enjoy what you do.
• Don’t take all the credit for some new innovation; tell your audience you’re changing for THEM – you’re making things smaller, faster, less expensive, etc., because they spoke and you LISTENED.
• Above all, be genuine – show that you’re a real, transparent, human (or company run by humans) behind the social media profile.

What do you think? Can transparency in social media be a bad thing? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Kate Toy is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com/. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

*Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The same holds true when it comes to the client/agency relationship. Long-term relationships in this industry seem quite rare; in fact, Forbes reports the average to be just 3 years, which is down from 8.5 years as experienced in the 1980s*. Relationships come to a close for a variety of reasons, but at the root is often an issue with listening and understanding between the two parties. From an agency perspective, the client is depending on you to serve as its voice to the target audience. And like a game of whisper down the lane at a rock concert, if the agency is unable to listen carefully to understand the client and the client’s core communication objectives, the message will not properly reach the final target. The same holds true if the client is unwilling to listen and trust in the agency’s expertise.

Making the relationship more complicated is the fact that advertising communications is no longer a one-way street. In the age of social media, advertising has shifted from a carefully crafted monolog to a complex dialog discussed on a variety of forums. An agency hired to oversee social media efforts must earn the client’s trust to listen to and promptly engage with the target audiences without the need for hand-holding and layers of approvals from the client. Having a complete understanding of the client’s communication objectives will enable the agency to engage with greater strategy and fluidity.

With a track record of long-standing relationships, including our first client Lutron, whom we have held since 1993, and OKI Data, whom we’ve held for 15 years, Domus feels that an agency’s ability to listen is paramount. Thank you for reading. In a Dear Abby fashion, feel free to share with us your struggles, and we’ll be happy to listen.

Aaron Shute is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

*Forbes.com: The Kardashian Effect: The Short-Lived Client-Agency Romance, 2/29/12

Lesson 1:  Get the “10,000 foot view”

I have always referred to this as the “situational analysis.” No matter the name, it is important to do your due diligence to gain a solid understanding of the situation at hand and the role public relations will play in helping your organization realize its goal. Whether that goal is to raise awareness, educate and inform, change a mindset, help diffuse a crisis,or steal Christmas, public relations is one element of an overall business strategy. Understanding that role, the goal and the various outside influences as part of the big picture will allow you to develop a public relations strategy that delivers results.

Lesson 2:  Expect the unexpected

Do you have a “Plan B”? If not, you should; otherwise, you had better be quick on your feet like the Grinch. Taking the situational analysis a step further, it is always important to consider what else could happen when determining communications strategy and tactical elements.

You can never be too prepared. So whether you’re coordinating and facilitating a media interview, distributing a press release or hosting an event, it is important to consider all possible scenarios and prepare yourself (or your client) accordingly. All good PR practitioners have learned this lesson the hard way at one point or another in their careers.

Lesson 3:  Try new things

I’ve written about social media and its influence on business, news and the practice of public relations. Incorporating social media into your overall PR and strategic communications strategy is just one example of why it’s important to try new things. Public relations practitioners must be creative thinkers as well as communicators. Don’t be afraid to take a new approach to help achieve your goals. As long as this thinking is sound, well thought out and strategic, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Consider the Grinch’s dilemma: Don’t have a reindeer to pull your sleigh? Your dog could do in a pinch!

Lesson 4:  Take time to evaluate

Assessments allow you to reflect on what worked and what didn’t and to consider why. It’s all a learning experience and one that we should welcome. When the Grinch thought he had succeeded in stealing Christmas, he soon realized that victory was not his. Despite his best efforts, he did not achieve his desired outcome.

Reflecting on your performance should be a regular and an ongoing exercise in order to continue to sharpen your skills and learn from your experiences.

Lesson 5:  Keep good company

Surround yourself with colleagues who challenge, inspire and enlighten you and who bring energy and enthusiasm to the workplace – wherever that may be. Early on in my career I was fortunate enough to have a series of mentors who influenced and facilitated my professional development. In addition, I found myself in the company of many very talented PR practitioners. Identify those who can facilitate your professional growth and help you achieve your goals.

So with the holiday season now well underway, remember that there are always lessons to be learned and that we can find inspiration for our work almost anywhere – even from the Grinch. Happy Holidays!

Amy Whilldin is an Account Director at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

• Facebook Q3 bested Wall Street expectations with $1.26 billion revenue in Q3.
• Facebook has reached a gargantuan number of 1.01 billion monthly active users as of end of September 2012. This is an increase of 26% year-over-year.
• Facebook’s revenue from advertising was $1.09 billion. This represents 86% of total revenue and a 36% increase from Q3 in 2011.
• The biggest thing that stood out in Facebook’s Q3 results is the shift of the world’s largest social network to mobile. A total of 604 million mobile monthly active users were reached at the end of September, which is almost 60% of the monthly active users and marks a fantastic 61% increase year-over-year. Moreover, 14% of Facebook’s generated advertising revenue now comes from mobile.

