Public Relations Mini Plan

NICK LOUI EMERSON COLLEGE

APRIL, 2010
March Communications

Table of Contents
Executive Summary ......................................................................................2

Introduction / Background ............................................................................3

Objectives .....................................................................................................5

Publics ..........................................................................................................6

Strategy and Plan .........................................................................................8

Appendix .....................................................................................................11

Works Cited ................................................................................................12

Content Sample I ........................................................................................13

Content Sample II .......................................................................................15

March Communications

Executive Summary
March Communications is a niche PR agency based in Boston, MA1 , that specializes in the technology
industry. It is currently looking to increase agency visibility as a way of gaining new clients 2. March
Communications has established connections with industry-specific media, as well as established profiles on
large social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn3. In addition, it maintains its own blog, PR
Nonsense, available on the March Communications website4.

In order to achieve this objective, this public relations plan focuses on establishing more contact with the
following publics: high-level marketing and PR executives at potential client companies, writers and editors
for PR publications and user groups, and PR blog readers who are long-term client prospects.

To accomplish this, March Communications needs to highlight three key messages: its expertise in the PR
needs of technology companies, the client-oriented service it provides as a boutique agency, and its
international and national experience. By taking these messages and both syndicating and generating
content for large social media websites such as Mashable and ReadWriteWeb, March Communications can
become a beacon for technology-related public relations, creating a very strong brand and gaining new
clients.

1 "about us | Technology PR agency | March Communications." home | March Communications | Technology PR Boston.
N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. <http://www.marchpr.com/about/>.

2 Swenton, Liz. "Principles of Public Relations Client Mini-Plan." Principles of PR. Emerson College. Walker Building, Bos-
ton. 15 Mar. 2010. Class lecture.

3 Ibid.

4 Ibid.
March Communications

Introduction / Background
What is March Communications?
March Communications is a niche technology-focused PR agency that has worked with various clients
around the globe, from large public companies to small start-ups 5. It is based in Boston, MA. March
Communications is five years old, employs 13 people, and has high client/high staff retention6.

Situation Analysis - Where is March Communications?

Because March Communications is a technology-focused PR agency, it is very active online. It currently
maintains profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. On Twitter, “@MarchPR” has 410 followers. The
March Communications Facebook page has “68 Fans”. According to Alexa, “The Web Information
Company”, MarchPR.com is a low-traffic website with 60% of its traffic originating from the United States 7.
High-impact search queries include “symbol”, “twitter”, “# symbol”, “luminosity”, and “technology pr”8.

In addition, March Communications recently refreshed its website to reflect modern web standards and
styles. This refresh included a brand new layout and more consistent styling. Most importantly, it integrated
its blog, PR Nonsense, directly into the website. The latest changes to the March Communications website
are part of a rebranding process that March Communications has undertaken recently 9.

Other current relationships include The Bulldog Reporter, PR Week and O’ Dwyer. In addition to these three
relationships, March Communications has an ongoing column with The Examiner and Everything PR. It has
little contact with local media at the moment 10.

March Communication’s primary challenge is competition from larger agencies on both a local and national
level. March Communications is looking for clients based within the United States. Its extensive experience
with its largely European and Asian clientele is a differentiator that can be used as a selling point to US
companies trying to “go global”.

5 "about us | Technology PR agency | March Communications." home | March Communications | Technology PR Boston.
N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. <http://www.marchpr.com/about/>.

6 Swenton, Liz. "Principles of Public Relations Client Mini-Plan." Principles of PR. Emerson College. Walker Building, Bos-
ton. 15 Mar. 2010. Class lecture.

7 "Marchpr.com - Reviews, Site Info, Traffic Stats and Related Links from Alexa." Alexa the Web Information Company.
N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2010. <http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/marchpr.com>.

8 Ibid.

9 Swenton, Liz. "Principles of Public Relations Client Mini-Plan." Principles of PR. Emerson College. Walker Building, Bos-
ton. 15 Mar. 2010. Class lecture.

