According to Mitch Joel, the author of Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone, we no longer live in a world of six degrees of separation, but rather six pixels of separation – effectively changing everything we know about doing business, as the online realm becomes increasingly relevant in communication and decision-making.

Joel notes that it is crucial that all companies leverage digital channels to get their voice “out there” by connecting with others, becoming better community citizens, and, ultimately, making strategic business moves that will increase revenue, awareness and overall success in the marketplace.

Here are some of Joel’s key tips for engaging consumers through digital channels:

• Drive consumers to take action and keep them engaged
• Be active in blogs, micro-blogs (Twitter), podcasts, online social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn), sharing sites (YouTube, Flickr), user-generated content (audio, videos), and wikis
• Be compelling and consistent in everything you do
• Add value to the conversation – add personal insights and establish yourself or your business
• Be present, active and involved – respond to questions asked and ask your consumers questions

Digital channels will work for you based on what your users, community members and readers do with your content. It is important to understand that your reputation is online – so be helpful, sincere, credible, responsive and FAST!

It takes time to build content – find your voice, develop a community and earn trust and respect. Digital channels are about building real relationships, with both current and potential customers – they are built on trust and trust alone – and trust is built slowly over time.

Connect with us on Twitter: @Zer0to5ive

Any professional knows that in order to keep up with changes in their field, they need to be open to new ideas and new ways of doing things.  Reading books by other professionals in the field is an easy way to stay on top of changes and learn from others. One book that should be required reading for all PR and marketing professionals is The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott.

Here are a few of our favorite takeaways:

The Old Rules:

• PR was only about speaking through the media
• Marketing was one-way broadcast advertising

Under the old rules, companies relied on one-way communication through expensive advertising or media placements secured via a PR firm. Companies spoke and consumers (sometimes) listened, but had no way of engaging directly with the company.

Those days are over.

The New Rules:

• On the web, the lines between marketing and PR have blurred
• The Internet has made public relations public again
• Companies must drive people into the purchasing process with great online content

The Internet has transformed how companies communicate with consumers. Now, two-way web-based communication is key as consumers become part of the conversation with, and about, companies and their products and services.

So, how do you make the most of the new rules of marketing and PR?

Tip #1: Engage with Social Media

• The Internet is a massive focus group
• Active participation can pay off exponentially

Under the new rules, social media allows companies to engage directly with consumers and monitor their opinions. Companies should determine which social media tools are appropriate for their business and target audience, and offer content that consumers can respond to and share.

Tip #2: Realize that Content is King

• Know your goals and let your content drive action
• Add videos and other interactive content
• Keep content updated

Consumers feed off of content, both written and visual, and visitors need to be engaged to stay on your site. Provide online content that consumers can easily access and update it regularly so that consumers will return to see what’s new. However, don’t provide content just for the sake of it – know what your goals are and provide content that aligns with those.

Tip #3: Use New Rules for Reaching the Media

• Pitch bloggers
• Don’t tell journalists what your product does – tell them how you solve consumer problems
• Target one reporter at a time

The media is no longer relegated to print. Savvy PR professionals will establish relationships with bloggers and online journalists, as well as print and broadcast journalists. More importantly, journalists today don’t want to know what your product is and how it works – they want to know how it solves consumer problems. Under the new rules, the wants and needs of consumers should drive all action.

Tip #4: Use New Rules for News Releases

• Find good reasons to send releases all the time
• Include keyword-rich language
• Create releases that appeal to consumers

Today, marketing and PR professionals should use news releases to reach buyers directly – our primary audience should no longer be solely journalists. Sending quick news releases on a regular basis provides content for your website and keeps your company in the thoughts of the media and consumers, while also aiding with SEO. As David states, millions of people read news release directly, unfiltered by he media, so speak directly to the masses, driving consumers into the sales process.

Easy to understand with a number of case studies as examples, The New Rules of Marketing & PR is a must read!

Sarah Weddle / Lisa Graham
Zer0 to 5ive Strategists
Twitter: @SarahWeddle and @LisaMargetich

The 17th annual National HIV Testing Day took place on June 27^th, promoting the benefits of HIV testing and prevention to millions of Americans at risk for HIV. OraSure Technologies, the industry leader in rapid HIV tests, once again played a huge part in marking the importance of the day.