Facebook´s Q3 2012 Achievements:

• Launched Facebook Gifts (a feature where you can give real gifts to your Facebook friends on any occasion)
• Launched several new advertising products (such as Custom Audiences, Facebook Exchange, Facebook Offers and mobile app install ads)
• Created Facebook Stories, a new website for stories of people using Facebook in extraordinary ways
• Closed on the Instagram acquisition
• Opened its first international engineering office in London

Facebook Mobile Engages More Fans Than Desktop – Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg, founder & CEO of Facebook, reports in a press release that over 600 million people use mobile devices every month to share and connect on Facebook, which supposedly makes them more engaged. To engage them even further, Facebook is planning to introduce new products and improve its platform for mobile devices. To accomplish this, Facebook did the following in Q3 2012:

• Completely rebuilt Facebook for iOS
• Updated Messenger for Android and iOS
• Made Facebook Camera app available in 18 languages
• Introduced New Software Development Kits (SDKs) for iOS and Android
• Deeply integrated Facebook into iOS 6.0 for the iPhone and iPad

Zuckerberg said, “As proud as I am that a billion people use Facebook each month, I’m also really happy that over 600 million people now share and connect on Facebook every month using mobile devices. People who use our mobile products are more engaged, and we believe we can increase engagement even further as we continue to introduce new products and improve our platform. At the same time, we are deeply integrating monetization into our product teams in order to build a stronger, more valuable company.”

Learn more about Facebook mobile here! To see the whole Facebook Q3 report, click here.

Domus stays on top of the latest changes in technology to help our clients navigate and capitalize on this ever-changing landscape.

Dhawal Sehgal is a Programmer at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

Recently, Cook has been quoted as saying, “We are in one of the most prolific periods of innovation and new products in Apple’s history.” These new products include Apple Maps, the iPad mini and the MacBook Pro with Retina display, as well as updates to hits like the iPhone and iPod lineup. In addition, Apple is rumored to be developing a radio service as well as a TV product.

Will Apple continue to be able to do all things great as it adds these new products? As most consumers know, Apple Maps didn’t live up to Apple’s standards, but products like the iPad mini and MacBook Pro with Retina display look like hits.

As Apple moves into developing its rumored radio and TV services, will it become too large to manage and cause Apple to deliver poor products or miss out on trends in categories where it is currently dominant?

If Apple will continue to be successful, it will need to remember its principle of focus that helped it become the most valuable company in the world instead of becoming like its competitors.

Domus, Inc. offers a range of strategic consulting and marketing strategy services. Our in-house staff of strategic experts and deep network of creative resources can help you solve your marketing challenges.

Ed Samide is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

Your company may be very successful, but your clientele may not be very interested in following or liking your company. And in some cases, your audience may not even be engaged on social media at all. Take Dove’s Men+Care brand. The brand has been struggling to gain traction on social media sites, not because of the product or the campaign, but because the target demographic (men 30-49 years old) is somewhat disengaged with the various social media tactics that have been employed on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

It’s important to ask yourself a few questions when creating the goals of your social media campaign:
1. Who is your target audience? (Note: you should already know this as a business owner)
2. Is this audience engaged in social media? If so, which platforms do they utilize?
3. What type of content do they find compelling? (deals, industry news, etc.)

Try to answer these questions as objectively as possible in order to set realistic goals for your campaign and to build feasible objectives. It’s possible that your brand may benefit from a rich mix of public relations, traditional advertisements and professionally driven social media like LinkedIn vs. sharing sites such as Twitter and Facebook. A social media campaign with minimal followers paired with weak content can sometimes disengage customers and prospects and can do more harm than good.
Targeting your audience is rule A1 when it comes to building a communications campaign, but it also takes just the right balance to ensure that the campaign will reach this audience. Domus has helped clients of all sizes evaluate their communications objectives to produce campaigns that are effective and impactful. Learn more about our services at www.domusinc.com.
Greg Smore is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

Just like a car, agencies have many vital components that make them operate smoothly and efficiently. And just like the engine cannot perform the duties of the transmission, the creative team cannot perform the job of account management (and vice versa). In more recent years, this has become even truer. Thanks to technology, cars have become highly complex, digitally managed systems. This is also true of advertising. Greater effort must be given towards cutting down on pollutants and increasing the mileage of our clients’ budgets. This is where the job of the account manager becomes even more important. Beyond serving as the liaison between the clients and creative teams, the account manager must become the navigator, helping to effectively steer their business through the ever-changing, often murky communication channels, constantly evaluating the course through constant analysis of the tactics. Without the account manager, a client’s business will not run as well as it should, nor will it have the direction needed to ensure success.

Domus’ team of highly skilled account managers are standing by to help rev up your business and navigate the ever-changing landscape of marketing and advertising.

Aaron Shute is a Senior Account Manager at Domus Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com/. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

http://www.inc.com/social-media-dont-put-intern-in-charge.html

A few key points from the Inc. article on why young employees shouldn’t run social media:

1. They aren’t mature enough
2. No class can replace on-the-job training
3. They may not fully understand your business
4. Social media management can quickly become crisis management

For social media expertise outside of your current staff, an agency such as Domus, Inc. is the best way to ensure your social media goals are fulfilled.

Kate Toy is a Senior Account Manager at Domus Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com/. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Strategic communications is, in effect, storytelling. It’s the business of conveying information and the art of persuasive communication. As a strategic communications professional, each day I am challenged to help a client move the proverbial needle with one of its target audiences – tapping into education, training, experience, insight and creativity to do so effectively. To help keep on top of my game, I am always on the lookout for inspiration and thought-starters.