10 Ibid.
March Communications

Content Analysis
According to the March Communications blog, the most popular posts are: “Blog Panel - Part 1: 2009’s
Biggest PR Lessons Learned”, “Using Social Media to Generate Leads”, and “social media tool academy” 11.
The key finding here is that the articles most visitors are looking at are suggestions and advice for public
relation professionals or anyone interested in public relations as well as information on social media. Since
March Communications specializes in public relations for technology companies, this interest in social media
is a natural correlation. All of these articles are also simple to understand and provide easy overviews of
content. Finally, these articles showcase the knowledge that March Communications has of the industry.

The front page of the blog does not show clear content-direction. Everything from Earth Day to social media
coverage and industry events are combined in a single place. It may be worthwhile to allow users to filter
content by category.

* Additional analysis is attached in the appendix.

Goal
The overall goal for March Communications is to:

Increase the agency’s visibility by targeting PR specific publications,

as well as local media, to reach a selective audience (CMO’s,
marketing directors, PR managers, etc...)

11 "blog | March Communications." home | March Communications | Technology PR Boston. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr.
2010. <http://www.marchpr.com/blog/>.
March Communications

Objectives
The three primary objectives for this public relations mini-plan are:

To increase traffic to the website by 10-20% within the next three months
This objective is straightforward. Increased traffic results in more leads and more sales. Gaining traffic is an
ongoing initiative that should be taken very seriously as a way of reaching potential customers, as well as of
collecting data on where visitors are coming from. There are specific methods and tactics that can be used
to accomplish this objective. By assigning a specific percentage target increase, we can measure and
analyze the results of the initiatives. Because it is an ongoing process, adjustments can be made as
necessary.

To gain new clients through additional methods of communication

In addition to attracting more traffic to the website, March Communications can gain new clients by being
more active and engaging in new forms of communication via social networks as well as popular blogs. This
is a realistic objective that can be measured by the amount of visitors coming to the March Communications
website and blogging from specific websites that March Communications has pitched content to. By asking
new clients how they found out about March Communications, the sales success rate can be determined.
Content can be written and adjusted depending on the increase of traffic from these sources.

To increase interactions / participation between visitors and March

Communications on social networks as well as the blog
Looking at the blog, Twitter, and Facebook, March Communications has very useful information and great
content, but it lacks visitor interaction. Generating a two-way conversation is a powerful tool to show that
the company is active, busy, and informed by “real people,” as opposed to a faceless LLC. All social media
websites as well as the Wordpress platform that the March Communications blog is powered by12 have
analytics tools that can show how often visitors are commenting on the website, as well as if they are sharing
content with friends. Ideally, in the next few months March Communications will see an increased amount of
comments per blog post as well as more @marchpr mentions on Twitter. March Communications will need
to respond to these mentions and comments, beginning the process of a continuous dialogue with its
visitors.

12 This was determined by analyzing the page content as well as confirming that the Wordpress administration console
exists at www.marchpr.com/wp-admin
March Communications

Publics
March Communications‘ goal of increasing agency visibility is specifically aimed at a local media at a
selective audiences, including the following:

FIRST PRIORITY: HIgh-level marketing and PR executives

at potential client companies.
In order to find new clients, March Communications needs to reach executives within companies who have
the power to choose their respective companies’ public relations firm. It is important to note that March
Communications is looking for “C” level executives, as opposed to lower-level manager or executives not
responsible for pr needs.

All individuals with upper-level management positions are busy. In addition to being busy, this target
audience is at the top of the public relations world and constantly sought after by other pr firms. Therefore,
the content that March Communications delivers to this audience needs to be unique and carefully crafted.
Since this group is already aware of many of the things that going on in the pr industry, the content that
March Communications shares with this public may need to focus on opinion pieces, as opposed to news
articles, that will differentiate March Communications from its competition.

March Communications currently has direct relationships with individuals in these high-level positions at its
clients. These are the same people that will be hiring and working with March Communications on a daily,
weekly and monthly basis.

SECOND PRIORITY: Writers and editors for PR publications

and user groups
March Communications maintains connections with The Bulldog Reporter, PR Week and O’ Dwyer. These
publications are industry specific and are distributed to the same publics that are mentioned as first priority--
upper-level marketing and public relations executives. Through writers and editors, March Communications
has the ability to share its content with a wide range of people that match the same target that March
Communications is trying to connect with.

