Give Traffic to Your Site the Green Light with These Easy Tips!

You’ve done all the work to start up your own website but now you have to encourage people to actually visit your site! For many business owners, this can be one of the biggest challenges. Sitting back and hoping a few Facebook posts here and there brings enough attention to your site and business just isn’t enough; you need to take action!

Forbes agrees that one tip that can definitely get the attention of web browsers is to work on your headlines. A simple, straight to the point headline may get your point across, but without adding a catchy or memorable headline to an article or post, nobody is going to think twice about going to your site. On top of that, update and improve existing posts.

Visitors will get bored if they are reading through your website and suddenly all of the headlines and website content become dry and boring. Also, regardless of what your website niche is, connect with others in the same community who can lend a hand by mentioning you on their site or you can mention them on yours! There’s no shame in getting help from other professionals. You can even take the extra step to “friend” similar businesses or websites. Once you create that relationship, it opens up doors for them to feature you on their site(s) and you can do them the same favor. Look up what the other top 10 sites are that are in your area of expertise, and write an article or post about them. If you notice them, there’s a chance they may notice you back and give you the recognition you may need on their site. In return this can then cause their visitors to want to then visit your site!

When making blog posts, or any text on your site, it’s important to try and include every possible key word you can think of. That way, when people are using search engines to find businesses or websites that have what they are looking for, your site will most definitely pop up for them to explore. If people who visit your site decide to comment on your blog posts, try and interact with those comments. Respond, recommend and reach out. Being interactive with your users on your site is key to keeping yourself relevant and real to them. If you get enough reactions to a post, feel free to even write a follow up or a response blog post. This simple tip will really get your readers interested and begin keeping up with your site.

Don't forget to still use Facebook and Reddit! Try and increase your postings per week. Instead of just a few times a week, work on making it even a few times a day. In these posts, pay attention to sites you’re linking to or hashtags you are using, as these could all lead back to you and drive more interest and traffic to your site.

These may seem like self-explanatory or beginner tips, but that’s the point! These are simple, easy steps that any new website owner can use to get their business off the ground! So get out there and try some of these and watch your website flourish! 

Written by Shaylee Dillen of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Donald Sterling and His Apol”oh-geez”

One can’t turn on the television or flip on the radio without hearing about the infamous story of Donald Sterling and has racial rant to then girlfriend, V. Stiviano. His recorded message has been playing on loop on nearly every news-casters' morning, afternoon and evening showcases. Athletes and celebrities took to their own personal podiums to express their anger and frustration with such racial slurs coming from an important figure. Sterling realized he needed to do some PR work (which, if you continue reading, I’m not convinced any sort of PR professional was consulted.) He agreed to sit down with Anderson Cooper and issue, what is most noticeably, the worst apology this century.

Sterling, Cooper (where’s Draper & Price?) meet in a quaint room inside Donald’s home to discuss the videos, Sterling’s relationship with V., and finally air out Sterling’s side of the story. Conversation casually carries on as they discuss the details that have so obviously been thrown around by the media. Any normal person would figure that this was him coming forward to apologize, not only to his Clippers team, but to the African American demographic that took offense to the owner’s words. Sadly…that wasn’t the case. He explains, “Am I entitled to one mistake? I mean, I love my league, I love my partners.” So, attention fellow NBA owners: Donald Sterling didn’t mean to offend you. Shockingly enough, what was to follow was even worse.

Magic Johnson, who was photographed with Donald’s girlfriend on Instagram and was the kick-start to this ordeal, was quoted by Sterling to “want to help” with the whole ordeal. That’s why Sterling claims to have waited so long to issue any sort of statement or come forward with an interview. But when Magic supposedly “fell through,” Sterling decided to one-up himself with his offensive comments. He tells Andersen, "Here is a man who's—I don't know if I should say this—he acts so holy. I mean, he made love to every girl in every city in America, and he had AIDS, and when he had those AIDS, I went to my synagogue and I prayed for him. I hoped he could live and be well. I didn't criticize him. I could have—is he an example for children?"