This week, we lost Steve Sabol – filmmaker and co-founder of NFL Films. Sabol didn’t just film the game; he helped transform the way we view it and feel about it. He used slow-motion action, close-ups, behind-the-scenes footage, video montages, on-field microphones, orchestral music and iconic narrators to help tell a story – bringing the fierce emotion, competitiveness and drama of the game into view.

Sabol once said, “If someone were to ask me how would I define our job at NFL Films, I’d say it is to bring a new understanding to something that’s already been seen … to give a creative treatment to reality.”

As a strategic communications professional, I find inspiration in Sabol’s words and success, and I think that there are lessons from Sabol and NFL Films that can be applied to the practice of my profession:

• Selected detail – Focus on those details that matter. For Sabol, such details and imagery may have included the cleat marks on the turf, a player’s bloody knuckles or the way the light shone into the stadium. Paint a picture to communicate your message in a manner that will resonate with your audience and leave a lasting impression.

• Creative treatment – Find inspiration outside of the “usual” sources. Sabol applied techniques he learned from studying artists to his portrayal and interpretation of sport. Bring passion and creative elements into your work. Don’t be afraid to try new techniques or non-traditional vehicles to communicate your message in order to achieve the desired effect.

• Connect emotionally – Rather than just deliver information, seek to connect with and touch your audiences’ emotions. Tap into what makes your message important and why your audience should care. Sabol paired the raw imagery of the game with classical music scores and “The Voice of God” (the late John Facenda) to narrate his films. Video and imagery help tell stories and convey emotions when words cannot.

• Perspective matters – NFL Films put cameras and recorders in places other than just the sidelines. This different perspective heightened audiences’ connectedness with the game and its various figures. Consider providing your audience with a different point of view and connecting with them on a different level to engage with them.

• Tell a story – Through NFL Films, professional football was elevated to the nation’s most popular sport, generating leading television ratings and incredible revenue. Sports Illustrated even dubbed NFL Films “the most effective propaganda organ in the history of corporate America.”

Sabol’s work and words encourage us all to be passionate about our work, to take risks, to view things differently and to tell a story. I find inspiration in Sabol’s passion for his subject and his creative vision to approach and interpret that subject in a way that had never been done before.

“I’ve always believed that if you tell me a fact, I’ll learn. Tell me the truth, and I’ll believe, but tell me a story, and it will live in my heart forever.” – Steve Sabol

Domus is a team of gifted and inspired storytellers. Who’s telling your story?

Amy Whilldin is an Account Director at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

At Domus, the first step actually takes place before we are awarded an account. During the process when we are pitching a new account, we take every opportunity offered by the prospect to interact, so when we are fortunate enough to win a new account, the basis for a relationship has been started. By design, Domus is a collaborative company that believes in leveraging collective strengths in order to provide our clients with the very best solution and maximum return on investment.

As soon as the announcement is official, we begin the onboarding process. Since each client is unique, Domus’ Executive Management will review our process and customize it to each client’s desires, objectives and input. This may include such tactics as: discovery meetings with key stakeholders; secondary research; best practices analysis; content analysis of client-provided research and resources; a needs/gap analysis; a strategic planning session; a review of current projects and immediate needs, roles and responsibilities; short-term and annual budgets; official project list with priorities, key milestones and timing; reporting mechanisms including weekly hotlists, weekly conference calls/meetings, decision reports and all measurement and reporting.

Domus has successfully onboarded dozens of new accounts over our 19-year history. During that time, we have developed a proven onboarding process that has been effective in starting client relationships at Domus that have lasted up to 17 years (and still going strong!).

Joanne Michael is an Executive Vice President at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

• A search of annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission shows companies mentioned some form of the word “innovation” 33,528 times last year, which was a 64% increase from five years before that.
• More than 250 books with “innovation” in the title have been published in the last three months, most of them dealing with business, according to a search of Amazon.com
• Four in 10 executives say their company now has a chief innovation officer, according to a recent study of the phenomenon released last month by Capgemini Consulting.

In addition, business schools are revising their curriculum to focus on innovation.  According to The Wall Street Journal, schools such as University of California, Berkley and University of Portland offer majors in entrepreneurship and innovation management.

Supporting this trend, below are three recent innovations developed by companies:

Clorox Fraganzia

A recent AdAge article revealed how Clorox developed Fraganzia, a line of products for the Hispanic consumer. These products are based on the insight Clorox had that the Hispanic consumer tends to clean in three steps – cleaning, disinfecting and aromatizing.

The Fraganzia line includes a bundle of three products, including a multipurpose cleaner, an aerosol freshener and a toilet-bowl rim hanger. The marketing campaign for Fraganzia will be entirely in Spanish and will include the messaging “delicious fragrances for the final cleaning touch for floors, bathroom and rooms.”

City Target

About 10 percent of Target’s stores are in urban areas, but there is a trend in the United States where cities are now growing faster than suburban areas. To capitalize on this trend, Target has created “City” stores, profiled in a recent article in Businessweek.