While they do have these few connections, March Communications should be actively looking to expand its
relationships with this public. Making more connections with writers and editors has two distinct
advantages. First, since they provide objective information on the pr world, their endorsement of March
Communications as a leader and innovator in the field strengthens March Communications as a brand name.
Secondly, any communications they produce about March Communications is distributed to a large pool of
potential clients.

The connections that March Communications currently have with industry publications and groups are with
large, very established public relations news sources. This is great because those organizations are leaders
in the pr field, and March Communications is aligning themselves with the leaders in public relations. At the
March Communications

same time, these connections do not tap the potential provided by publications that are not focused solely
on public relations.

THIRD PRIORITY: PR Blog readers who have the potential

to become PR clients
By appealing to the general public that may be interested in the public relations field as a whole, March
Communications can further establish itself as a leader in the field. While these blog readers may be casual
viewers at first, many of them are interested in the field for small businesses or companies they own. While
they may not be actively looking for a public relations company, it is very possible that down the road, they
will need one.

Furthermore, this category is a potential source for one of the most powerful public relations tactics, word of
mouth. By providing helpful content to a wider audience, this creates large potential for word of mouth
referrals.

Finally, marketing executives who may not be completely dedicated to the public relations field may not
subscribe to all of the public relations-specific news sources. Because of this, it is important to try and find
ways to reach this audience. Casual blog readers are perfect examples of people that may not pay for PR
publications, but who could be casual March Communications blog readers.

Part of the ongoing

March Communications plan should be to actively find potential clients for March Communications without
giving an aggressive sales pitch. Part of the goal is for March Communications to be a strong enough brand
that when potential clients begin looking for a public relations firm they will not need to do additional research
because March Communications will already be in their minds.
March Communications

Strategy and Plan

Primary Strategy and Ideal Outcome
The ideal outcome for this public relations plan is to increase awareness of March Communications among
potential client leads as a result of new content being created and delivered in additional appropriate
places. This directly affects the objective of increasing traffic to the website, with side effects of helping the
secondary and tertiary objectives.

This means that while March Communications is currently publishing content to its own blog as well as
industry-related publications, there is a huge potential for additional press in new online territories. The
content from the March Communications blog is great, but the amount of interaction on the blog shows that
there is not a huge flow of traffic. In addition, the amount of trackbacks, “a framework for peer-to-peer
communication and notifications between web sites”13 (or, the ability to track where content from the blog is
being copied onto other websites) is low.

Key Messages
There are three primary messages that March Communications needs to highlight when publishing content
online, especially when publishing content outside of its own blog:

March Communications is a client-focused boutique agency.

March Communications is a leader in the PR needs of technology companies.

March Communications is a player in the international and national pr arena

It is important to use these key messages for purposes of branding, as the primary goal of this plan is to
establish March Communications as a leader and innovator in the public relations field, and brand recognition
will be easier if the same primary messages are used over and over again. These key messages were
chosen because they define March Communications. March Communications is a tech-focused boutique
agency. It is a small company that pays attentions to its clients. Unlike large public relations firms, March
Communications pays attentions to its clients both large accounts and small. In addition, March
Communications specializes in the public relations issues of technology companies. As a specialist in the
technology industry, March Communications has developed expertise in communicating complicated
concepts in a format that is easy for the average consumer to understand. Potential tech-related clients will
be more at ease if they know that their public relations firm understands the need for, and has, this skill. And
finally, March Communications is experienced globally and nationally. An article published in the New York
Times in 2009 noted how Asian technology firms are aiming to be more global and how the trend is only

13 "TrackBack Technical Specification." Six Apart. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2010.
<http://www.sixapart.com/pronet/docs/trackback_spec>.
March Communications

growing 14. With companies becoming increasingly global in the technology industry, March Communications
is well-positioned to sell its services to US companies that are seeking to increase their international markets.

Method
The primary method for march communication’s new public relations plan will be to:

Syndicate useful and helpful blog articles to tech-advice websites.

March Communications already has all of the content it needs to begin this public relations plan. The
content on the blog is helpful and useful information. The earlier content analysis looked at what articles and
information were the most popular and why, so this is the content that should be used at first.

