IABC/Philadelphia

IABC Philadelphia board member and communication consultant, Tim Ernst, ABC was featured in the July 2009 issue of Communication World Bulletin with an article regarding Visuals in Online Communication.

In my presentation to the IABC in February, we talked about why search engine optimization is important to press releases. There are many ways for your release to be displayed online and thereby accessible to search engines like Google. A best practice is to always post your press release to your website or online newsroom. Also, there are some press release distribution services, such as Business Wire, that will post your release to hundreds or thousands of websites for a small fee. This article will provide a good jumping off point for you to learn how to get the most out of your release once it is posted online.

The goal of this article is to help you take advantage of a new way to reach your audience, search engines. Only a few years ago, your audience for a press release was only the media. You sent it to the local paper or trade publication, hoping that they would write an article about your company. Then you hoped that your clients, prospects or anyone else you were looking to reach would see it. That’s a lot of hoping.

While the media is still the main target of a press release, search engines help to take the guesswork out of public relations. Google tells us how many people search for certain terms every month in their keyword research tool. This tool will allow you to select the right keyword to put into your press release. Selecting the right keywords is one of the most important things that you can do when creating your release to make sure that it is found.

Check out this blog post for some good things to keep in mind when selecting your keywords. Also, check out this great video to help with keyword selection.

Here’s a link to the Wordtracker Tool for more suggestions.
Embedding hyperlinks in the text of a release is another important tool.

Keywords with embedded links to your website do a lot for SEO. Here’s the three most important benefits:
1. Increases the chance of your release being found on a search for the keyword
2. Drives quality traffic to your website
3. SEO of that webpage increases

For working more SEO into your site: Google’s Official SEO Starter Guide.
This information will hopefully get you on the road to recognizing the benefits of SEO in press releases.
To continue your training:
1. Please check out our on-going Business Wire webinars
2. Check out our EON Resources page for some good info
3. Call or email me to setup a more in-depth meeting and hear about Business Wire’s tools
4. Check out these blogs: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/top-25-seo-blogs/ or http://davefleet.com/2008/10/are-you-reading-the-top-pr-blogs/

This article contributed by Aaron Nye, Account Executive with Business Wire (www.businesswire.com) Philadelphia, a Berkshire Hathaway Company. Aaron can be reached by email at Aaron.Nye@businesswire.com or by phone at 610-617-9560.

Philadelphia, Pa., June 23, 2009 – IABC Philadelphia, the local chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators, has announced Tony DeFazio has been appointed chapter president and Chris Lentz chapter vice president/president elect as part of its new leadership team for the 2009-2010 program year. The two were unanimously elected by the association’s board at IABC’s annual planning meeting June 19th. DeFazio and Lentz will oversee strategic direction, membership programming and education initiatives as well as fundraising activities for the 200 plus member trade group.

Tony DeFazio previously served as vice president of publicity for IABC Philadelphia. In his new role, he will be responsible for the overall direction and programming for the trade group. DeFazio is president of DeFazio Communications, LLC a Conshohocken-based public relations agency. He previously served as director of public relations at American Financial Realty Trust, a NYSE-traded Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) based in Jenkintown, PA. Prior to that, he was executive vice president of Gregory FCA in Ardmore, PA. DeFazio is a 1989 graduate of the Ithaca College School of Humanities and Sciences where he received a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science. He is a resident of Conshohocken, PA.

Chris Lentz previously served as a vice president of marketing for IABC Philadelphia. As vice president, he will work to coordinate the chapter’s strategic communications efforts across several media. Lentz is internal news editor at Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, NJ. He previously served as senior editor at ING in West Chester, PA. Over his 10-year career, Lentz has managed communications efforts for a range of companies in the customer service, technology, financial services, and education fields. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at La Salle University.

“Both of these communicators have distinguished themselves in service to IABC Philadelphia,” says Lauren Conway, outgoing president of IABC Philadelphia. “We couldn’t be more pleased with Tony and Chris assuming the leadership for the new programming year. Their appointments will help support additional programs and services added last year to sustain the growth of our membership as result of the merger with the Delaware chapter. We look forward to their contributions in the year ahead.”

For more information about networking, continuing education or accreditation opportunities with IABC Philadelphia, please visit our new website at www.iabcphiladelphia.com.

About IABC Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) links communication professionals in the Delaware Valley. IABC Philadelphia provides members and guests a range of services, including professional development meetings and workshops, networking with peers, knowledge and resource sharing, job placement and accreditation. Members have access to over 200 communication professionals including corporate communications, public relations/media relations, editors, public affairs, investor relations, marketing communications, graphic designers, and writers in a variety of industries. For more information, visit www.iabcphiladelphia.com.

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I recently had the experience of judging the final tier Gold Quill Awards in San Francisco along with 35 other communicators from 6 continents.  The experience of being with such a high-caliber judging group was quite a thrill. But the most critical thing I took away from the experience is the realization that everyone could win a Gold Quill if they understood what is required.

You don’t need to have a million dollar budget or a once-in-a-career mega-project to win a Gold Quill. You DO need to have competent work with measurable objectives. Frankly I expected to be wowed by the entries I saw when judging at the final round. But most of the pieces I evaluated missed the mark in two simple areas: having clear objectives and demonstrating results that link to those objectives. Setting goals that link to organizational objectives is the hallmark of an effective communicator.

Writing your award entry – or carrying out your communications plan – shouldn’t be a “ready, fire, aim” proposition. It was obvious in evaluating that most entrants had not thought about measuring success at the time the program was conceived. Rather they had a piece they were proud of and tried to rummage through the files for any sort of feedback or measures that would help make the case for their award. That is aiming after you fired.