Opening this past July in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, the stores are tailored to city shoppers. Target executives have placed athletic clothes near the entrance to appeal to business travelers and have removed lawn furniture in place of air mattresses – catering to people with apartments and included a fresh food section to encourage customers to visit more often.

Ford Escape

Ford’s new Escape SUV includes a feature that allows you to make a kicking gesture beneath the rear bumper to open and close the trunk. Jason Sprawka, the Ford Escape brand manager, said that “new Escape owners will be able to load their vehicle without ever having to set packages or gear down.”

Domus and Innovation

If you are interested in improving your company’s innovation strategy and process, Domus can help. Our in-house staff of strategic experts and deep network of creative resources can help you solve your innovation challenges.

Ed Samide is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

User interactions

Does your company have a protocol for how to respond to negative user comments on your brand’s social media pages? How about positive posts? If your answer is yes, then you’re off to a good start. If your answer is no, then we have a little bit of work to do. The point of having a social media campaign is to have SOCIAL interaction with other users. So when users like your Facebook content or Retweet certain Twitter Tweets, there should be some additional form of followup. It could be as simple as a thank you; or perhaps a Retweet of their content. Conversely, if your brand receives negative comments or an influx of customer service queries, these comments should be addressed publicly in order for others to know that your brand is hearing their demands and is there to provide support.

At Domus, we have constructed and implemented a complete social media protocol on behalf of OKI Data Americas, which is used to respond to a variety of potential user comments and actions. This protocol maintains that an appropriate response or action will be carried out in a timely manner in light of any user actions that may arise.

Linking and posting to relevant information

Promoting a steady stream of company information is important, but the best brands will also promote relevant content that isn’t self-generated, or for that matter, self-serving. This content may be industry-related news, compelling articles/social posts from news organizations or even news or posts from competitors. Linking to this type of information not only shows your followers that your brand has an ear to the industry floor, but it also helps to bolster your brand’s social media presence by embedding your brand on additional pages.

Following industry leaders

By following those in your industry that you either aspire to be or perhaps intend to defeat, you create an environment that is both complementary and competitive. Knowing what these individuals or organizations are doing from a social media perspective can give you a better sense of what they are doing as an organization.

These are just a few of the social media interactions that can impact your company’s social media campaign. Remember, posting content is just one piece of the social media puzzle.

Greg Smore is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

A good listener makes the best conversationalist. That’s right, more important than witty banter or animated storytelling is the art of listening. Think about the last truly good conversation you had. There was an open exchange of dialogue, your points or arguments were thoroughly considered before you received a response, it felt like you were really being heard and that what you had to say mattered and it left you eager to speak with that person again.

Image Source: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The same key points regarding listening are at play in social media. It’s not enough to simply share information; however fascinating or entertaining you may be (or think yourself to be), it’s important to make sure the content you share addresses your audience’s needs.

Unlike in a real conversation, it can be difficult to “hear” what your social media audience is saying, but there are some key ways to tell if they feel like they’re a real part of your conversation.

1. Are they commenting?

Pay attention to the types of posts that your audience comments on. If they respond well to pictures, post more images. Or if trivia questions seem to be what gets them going, follow suit and keep the trivia posts coming. Similarly, if you regularly post news items that do not receive a response, you’ll need to change the type of content that you’re posting.

2. Do they “like” or “Retweet” your posts?

Commenting shows active engagement, but liking and Retweeting is a bit more passive and does not require much effort from your audience. If they don’t care about what you’re saying enough to extend a mere like or Retweet, you need to reevaluate what you’re posting. Find a pattern in the content that generates the most likes and Retweets and continue to post more of the same. Your content should be dictated by what your audience wants to see, not by what you want to see.

3. Are they telling their friends about you?

Providing content that inspires your audience to share it with their friends is a key indicator that you’re doing something very right in the social media world. Whether it’s a contest, a deal or coupon or an interesting article, “shares” are excellent indicators that your audience is paying attention and finds your content worthy of spreading to their own connections. Content that is shared is generally amusing and entertaining in some way or provides value in the form of a discount or coupon. If your posts are not generating shares, reevaluate them to see if you can incorporate something more “share-worthy.”

Above all, listen and evaluate the chatter of your audience before developing your social media posts. When you find posts that work, stick with them, but,more importantly, never stop listening. You don’t want your audience to get bored; if engagement drops off, take a look and determine if you need to freshen things up again. Domus uses Google analytics and other measurement tools to expertly determine what an audience wants to hear and, based on those findings, we provide original content for our clients’ social media posts. Once you find what makes your audience happy, you can develop it into a steady stream of similar but ever-evolving content.

To keep your audience listening, it’s important to remember that the information you’re providing is about your audience’s needs – not yours.

Kate Toy is a Senior Account Manager at Domus Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com/. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

The purpose of “staying on message” is to ensure that you clearly communicate a singular message and that you repeat it often enough to make it memorable.  Often “staying on message” is associated with media training for interviews or crisis situations, but this concept also applies to all forms of corporate communications whether it is to internal or external audiences.

Play It Again, Sam

And there is scientific evidence to back this up.  It’s called the repetition principle.  Repetition creates a pattern that initially grabs our attention and then creates familiarity which often leads to liking.  For instance, when we’re shopping, we’re more likely to buy familiar brands even if we have never tried the product before.  Or think of a nagging child. Children know that if they repeat a request often enough, their parents will cave.  Repetition also leads to understanding.  What at first may seem strange, after repeated exposure becomes clear and understandable.  This becomes even more important in today’s world as we are bombarded constantly by a multitude of messages.