Specific Tactics
Suggestions for additional articles and content include: information and tips on PR (practical, user-
friendly), especially focused on social media and commentary on public relations news. It is important that
most of these articles focus around technology-related pr. In addition, the following content should be
included if possible: links back to the website and blog (in order to generate more interest in march
communication’s on platforms), as well as client name drops, as a way of showcasing previous clients (in
turn gaining them more press), and demonstrating March Communications’ expertise.

The problem with the blog right now is that it is not widely read. The best way to get increased readership
on the blog is to pitch articles to some of the bigger social media websites online. The reason it is important
to pitch to websites such as these, in addition to public relations-specific resources, is that these general
websites provide exposure to a significantly broader potential client list, such as small companies that are
looking for their first public relations firm and executives at large companies who subscribe to multiple
resources for news.

One such non-pr industry website is Mashable. Mashable was founded in July of 2005 and is the world’s
largest blog focused exclusively on Web 2.0 and Social Media news 15. In terms of potential audience,
Mashable has an estimated 15 million monthly page views, was rated a Top 25 blog of 2009 by Time.com, a
Top 5 blog on Twitter and Technorati, and is a top influencer on Twitter16. Mashable has a specific program
for guest-writers. Mashable provides a 20 word promotional by-line and an author page with an extended
bio.

The Mashable Guest Writer Program Application is available at: https://mashable.wufoo.com/

forms/mashable-guest-writer-program-application/

14 VANCE, ASHLEE. "Taiwan Tech Firms Aim to Become Global Brands - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Break-
ing News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2010.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/technology/companies/04compute.html>.

15 "About Us." Social Media News and Web Tips – Mashable – The Social Media Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2010.
<http://mashable.com/about/>.

16 Ibid.
March Communications

A second example is ReadWriteWeb. ReadWriteWeb is “one of the most popular technology blogs in the
world, known for offering insightful analysis about each day’s internet industry news” 17. It is one of the top
100 “Blogs We Love” by PC World Magazine as well as one of Datamation’s Top 100 Tech Blogs 18.
According to Alexa, ReadWriteWeb is the 1,093rd most visited website in the United States with an
estimated 16,753 different websites linking to its content19. Similar to Mashable, ReadWriteWeb has a ghost
writer program but does not provide specific information on its guidelines.

The contact for guest writers is production editor Abraham Hyatt at

abraham@readwriteweb.com. They ask that sample writing and topics to explore are included in
the email.

Media Outlets and Timetable

This public relations plan focuses exclusively on internet-based public relations. March Communications is a
technology-focused public relations agency. Since most of its potential clients list would be very active
internet users, it is important for March Communications to have a prominent presence online.

This public relations plan is an ongoing project that aims to position March Communications as a more
recognizable brand and as a leader in the pr industry. Initial results will be apparent in the first few months of
content publishing, visible through an increase of traffic to the website.

17 "ReadWriteWeb: About ReadWriteWeb ." ReadWriteWeb - Web Apps, Web Technology Trends, Social Networking and
Social Media . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. <http://www.readwriteweb.com/about/>.

18 Ibid.

19 "Readwriteweb.com - Reviews, Site Info, Traffic Stats and Related Links from Alexa." Alexa the Web Information Com-
pany. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. <http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/readwriteweb.com>.
March Communications

Appendix

“Social Mention is a social media search and analysis platform that aggregates user generated content from
across the universe into a single stream of information.”

A search for “marchpr” was inputted into the socialmention system to gain insights into general sentiment for
the March Communications brand. “marchpr” was chosen as the keyword as I was primarily interested in
reactions to the marchpr blog and website as opposed to March Communications as a whole.

All results are available here:

http://socialmention.com/search/?t=blogs&q=marchpr&btnG=Search

Strength is the likelihood that your brand is being

discussed in social media. A very simple calculation is
used: phrase mentions within the last 24 hours
divided by total possible mentions.

Sentiment is the ratio of mentions that are generally

positive to those that are generally negative.

Passion is a measure of the likelihood that individuals

talking about your brand will do so repeatedly. For
example, if you have a small group of very passionate
advocates who talk about your products or brand all
the time you will have a higher Passion score.
Conversely if every mention is written by a different
author you will have a lower score.