When you have a communications challenge, you need to generate specific intentions about the audience and your proposed solution, and you need to determine BEFORE implementation what success will look like so that you can shape your work around it and measure it afterward. Measurement doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive or time consuming. It just needs to ask the right questions or show the right data to demonstrate the success of your effort. Each objective should have a measure. If your goal is increased participation in a program, the measurement should not focus on brochure readership. You might, however, try to uncover in a simple survey card if the brochure led to a change in behavior that led to participation in your program. If your goal was to increase revenues by 10%, the fact that 127 people asked for an extra copy of your beautiful calendar is irrelevant. You can measure that the calendar triggered potential customers to call, which led to closed sales and increased revenues. Thinking through the measures of your success before you execute your piece often gives sharper focus to your communication tools and tactics.

I seldom have clients who take the time to consider measurement of the success of the tools that I create for them…and I suspect that this is more the norm in our profession. I challenge you to consider what the measure of success would be for each article, for each brochure, for each direct mail piece that you create. Taking the time to aim before you fire will result in more targeted and therefore more effective communications…and perhaps net you a Gold Quill award!

Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
Communication Results

Writing|Graphic Design|Photography|Project Management

Special Recognition and Thanks - Two IABC Philadelphia Members Participated (see below)

Special thanks to Gold Quill coordinators and judges
Recognizing the best and brightest in business communication cannot be possible without a group of industry experts who graciously volunteer to coordinate and judge the Gold Quill entries. For the 2009 Gold Quill Awards, IABC received nearly 1,000 entries from 26 countries. We’d like to thank our category coordinators for recruiting first-tier judges, handling entries and ensuring that each and every entry was carefully and thoughtfully judged.

Our 2009 category coordinators were: Linda Andross, ABC, Yvonne Callaway Smith, Patricia Chamberlain, Lana Collins, ABC, Melissa Dark, Mark Estes, ABC, Janelle Ewing, Derrick Fennell, Olivia Gadd, Todd Hattori, ABC, Maureen Healey, ABC, Sean Hill, Shel Holtz, ABC, Chris Johnson, ABC, Sue Johnston, ABC, Lori Joseph, ABC, Don Klausmeyer, ABC, Lesley Kriewald, Mari Lee, Lynne Lightsey, Allison MacKenzie, ABC, Elena Mappus, Wilma Mathews, ABC, Martha Muzychka, ABC, Megan Neher, Christine Nyirjesy Bragale, ABC, Paul Omodt, Jeffrey Ory, ABC, APR, Marie Raperto, Juan-Andres Rincon Gonzalez, Diane Rooney, Rachel Rosenberg, Bill Spaniel, ABC, Sergei Trofimenko, Claire Watson, ABC, and Cathleen Wolf, ABC.

Once entries are judged at the first tier, finalists move to the Blue Ribbon Panel. This year we had 36 judges representing 11 countries who convened in San Francisco for two days to judge more than 300 entries. A special thanks goes to our 2009 Gold Quill Chair, Paul Matalucci, ABC, for an outstanding job this year.

And we’d like to also thank our 2009 Blue Ribbon Panel: Brandon Brind, Jocelyn Canfield, ABC IABC PHILADELPHIA MEMBER, Ezri Carlebach, Melissa Dark, Nick Durutta, ABC, Joel Fisher, Barb Gibson, ABC, Laura Hardin, Tim Hart, Wendy Heshka, ABC, Shel Holtz, ABC, Deborah Hudson, Chris Johnson, ABC, Lori Joseph, ABC, Shirley King, ABC, Ron Kustra, ABC, Lelde McCoy, Dave Meyer, Igor Mintusov, Paul Mlodzik, ABC, Irene Monley, ABC IABC PHILADELPHIA MEMBER, Daniel Munslow, Jeffrey Ory, ABC, APR, Sujit Patil, Tom Roux, Felicia Shiu, ABC, APR, Kristen Sukalac, Martha Terry, Sergei Trofimenko, Jane Voisard, Jennifer Wah, ABC, Toby Ward, Anna Willey, ABC, Ryan Williams, Carlos Wirth, ABC, and Ann Wylie.

The 2009 Gold Quill winners will be announced on IABC’s website in mid-April. All winners will be honored at the Gold Quill Awards gala dinner and awards ceremony on Monday, 8 June at the San Francisco Marriott Hotel in conjunction with IABC’s World Conference.

Members of IABC Philadelphia and other guest enjoyed an afternoon of communication-based instruction from Joe Borillo on the basics and the finer points of the sport of curling.

Thank you to IABC Philadelphia member and curling club member, Joe Borillo and curling club member Rich Miller for their patience and instructions to the novice “IABC players” who participated. Fun, networking and some light snacks were had by all.

Photos from them event:

Danielle MacDonald, her friend and Jim Hulton enjoy viewing the Curling instruction from the warmth of the clubhouse.

Team IABC! from l-r Dana Fluder, Jan Waldauer, Tim Ernst, Sue Begley, Bill Cowan, Jocelyn Canfield, Joe Borillo, Roseann McGrath Brooks take to the ice!

Check out our upcoming events - On March 13, 2009 IABC Philadelphia will be hosting along with IABC Phildelphia member Joe Borillo from Unisys a Curling & Networking Social at the Philadelphia Curling Club in Paoli, PA. Come out and have some fun, network and learn something new.

REGISTER HERE Limited to IABC members and the first 20 people who register.

For other IABC Philadelphia events visit Upcoming Events

This area will be used to add quick updates on the chapter, what’s going, on, upcoming meetings, etc.