The Message Track

Domus helps its client “stay on message” by developing a message track document.  This document identifies the communication objectives, target audience, channels of communication and specific message points.  The message track is written in language that managers can understand and are able to take and communicate to others verbally or in writing.  The message track document is also particularly useful for account managers to confirm clear direction with our clients before proceeding with a communication initiative.  Once developed, communications professionals must not be tempted to stray from this message track when developing materials.  By staying focused and on message, communicators will be sure that their message is heard and understood.

So whether you’re preparing for a media interview, launching a new product or announcing a new employee incentive program, remember to stay on message in whatever you say and do.

Joanne Michael is an Executive Vice President at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

I remember when I was studying Public Relations (PR) back in the day, or when I subsequently first started my career in PR. I’d be in some sort of social situation and the inevitable question would come up:  “What do you do for a living?”

My response, I came to discover, was usually a conversation killer: “I’m in Public Relations.” …not because I’m a dull conversationalist, mind you, but because it seemed that nobody outside the industry actually knew what Public Relations, as a profession, really was.

Unfortunately, I have to say that even some 20+ years later, I’m not so sure people know what Public Relations is, despite the fact that people throw around the term “PR” like they actually have some knowledge of the practice and the profession.

Maybe it’s because there are a handful of PR-related television programs or characters in TV and the movies that are in PR, so people make broad assumptions and feign understanding of the profession based on such portrayals.

Consider these examples (and I’m not saying they’re good or accurate examples) of Public Relations practitioners in mainstream media:

• Lizzie Grubman’s late MTV reality series “PoweR Girls”
• “The Spin Crowd” on the E! television network
• Samantha Jones from “Sex and the City”
• Aaron Eckhart’s character in the 2005 movie “Thank You for Smoking”

…and the list goes on.

So is it any wonder that the general public has such a lack of understanding about what “Public Relations” truly is, or why people consider PR professionals to be little more than publicists and party planners? I’m not knocking either profession, but that’s not what I do.

What is Public Relations?

In 1984, Grunig and Hunt adapted the most widely used definition of Public Relations originally created by Rex Harlow in 1952 for the Foundation of Public Relations Research, which states: “Public relations is the distinctive management function which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance and cooperation between an organization and its publics; involves the management of problems or issues; helps management to keep informed on and responsive to public opinion; defines and emphasizes the responsibility of management to serve the public interest; helps management keep abreast of and effectively utilize change, serving as an early warning system to help anticipate trends; and uses research and sound and ethical communication as its principal tools.”

A more recent definition put forth by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) states: “Public Relations is more than managing the flow of information between an organization and its publics. It is a communications discipline that engages and informs key audiences, builds important relationships and brings vital information back into an organization for analysis and action. It has real, measurable impact on the achievement of strategic organizational goals.”

(I didn’t see “party planning” anywhere in there; did you?)

So when people throw around the term “PR” with little understanding of the actual practice or profession, I find it a bit unsettling. That being the case, it gives me great pleasure to see that five business schools are now incorporating Public Relations into their MBA curriculum as part of a pilot program launched by the PRSA: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/business-schools-offering-pr-tips-future-ceos.

The more that business professionals understand the role and the importance of Public Relations, and the more Public Relations becomes an active and contributing piece of any organization’s overall business strategy, the less I – and those in my profession – are likely to face blank stares or inaccurate opinions when we proudly respond, “I’m in Public Relations.”

Amy Whilldin is an Account Director at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

In a meeting during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June, Mr. Ewanick and Facebook’s Head of Sales Carolyn Everson discussed that Facebook would be willing to provide GM with better data on how its ads could be more effective at producing auto sales, but GM said that it would only return to Facebook advertising if Facebook could better prove the effectiveness of its advertising.

Ford’s Strategy

In contrast, Ford Motor Company’s Head of Social Media Scott Monty was quoted in AdAge saying “We’ve found that Facebook ads are very effective, and they’re most effective when we strategically combine them with great content and innovative forms of storytelling rather than a straight media buy.”

In addition, Ford’s CMO James Farley said it’s a mistake to equate interactions on Facebook with direct sales since the social site also improves Ford’s image among buyers and builds advocates for its brand. He reinforced the importance of engagement through Facebook, saying that “this interaction and engagement [on Facebook] is something that you don’t necessarily see in traditional media. That’s why we continue to accelerate our digital advertising investment to more than 25% of our media dollars.”

Industry Thoughts

Auto makers such as Subaru and Kia currently advertise on Facebook; they plan to spend more next year if they see a return. Dean Evans, Chief Marketing Officer of Subaru, said that he is happy with the return Subaru’s ads have had so far. In contrast, Nissan said that the majority of its spending on Facebook is for content, not advertising.

Rex Briggs, CEO of marketing analytics firm Marketing Evolution, Inc., works with auto manufacturers including Honda on evaluating return on investment in social media campaigns. Mr. Briggs was quoted in The Wall Street Journal saying that “auto makers can’t afford to ignore the tools that can help improve people’s feelings toward a brand.”