From left to right; Ron Spair; Catherine Abate; Frank J. Oldham, Jr.; Marjorie Hill, PhD; Douglas Michels; Mayor Ronald K. Davis; Mayor Robert L. Bowser of East Orange, NJ; Johnny Ford

More than 1.1 million people are affected by HIV; however, over 200,000 of these people are unaware that they have it. Zer0 to 5ive coordinated with OraSure Technologies and others on a series of events that put the spotlight on the company and National HIV Testing Day, including:

• Opening the NASDAQ Stock Exchange with the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and others.
• Hosting a panel of experts that discussed and shared their best practices for successfully integrating routine rapid HIV testing in a variety of clinical and non-clinical settings.
• Coordinating with The Community Healthcare Network (CHN) to offer free, rapid HIV testing with OraQuick ADVANCE® from its mobile HIV testing van in Times Square.
• Coordinating with Walgreens to provide free screenings for HIV at select retail pharmacies in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, New Orleans, Oakland and San Francisco.
• Working with local mayors and celebrities, including Vinny from The Jersey Shore, for key photo opportunities and to generate interest in the cause and the company.

From left to right: Mayor Ronald K. Davis; Johnny Ford (former Mayor); Mayor Robert L. Bowser; Douglas Michels

Along with many of its partners, OraSure Technologies utilized a major national day of recognition in order to foster community awareness of HIV, as well as maximize media coverage of the company and its innovative HIV tests.

Katie Cannon
Zer0 to 5ive Strategist
Twitter: @KatieGC7

Zer0 to 5ive’s Marcello Figallo, principal-creative director, and MaryBeth Sheppard, principal, were quoted in the BtoB magazine article, “Making Sites More Social.”

The article discusses the newfound importance of social media integration to a website’s success, but warns that the use of social media should be carefully strategized and maintained.

“Companies should use social media [in a way] that makes sense for the goals of their websites,” said Marcello Figallo, principal-creative director at Zer0 to 5ive Media. “When you’re setting out to build a site, you must have a perspective of what visitors are going to get out of visiting it.” For example, Figallo said, if the company’s goal is to get people to spend more time on its website, then its social strategy should focus on keeping them there as opposed to a plan that might send them to other sites via social media links.

“The potential for integrating social media into a website is enormous, particularly when a company sets up a really great social media program and follows through with it,” said Marybeth Sheppard, principal at Zer0 to 5ive Media. “A website is definitely not a “set-it-and-forget-it’ kind of medium. That’s really critical with social media; it’s not short-term. Don’t [start a social media program] just because some execs thought it was a good idea. It needs to be maintained.”

Check out the full article, featuring advice from industry experts, here. What do you think companies should consider when implementing social media tools on their websites?

Follow MaryBeth (@MB_Sheppard) and Marcello (@Zer0to5ive) on Twitter and share your thoughts!

The sheer size of the prospect universe for most companies is daunting, and pursuing unqualified leads is expensive, time consuming and ineffective.

Thankfully, marketers can help sales narrow their focus by implementing initiatives, such as webinar campaigns, that generate inbound inquiries from interested prospects.

Successful webinar campaigns can:

• Strengthen corporate/executive thought-leadership positioning
• Educate target audiences on key industry and value drivers
• Increase traction with existing prospects
• Identify and deliver new qualified leads to the sales team

At Zer0 to 5ive, we have been leveraging webinars to help our clients generate leads for nearly a decade. As a result, we have identified a set of best practices to help ensure your webinar is a success:

• Preparation: Create a plan that includes objectives, strategies, campaign theme, target audiences, participants and all the other tactical details to support the strategies. As a rule of thumb, Zer0 to 5ive allows 4 – 6 weeks prior to the first email drop for proper planning and coordination.

• Content: The single most important aspect of a webinar is the actual content of the presentation. Content must be compelling, relevant and significant to the audience, enabling them to gain new, valuable information, without coming across as a sales pitch. Consider engaging third-party sources, such as partners, customers or industry analysts, to provide added credibility.

• Promotion: Promote the key value proposition or takeaways; if your content is really of value, the audience will come. It is also important to remember that promotion is a team effort, and coordination from the marketing, sales and public relations team members is necessary. Consider all methods of promotion, from social media to more traditional methods.

• Lead Identification: The goal of webinar campaigns is to capture leads, which makes the registration form critical. Be sure to use a registration system that allows you to customize the form so you can capture all the information you feel is pertinent. Be sure that you have a method set up in advance to transfer the leads to your corporate sales database for ongoing targeting.

• Event Management: Webex has all the features and functionality you need for a truly interactive webinar and, in our experience, it is the most reliable. Technology issues cannot get in the way; be sure to have a system in place that you are comfortable with and know how to use.

• Follow up: This is key in terms of lead generation, as leads are turned over to the sales team. There needs to be a plan in place for follow up by the sales team within a specific time period. Also, be sure to provide attendees with follow-up materials they can use to educate other internal colleagues.

MaryBeth Sheppard
Zer0 to 5ive Principal
Twitter: @MB_Sheppard
Image courtesy of iStockPhoto/JLGutierrez