What this PR crisis lacked, besides an actual PR team, is sincerity. His mock sob session while on the air really did convey a sense of being sorry, but only for being caught. As a PR Professional, it is absolutely key to make sure that a client is not only timely with a statement/apology, but offers a genuine acknowledgment of a wrong committed and a solution at hand to make it right. Sorry Donald, but I guess it looks like magic just wasn’t on your side.

Written by Maggie Burke of Rebecca Adele PR & Events.

To watch a few highlights of the interview, the link of provided below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4r8TrfWznQ

From Graduate Student to PR Professional: The Internship That Took Me From Where I Was To Where I Am

Written by Sydney Arnett 

It seems like just yesterday that I was planning my perfect outfit the night before my first day as an intern at Rebecca Adele PR & Events…all bright-eyed and eager to learn the ins-and-outs of the PR industry. Now, as my internship is coming to an end, I am sad to be leaving Rebecca Adele, but thankful to be moving forward with insight, knowledge, memories, life-long friendships, and a strong foundation from which I can continue to build my career.

As I look back, it’s remarkable to think how much I've grown, both personally and professionally, during my time at Rebecca Adele. To be honest, I didn’t always know what I wanted to be when I grew up. For a while it was a veterinarian, then an actress, then a plastic surgeon, maybe even an interior designer, or perhaps the general manager of a hotel. Even as a graduate student, six months ago if you would have asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I probably wouldn’t have been able to give you a confident answer. But thanks to this internship, and the help of my boss, Becki, that is no longer the case.

During my internship at Rebecca Adele I was given the guidance, experiences, and tools to develop as a public relations professional. From writing press releases, to creating social media plans, to participating in client meetings, I did it all. And I worked side by side with my boss, who mentored me, and showed me first hand what it’s like to run a PR agency—something most interns are not likely to experience.

Today, I can say with absolute certainty that public relations is the career field for me. I may not know where I’ll end up, or in what city, but I do know that I am passionate about public relations, and excited to continue on with my career and help clients share their stories and grow their brands.

So, yes, I’ve certainly learned a lot over the past few months. And, as I reflect on my time as an intern, there are certain things I have learned that I will take with me forever.

1.   Relationships are everything—oh, and so is your attitude. Building and maintaining relationships in PR (or life) is crucial. And the quickest way to make or break a relationship? Your attitude—so keep it positive!    

2.   It’s about quality, not quantity. It’s better to have a few of the best people than a lot that are just okay. We have a small group of employees here at Rebecca Adele, but boy do we produce the results of a large-scale agency.

3.   You can never know everything about the PR industry, but you should certainly try. So read, research, and stay on top of the constantly evolving world of PR and its technologies.

4.   The best things happen when you step (or get shoved) out of your comfort zone.

5.   Social media is important, like, SUPER important. It’s easy to think that you know everything there is to know about social media, or think that anyone can do it and be good at it. But actually quite the contrary is true. So if you want to be invaluable to a company, know your social media.

6.   You’ve got to be “on” 24/7…so you better love your job. The PR world never stops, so it will make your life a whole lot more enjoyable if you are passionate about your work.

7.   When in doubt, ask. It’s good to be curious about the world around you, and asking questions is one of the best ways to learn. Be a sponge and soak up as much knowledge, insight, and information as you possibly can.

8.   Capitalize on your strengths. There are so many facets of PR, and it’s impossible to be great at every one of them. That’s okay though. Find one, two, or even three things that you are really good at, and do them better than anyone else. And in your down time (well, lets face it, you’re in PR so you probably don’t have any) work on improving your other skills.

9.   People will surprise you. People are more willing to help than you would think…you just have to ask. I’ve witnessed this several times during my internship at Rebecca Adele, and over and over I’ve been delighted to see how genuinely happy people are to help out a young professional. I admit, it can be intimidating sometimes to ask for help or advice, but it’s worth it. (And remember to ALWAYS thank the people who do offer you their help!).