Facebook’s Answer

Facebook has addressed its advertising effectiveness by creating a program to work with the measurement teams of its clients to track advertising effectiveness, including metrics such as a sales result or sentiment. In addition, Facebook has aligned itself as a branding advertising tool instead of a direct response tool.

Facebook has stressed marketers should see value in the site for “resonance” with its users instead of click-through rates. Brad Smallwood, Facebook’s head of measurement and insights, said that, “TV kind of operates in the same way, and we’re trying to demonstrate that the same measures that are moving through TV are moving through online in general, but specifically on Facebook.”

Domus Mission – Provide Superior ROI

Domus’ mission is to provide clients with a superior return on their marketing investment. Domus advises clients on marketing communications strategy, including social media, and provides measurement and reporting to evaluate effectiveness.

Ed Samide is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

Social media gives a voice to the masses that was once only reserved for the traditional media. With that said, social media now provides an opportunity for the masses to express their individual opinions toward organizations, whether positive or negative in nature. It’s also worthwhile to point out that individuals are more willing to offer negative opinions versus unsolicited positive praise. The key to remember is that not everyone in the world is going to like a company – Google, Apple and Facebook are three of the most popular U.S. companies and they each have sizeable detractors – and negative comments and posts are going to happen; but it’s how a company handles these posts that can make or break a brand.

Take it for what it’s worth

Consumers go to a brand’s social media pages to interact with that brand and to get a feel for the culture. It’s important to not underestimate consumer intelligence. Customers can be skeptical of squeaky-clean social media pages. Social media is not the place to embed executive biographies and perfectly etched corporate initiatives; save that for the company website. A smattering of negative comments provides a more realistic overview of a company’s products or services, without causing too much harm to the brand.

Use negative comments on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube as learning experiences and as a way to connect with customers. For example, Domus serves as a social media consultant for OKI Data Americas. We found that negative comments or posts can provide valuable opportunities to help customers receive technical support and can produce consumer loyalty and goodwill initiatives. The key is to show that the company is listening by responding accordingly.

Do NOT hit delete

It may seem like a quick fix, but deleting negative comments can have a very adverse reaction. When an individual has taken the time to post a negative comment, they will be extremely upset if their comment is removed from the feed, just ask Chiquita.

As per our social media protocol, we have identified limited situations where the deletion of a user’s post is appropriate, that being when offensive/derogatory language is being used.

Remember, a few scars can give a brand character, just as long as everything is kept in balance.

Greg Smore is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

More and more, I find myself watching television newscasts and thinking, “This is old news.” As a smartphone user and an admitted social media junkie, I follow a select group of prominent news media outlets via Twitter. I regularly check my Twitter feed each day – most often in the evening – so by the time I’m watching the 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. news (or the morning news programs the following day), the vast majority of the stories are “old news” to me – even many of the human interest pieces.

With the delivery of news in real time via the web and social media platforms to our tablets and smartphones, I wonder:  are TV news broadcasts and newspapers becoming obsolete? Think about how revolutionary CNN was to the delivery of news back in 1980; it was the first and only channel dedicated to round-the-clock news coverage. Similarly, the web/social media and the widespread adoption of tablets and smartphones have revolutionized the way we receive news and gather information.

While researching for this blog, I found an article entitled, “How Social Media Is Taking Over the News Industry” – which reports these impactful statistics:

• More than 50% of people have learned of breaking news via social media rather than official news sources.
• 46% of people get their news online at least three times per week.
• Social media has become one of the top news sources.

Consider this recent headline, which highlights the electronic media’s impact on one of the largest metro daily newspapers in the US: Times-Picayune in New Orleans cuts publication to 3 days a week; and recall the ABC News announcement last fall: ABC News, Yahoo! News Announce Online Alliance. Both recognize the influence of the Internet and social media, more specifically, on the delivery of news.

As “media” evolves from the traditional print and broadcast platforms to include and embrace online news outlets, blogs and social media, so too must we as public relations professionals adapt and evolve the way we practice our craft. Before email, we used to fax press releases and mail press kits and B-roll packages to media outlets. Now, we can share materials – including video – via the web and social media. Stories are reported in real time, and popular items go viral, touching audiences far beyond those reached by “traditional” media outlets.

Media relations is part art, part science, and we at Domus do it every day on behalf of our clients. Adapting to the evolving world of media and embracing new technologies and social media platforms is our forte. Let our trusted team of public relations practitioners help you capitalize on these opportunities and deliver results that matter.

