The Lewis and Clarke Bicentennial Back to School Campaign online media room is a winner!Hats off to DVCO Technology for getting it right. Browsing around this comprehensive online media room you can see why they were awarded best new PR tool by PR Week, and why PR Newswire has adopted this format as the industry standard.
In his study of journalists, guru of web usability Jakob Nielsen gave corporate websites a big ‘D’ in PR. His study of how journalists use the Net showed that although 99% turn to the Internet when starting a story, they only manage to find the basic information they need 68% of the time.
Few corporations would discount the value of positive press says Nielsen’s study. Yet you would never know this, given the results of our usability study on media sections of corporate websites.
In the study 20 journalists attempted to use the media areas of corporate websites to gather information for their story assignments. Among other tasks, the journalists tried to find basic information about each company’s financials, management, and commitment to social responsibility, along with a PR telephone number.
The ‘D’ grade brought about unhappy and frustrated journalists – not something a PR professional would ever want.
And once a journalist has tried to use your website to get information for a story – and failed – s/he wont be back.
In contrast, the online media room set up for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commemoration gets an ‘A+’
This online media room is specifically for the Qwest Foundation’s Commemoration of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Qwest will help fund eight bicentennial events in seven states in their local service territory; a Lewis & Clark educational campaign called "Back to School with Lewis & Clark;" that includes brochures, posters and other materials.
Students at the Boys and Girls Club in Omaha were the first to see the new Lewis & Clark educational program unveiled on July 28 by the National Council of Lewis & Clark Bicentennial
What a great media area. It has everything a journalist would need to know to write about this specific campaign.
A good online media room helps journalists working on deadline to find what they need – fast. Treating a journalist like a customer and giving good service that really helps them do their job pays off every time. It builds good relationships and gets you better media coverage in the future.
PR Professionals today need to get wired and plug in. Find out how blogging can affect your audiences perceptions – discover where online conversations are happening that include your main keyword and phrases. Find the stories that can get your message out online.
And provide the tools journalists need to find and write about your stories.
Learn how to become a part of the conversation and then provide journalists with tools to access all the data they need to write about it.