10. Work hard play hard. PR is a highly demanding, high energy, fast-paced industry. It takes hard work to be successful and a lot of hours and dedication. But the harder you work, the closer you get and the more fun you have with the team of people around you!

Thanks Becki, for not only being a great boss, helpful co-worker, my personal networking guru, but also a wonderful friend. I couldn’t have asked for a better foundation and start to my career than with Rebecca Adele PR & Events.

How I Learned that I Don't Know Everything

Spring is a time for growth and new beginnings, and an especially exciting time for Rebecca Adele PR & Events. My boss, Becki, recently celebrated her one-year anniversary of being in business, which has caused me to reflect on these past 5 months as an intern. To say that I learned a lot would be an understatement. Becki has been a true mentor to me in both personal and professional settings, and treated all of us interns as an integral part of the Rebecca Adele team.

Over the semester I had the opportunity to participate in many aspects of public relations and event planning. From learning how to write strong press releases, to using PR software to build media lists for clients, I have learned quite a bit about what it takes to have a career in public relations. My favorite subject that I got to focus on with Becki was the topic of social media.

As most young people do, I came into the internship thinking that there was little Becki could teach me about social media. I had a Twitter and Facebook account, so I must know everything right? WRONG. The art of social media marketing and management actually takes time and strategy. I started my internship tweeting about my friends and finished it with the skills to run a social media campaign for a multitude of clients.

At its core, social media is really just traditional concepts of word-of-mouth marketing powered by technology. Not every social network is right for every company. It is important to identify what your social media goals are. You can then tailor your content to accomplish these goals. Possible goals to consider are: offer customer support, increase sales, increase your audience, and gain repeat customers through brand recognition.

Content must be original and interesting, keeping in line with buyer persona. Buyer persona is just an understanding of who your audience is, and whom you want to reach. What kind of content would appeal to your buyers? Encourage customer interaction with your brand and always respond to customer feedback.

I have really enjoyed the responsibility of creating social media plans for Rebecca Adele PR & Events clients. Collaborating with them and Becki has ignited a passion I never knew I had for social media. As I start my senior year of college this fall, I will cherish this opportunity and greatly miss Becki, the other interns, and our clients. 

From Game Night to the Office, Trivial Pursuit and PR Go Hand-in-Hand

Hi my name is Lauren and I am one of the new interns for Rebecca Adele PR & Events. As a college student with a limited budget, my friends and I are always coming up with fun ways to spend our nights and weekends between homework and coffee runs. Recently, we started playing different board games as inexpensive entertainment. I didn’t realize at the time that the group favorite, Trivial Pursuit, could apply not only to my major, but also to my future career as a PR Practitioner.

I began doing research about the game one night in search of another edition to buy. There are dozens of new editions of the game, including an online version, a Facebook App, and an iPhone app. Hasbro collaborates with large franchises like Star Wars, Disney, or even The Rolling Stones to keep the game relevant. But what struck me the most was the research I found about the first stages of the game, and how simple public relations principals took Trivial Pursuit from the beginning stages to 20 million homes in two short years.

In 1982, Trivial Pursuit sent out 1,800 games to different consumers across the nation. These almost acted as mini focus groups to measure the success and likeability of the games. Trivial Pursuit also set up games in public places for anyone to play. The creators of Trivial Pursuit went directly into the public to market their game through hands-on experience.  In a mere 2 years, Trivial Pursuit went from zero sales to 20 million. Times magazine named it the “biggest phenomenon in game history.”

This led me to an important thought; the most effective PR strategies will differ from client to client. A direct-to-public approach is not always the best option depending on the service or product offered. In the case of a board game, it worked wonders. Apple, Inc. uses a similar approach within their stores, allowing customers to come right in and see for themselves. It is important to know how to solve crises, maintain good rapport with the public, and market your brand. But above all these skills, it is important to know how to cater your expertise to maximize positive outcomes for each client’s specific needs. 

Here is an interesting CBC News clip from when Trivial Pursuit first came out!