Amy Whilldin is an Account Director at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com/. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

1. Familiarize yourself with the blog. Research the author and get a feel for the overall purpose and personality of the blog. This includes reading the blog comments as well. Having this background knowledge will allow you to leave comments that are relevant, interesting and engaging.
2. Add to the discussion. Any comment you add must contribute to the discussion or topic. So do not leave comments like “Good post” or “Keep it up” or “Great stuff! Very interesting!” By including details from the post itself, you’re ensuring that others know you have read the post and have something important and worthwhile to say.
3. Be aware of your comment length and relevancy. When writing a comment, you want to be sure it is more than 140 characters, but less than multiple paragraphs in length. You want your comment to be long enough to establish credibility. To ensure that people don’t skip over your comment because of length, be sure to keep it between one to two paragraphs.
4. Respond to other comments. Writing response comments is a great way to start a conversation with the blog’s other readers. Getting involved with the blog’s community can also help you develop new connections and professional relationships.
5. Comment early. You want to be one of the first people to comment on a blog post, because it helps with your visibility. Other readers might scroll through the first few comments, but few will read all 102 of them.
6. Include a profile picture as avatar. People like to see other people’s faces when they’re having a discussion. By enabling avatars, you automate this process and encourage discussion.
7. Emphasize author comments.  When designing your comments, you should do something to make the author comments stand out from the others on the page. This might be by adding an icon to the comment or changing the background color. This type of styling makes it easier for commenters to see replies directly from the author and can help to increase discussion.
8. Author responses. It is important for authors to respond to blog comments. This is an excellent opportunity to show the commenter and other readers that the company is proactive and serious about blogging. The author should always thank a commenter for taking the time to offer feedback. Responses to blog comments should also be done in a timely manner to help continue the conversation.  Authors can keep readers engaged after they comment by sending a follow-up question.
9. Include tags. Include tags to improve search-ability.
10. Include links. Keep readers engaged by including a link to another relevant post or article.

Need help with your company blog?  Domus has a team of social media experts who can take your blog to the next level.

Joanne Michael is an Executive Vice President at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

This new feature it is a great addition for businesses, as it cuts the time spent on the Ad Preview Tool trying to determine how ads stack up against the competition. Using this new tool, you can now see a range of new competitive metrics on any given keyword within your campaigns.

What do the different available statistics mean?

• Average position: Average position is a quick way to gauge how high your ads are ranking compared with those of other advertisers competing in the same auctions. Average position is the average rank of the ad in the auctions, which determines the order of the ads on the search results page.
• Impression share: Impression share is the percentage of impressions you received divided by the estimated number of impressions you were eligible to receive. Eligibility is based on your current ads’ targeting settings, approval statuses, bids and Quality Scores. In the Auction Insights report, impression share also tells you the impression share of other advertisers as a proportion of the auctions in which you were also competing.
• Overlap rate: Overlap rate tells you how often you and another advertiser received impressions at the same time for this keyword.
• Position above rate: Position above rate tells you how often another participant’s ad was shown in a higher position than yours was in auctions in which you both received impressions.
• Top of page rate: This statistic tells you how often your ad (or the ad of another advertiser, depending on which row you are viewing) was shown at the top of the page, above the organic search results.

How accurate is the data shown in Auction Insights?

It is important to note is that this report does not indicate whether the competitors are running the exact keyword with exactly the same match type or targeting settings as you. It only shows the metrics for who else competed in the auction with you for a given keyword. Therefore one can’t take these results literally. For example, the competitor may be advertising in phrase match, while you were advertising in exact match categories.

It is advisable to look at longer time ranges or to ensure that the analyzed keyword has had lots of impressions. Otherwise there may not be sufficient data for Google to display.

How is Auction Insights going to help?

The main advantage of Auction Insights is that it allows you to see which competitors are bidding on the same keywords as you. If you have campaigns split by devices, Auction Insights can help you determine whether your competition is advertising on mobile platforms or not – if not, then you can use that to your advantage.

Auction Insights can help to make changes to your bid strategy. For example, if your competitor’s ads are getting shown above your ads more often than you would like, you may choose to increase your bids to be positioned above your competition.

Domus Inc. can help you improve your SEM campaigns. We can custom-tailor your SEM campaigns, making sure that you get more bang for the buck you spend on online advertising. You can get in touch with us by clicking here.

Dhawal Sehgal is a Programmer at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

According to a recent article in Bloomberg Businessweek, YouTube is “…funding filmmakers, artists, writers and proven online hitmakers with grants that range from a few hundred thousand to a few million dollars.” YouTube will invest $100 million total in this program. Starting in July, the website plans to have 25 hours of programming daily.

YouTube is changing its model to appeal to brand advertisers. In the past, the site focused on metrics like clicks and views, but now it focuses on measurements that show engagement, such as the number of minutes viewers watch videos. As part of its effort to increase engagement, YouTube has improved its recommendation engine.

In the May 14 AdAge article “YouTube’s Video Views Are Falling – By Design,” the publication notes that YouTube is changing the weight of the metrics the engine uses to suggest videos based on engagement:

“On March 15, YouTube altered its recommendation system to make the time spent with a video or channel a stronger indicator than a click in determining which videos to surface to a user.”

The article continues noting that YouTube is also testing at what point ads are shown to a user and also what happens after an ad is shown, such as a user leaving the site.

According to Businessweek, Toyota, AT&T and General Motors have planned to spend up to $10 million each on YouTube’s new channels. Quoted in Businessweek, Robert Kyncl, vice president and global head of content partnerships for YouTube, says that “if you are an advertiser trying to reach people, this is the right place to be.”

As iTunes changed the music industry, Amazon changed the publishing industry and Netflix changed the movie industry, television executives will need to respond to YouTube’s entry into their market.

As a full-service marketing communications agency, Domus helps its clients stay up-to-date on industry trends and consults its clients on business-building communications strategies.