Reach is a measure of the range of influence. It is the

number of unique authors referencing your brand
divided by the total number of mentions.
March Communications

Works Cited
"About Us." Social Media News and Web Tips “ Mashable “ The Social Media Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr.
2010. <http://mashable.com/about/>.

Swenton, Liz. "Principles of Public Relations Client Mini-Plan." Class. Principles of PR. Walker Building,
Emerson College, Boston, MA. 15 Mar. 2010. Speech.

Swenton, Liz. "Principles of Public Relations Client Mini-Plan." Class. Emerson College. Walker Building,
Boston, MA. 15 Mar. 2010. Lecture.

"ReadWriteWeb: About ReadWriteWeb ." ReadWriteWeb - Web Apps, Web Technology Trends, Social
Networking and Social Media . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. <http://www.readwriteweb.com/about/>.

"Readwriteweb.com - Reviews, Site Info, Traffic Stats and Related Links from Alexa." Alexa the Web
Information Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. <http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/readwriteweb.com>.

"TrackBack Technical Specification." Six Apart. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. <http://www.sixapart.com/
pronet/docs/trackback_spec>.

VANCE, ASHLEE. "Taiwan Tech Firms Aim to Become Global Brands - NYTimes.com." The New York Times
- Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/
2009/06/04/technology/companies/04compute.html>.

"about us | Technology PR agency | March Communications." home | March Communications | Technology

PR Boston. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. <http://www.marchpr.com/about/>.

"blog | March Communications." home | March Communications | Technology PR Boston. N.p., n.d. Web.
23 Apr. 2010. <http://www.marchpr.com/blog/>.
March Communications

Content Sample I
Mashable Guest Writer Program Application
Name: Liz Swenton

Email: liz@marchpr.com

Blog or Website: http://www.marchpr.com/blog

Twitter Address or Social Profile: Liz_Swenton

Tell Us About Yourself:

I am the communications and hr manager at March Communications, a niche technology pr agency based in
Boston, MA. I am an avid listener, talker, and writer and currently write for the March Communications blog.
I am looking to share my knowledge and passion for public relations with a wider audience and since March
Communications specializes in public relations for technology oriented companies, Mashable seems like a
great website to do so.

What are your areas of expertise?

On the March Communications blog, I mostly discuss events revolving around technology and social media
as it relates to the public relations industry. While I know a lot about technology and social media, my
background is mostly in public relations so what makes my writing unique is that I understand many
technology events from a conventional public relations point of view.

What sites would you consider yourself a power user on?

- Twitter

- The Wordpress Platform

- Facebook

- LinkedIn
March Communications

Links to at least three relevant posts that demonstrate your expertise and writing ability:

http://www.marchpr.com/blog/2010/02/facebook-flirting-and-tacky-tweeting/

http://www.marchpr.com/blog/2010/03/digital-billboards-disastrous-or-delightful/

http://www.marchpr.com/blog/2010/02/punxsutawney-pr/

What would you like to write about?

I would love to write about technology and social media as it relates to public relations. I have the
background and experience to provide commentary and reactions as to how technology or social media-
heavy companies make decisions within the framework of public relations.
March Communications

Content Sample II
ReadWriteWeb Initial Email Contact

TO: abraham@readwriteweb.com

FROM: liz@marchpr.com

SUBJECT: Guest Writing for ReadWriteWeb

Hi Abraham:

My name is Liz Swenton. I am the communications and hr manager at March Communications, a

niche technology pr agency based in Boston, MA. I am an avid listener, talker, and writer and currently write
for the March Communications blog. I am looking to share my knowledge and passion for public relations
with a wider audience and since March Communications specializes in public relations for technology
oriented companies, ReadWriteWeb seems like the perfect place to do so!

As an avid supporter and believer of ethical, modern public relations tactics, I feel like this could be
an interesting element to add to the ReadWriteWeb repertoire of articles. March Communications specializes
in technology-based PR, so much of my experience has been with companies that likely already appear in
ReadWriteWeb and I have the ability to comment on decisions that these comments are making, within the
context of public relations.

I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully contributing to your website in the future!

Best,

Liz Swenton
liz@marchpr.com
Communications and HR Manager
March Communications