The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article:
November 2006, Volume 5, Issue 11

Search Leveraged Public Relations (SLPR): Two Negatives Don’t Make a Positive

Alan Rothstein, Algorithmic Search Analyst, iProspect

I wear contact lenses, and for the past ten years I have been brand loyal to Renu contact solution. To my dismay, in May 2006, Renu Moisture-Loc contact lens solution was recalled due to reports that under certain circumstances, it could cause eye infections. As a faithful user of Renu, I frantically logged onto the Internet to learn more, and I found an abundance of information about customers who had suffered eye infections as well as information on impending class action lawsuits. As a result of my findings, it only took a few minutes before I decided to switch brands.

A few months later I had an appointment with my optometrist, and I asked about the Renu contact solution recall. She informed me that there were only three cases of eye infections in the U.S. and all wore their contact lenses while they slept (which optometrists typically advise against). So even though the product was recalled, much of the negative information on the Web was biased and possibly unfounded.

Brand Loyalty and Negative Press

The 80/20 rule states that 80% of sales come from 20% of a brand’s customers—the loyal customers. But what happens when your loyal customers see negative online press about your product or service? Will they spend the time to fully research and find out what’s really going on, and if so, will they easily find information released by your company? Or will they quickly switch to less-expensive and/or comparable brands? In most cases, I would assume the latter.

Combating Negative Online Press with SLPR

Today, more and more journalists are utilizing the "News” tabs within the major search engines such as Google and Yahoo! to research information for their articles. Also, the average Internet user is becoming more search-savvy, able to search the Web’s variety of news portals using specific keywords and queries to find information. As a result, online marketers should have an aggressive strategy in place for boosting the visibility of their news, especially if they’re attempting to limit searchers’ exposure to negative press.

There is a way to preempt and minimize the affect of negative online press. Search Leveraged Public Relations (SLPR) efforts can be utilized to place your press releases prominently within the news sections of the major search engines, industry websites and blogs for maximum effectiveness and coverage. And by gaining top visibility in these areas, you will, by definition, push any negative references about your company, products or services, lower in the search results—where it will be more difficult to find by journalists, as well as by current and potential customers.

How to Optimize and Submit a Press Release for Optimum Exposure

First, select the keywords or phrases that searchers are most likely to query to find information on your topic. Place the keywords strategically throughout the content, most importantly, the title (the frequency and placement depends on the length of the press release). Then, submit the release to your distribution service of choice (ensuring that they have the ability to submit to search engine news portals) as well as industry websites and blogs. It’s also a good idea to supplement your efforts by posting optimized articles and press releases on your own website.

Many marketers fail to realize the importance of submitting press releases directly to blogs and industry publications. These websites may post your release in one or more places and store it in their archives indefinitely. Furthermore, your release could get picked up by other industry websites and blogs just because it was posted on the first site. Before you know it, your press releases are showing up on twenty or thirty URLs. All or most of the URLs could gain visibility within the organic search results of the major search engines, not to mention the potential links you could obtain randomly and by solicitation.

Research shows that a majority of search engine users do not browse past the first three pages of search results. Therefore, if you can gain maximum exposure for your search leveraged press releases; you can push negative press further back within the search results.

Negative press is a fact of life. The best way to combat negative online press is to increase positive online press. This will maintain brand loyalty among consumers of your products and services and deny them any reason to switch to your competitors’ brands.

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The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article: November 2006, Volume 5, Issue 11

Search Leveraged Public Relations (SLPR): Two Negatives Don’t Make a Positive

The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article:
November 2006, Volume 5, Issue 11