Ed Samide is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

There were two positive attributes listed that are extremely pertinent features for small businesses. The first is that businesses receive an SEO boost through Google+, as the social platform will influence searches for individuals that have included a Google+ business in their circle. The second is that small businesses point to expanded content distribution, which translates into increased followers.

As for the negatives, Google+ (and Facebook) can be difficult to administer, as the page must be maintained through an individual’s account. Depending on the size of the company, there can be some issues with sharing account information. Google+ is also not embedded within dashboards like Hootsuite, which hosts Facebook and Twitter accounts through one portal. Domus utilizes Hootsuite to manage the Facebook and Twitter accounts of various clients, and the absence of Google+ within the portal can act as a deterrent for the use of the social network.

The most glaring aspect is the fact that Google+ does not have an actively engaged user base, despite what Google says. This New York Times article sheds some light on the Google+ user numbers:

Google claims that about 50 million people who have created a Google+, Google Plus account actively use the company’s Google+, -enhanced products daily. Over a 30-day period, he said, that number is 100 million active users.

Although these numbers sound impressive, the catch is that Google Plus-enhanced properties include YouTube, the Android Marketplace and Google.com, the company’s flagship search engine.

This ComScore stat is what really tells the engagement story for Google+, or lack thereof:

In a view from outside the company, a report released last month by ComScore, the market research firm, says Google Plus users spend about three minutes a month on the social network. By comparison, ComScore says that people spend an average 405 minutes a month on Facebook, the service Google Plus is trying to displace.

Google+ needs to increase its overall user base along with user participation and engagement. Keep in mind that Google+ is still in its infancy, and only time will tell if this network will become as powerful as the current market leaders. With that said, Google began running primetime television ads for its social network, something that Facebook and Twitter have never had to do. Is there blood in the water for Google+? Only time will tell.

Full disclosure: I have been a member of Google+ since the initial launch in 2011. With that said, I still have not fully immersed myself in this social network platform and do not access the network on a regular basis.

Greg Smore is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com/. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) defines public relations as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics,” and while I agree and think this definition summarizes public relations well, there’s nothing about it that’s tangible.

It’s not easy tying a company’s sales or revenue to public relations. Marketing seeks to do that by measuring campaigns and sales results, but while the ultimate objective of public relations is to boost sales and increase revenue – there are virtually no measurement tools that can say whether or not PR boosted sales. PR might boost awareness of a brand or product, and the foremost goal is to bolster the brand image and the public’s perception of a company or product, but to claim that PR efforts had a direct result on sales is not easily done.

Instead we look to define success in other ways. One of the primary functions of public relations is media relations. It’s very easy to see if a media relations campaign is successful. Is your brand or company featured in positive news articles and segments that showcase its expertise or products in media outlets where your audience will see it? If yes, then the media relations campaign is successful. If you can repeat this formula and garner many placements in outlets that your target audience reads and watches, then your campaign is VERY successful. The crux of a basic public relations campaign is media relations, and a successful campaign with quality (not quantity) placements will go a long way in making an impression on your desired audience.

Another critical part of a successful campaign is ensuring that it properly aligns with the overall marketing strategy. There must be synergies so that the public relations strategy is a complement to the marketing plan, otherwise your messages get confused and you don’t have the same impact as you would with a fully integrated plan. Domus regularly develops fully integrated plans for clients. For a successful communications strategy you really can’t have just marketing or just public relations or just advertising; all of these mediums must work together – we call it the marketing mix – and it varies for each client.

Public relations is not a hard science, however there are goals to be measured. If you combine your PR strategy with your social media strategy (as you should) you can easily measure media coverage, audience engagement and audience growth. Setting goals for these three tangible items will help you measure a level of success and allow you to tweak your strategy if those goals are not being met. To develop a strategy for setting PR goals or adjusting your current strategy to meet your PR goals, contact Domus for insight and an assessment of your current PR campaign.

Kate Toy is a Senior Account Manager at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com/. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.

In today’s digital era, this length of turnaround is unheard of. Production and changes to banner ads, Web pages, HTML emails and even good old fashioned print materials can be accomplished in a few hours and sometimes even minutes when a deadline is looming. This means that agencies are more than ever reliant on well-built internal operations and workflow systems.

To have a fast, smooth agency workflow, agencies need a specific system to open jobs, build creative briefs, create estimates and timelines, organize daily efforts, issue purchase orders to vendors and track project status. In the past, this system was a manual process that required a physical paper trail and job jacket for every project. This time-consuming paperwork created inefficiency in today’s world where minutes, not hours or days, can make the difference in delivering a completed project on time and delivering superior client service.

Today there is a proliferation of digital agency management workflow systems available. According to an annual survey conducted by Second Wind Networks, an advertising industry consulting firm, 10 percent of respondents still rely on a manual traffic system, and 23 percent use some amalgam of software and a custom system. Overall, 81 percent have some level of digital traffic management.

Domus was founded on the belief that an agency must be able to constantly adapt to industry changes and client needs. We are a lean, nimble structure that responds seamlessly to the challenging dynamics of our industry. That is why we constantly tweak our workflow management system to become faster, more agile and the most efficient agency possible.

Joanne Michael is an Executive Vice President at Domus, Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com/. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.