1.)  First and foremost, blog about a topic you’ve known and enjoyed for a while. Arguably, the worst thing you can do is choose a topic in which you aren’t decently knowledgeable and 100% committed.  Deciding on a topic you enjoy, such as your favorite hobby, makes it much easier for you to WANT to produce regular content.

2.)  Be sure you include a striking title. This is the very first chance you have to catch your readers’ eye – so go ahead and make it count! Why should people choose to read your blog over the 1,000s of others written on the same topic?

3.)  Use an informal tone. Tell your message as if you were talking to a good friend and don’t be afraid to let your personality shine.  Whether you select a humorous, cynical or lighthearted tone, as long as it’s genuine, you’ll attract the right audience.

4.)  Include a call to action. When writing, keep in mind that people turn to blogs for motivation, guidance and opinions.  A successful blog should share valuable information that moves the readers to participate and encourages communication of BOTH conflicting and likeminded opinions.

5.)  Write your content in press release format. As discussed earlier, you have limited time to catch and hold your audiences’ attention.  To ensure that the meat of your blog is ingested, begin with your most significant points, just as you would in a news release.  Reread your post when finished to make certain all ideas are relevant to the reader AND the main theme.

6.)  Get creative. When it comes to YOUR blog, no one knows YOUR message better, so don’t limit yourself to common standards and practices.  While tips such as these are meant to improve the delivery of your message  - they should not serve as a step-by-step manual.  Not all suggestions work for all bloggers.  Don’t be afraid to try something new.

7.)  Include lists and bullets. If you have not yet noticed a reoccurring theme, we’ll say it once again. Time is of the essence, especially when it comes to catching your readers’ eye.  Most people tend to skim instead of taking the time to read each post thoroughly.  To dodge this obstacle, use bullets and lists.  The easier the good stuff is to find, the better chance of your audiences reading, finding value, and ultimately sharing your blog.

Think we missed something important?  Tell us what you’ve done to maximize your blog’s wow factor!

Miller Public Relations is pleased to announce its most recent addition, Social Media Specialist and Account Executive, Christina Hohman. Christina joins MPR from Charleston, SC, where she graduated with her Master’s of Art in Communication from the College of Charleston. Before relocating to Charleston, Christina attended Marshall University in Huntington, WV, and obtained a double B.A. in Economics and International Affairs.

While pursuing her graduate degree, Christina discovered her everlasting love for social media marketing. While in school, her research favored social media over traditional marketing because of its “bottom up” effect. She claims, “Social media gives companies with diverse budgeting needs an equal opportunity to market – as long as you have the creativity and knowledge to generate a viral message.”

Christina considers herself to be somewhat of a nomad. Due to her father’s engineering profession, she has lived in over 10 cities in 7 different states, including North and South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, West Virginia, and multiple locations in California and Texas. Having lived in Corpus Christi, TX, well over 10 years ago, Christina is excited to return to her Texan roots.

In her spare time, she enjoys playing contact sports, specifically soccer, and fundraising and volunteering for charitable causes. Having run her first full marathon (yes, that’s 26.2 miles!) within the past two years, Christina is eager to hit the ground running in the Lone Star State. This time around, she’s admittedly looking to tone it down a notch by participating in a half marathon. Welcome to the MPR team, Christina!

Fast forward to today. For my most recent TV purchase, I went to the Internet and researched the specs, editorial and user reviews on the television options that were in my price range. I looked at my favorite sites, including Amazon and New Egg pouring over the reviews. I even asked my Facebook friends their opinion. Plasma or LED? 720 or 1080? Audio quality? Was it a good value? How long did it last? Would they purchase it again? I also looked to see if it was cheaper online than at a retail store (remembering to account for shipping). None of this was possible pre-World Wide Web.

We now use multiple sources before making a consumer decision. In fact, the average shopper used 10.4 online sources to make a decision in 2011, up from 5.3 sources in 2010.

This new research-reviews-before-purchase approach is applying more and more to small items. 3M, makers of products like Scotch Tape, opened up reviews on their website, not knowing what to expect. They received over 3,000 reviews.

Why has this all changed?

One word, availability. The time and effort required to acquire a product or service review is now drastically reduced. Finding what others think is the best tape is as easy as doing a quick search in Google or Amazon. This is a far cry from attempting to track down a past issue of Consumer Reports that had our particular item we were researching (no longer necessary as CR is now online).

What should I do as a company selling a product or service?

Be your own reviewer. Provide your customers specific information and specs on your services and products offered. See what features reviewers like and emphasize those features on your site, in advertising and through Social Media.

Have a third-party research your product (this can be a formal research company or simply a friend). What do they want to know that is difficult to find? What did they not know that they are glad they now do? How would they summarize your product to a friend?

Consider allowing product and service reviews on your site. While many companies are hesitant to put reviews about their product online, 80 percent of online reviews are positive and most consumers expect to see a few negative reviews or their suspicion actually rises.

Monitor your off-site reviews. Even if you don’t have reviews on your own website, there are tons of other sites like Yelp, that allow others to express their opinions. Make sure you are monitoring these reviews and interacting when appropriate.

In Conclusion

Today, it’s even more important than ever to influence consumers’ decisions as they do their own research on your service or product online. Don’t fight the research-reviews-before-purchase approach, join it.

Miller Public Relations welcomes Canadian Ryan Kissinger aboard. Ryan serves alongside Michelle Davis, as our medical illustrator and 3-D animator. Originally hailing from the North Shore Mountains on the outskirts of Vancouver, he moved to Texas sight unseen.

Ryan started his undergraduate studies at the University of British Columbia thinking about 3-D animation but also with a strong interest in science. As he progressed through his studies, he became curious about the field of medical illustrating. He began his Master’s Studies in Medical Illustration at the University of Toronto, completing it in 2010. Ryan believes in approaching each project with a fresh perspective and an eye for accuracy and didacticism.

Ryan is the resident Miller Public Relations’ desk ergonomic trendsetter. Ryan used elevation blocks to raise his desk to precise OSHA standards. Soon, the other Miller Public Relations staff were sitting at his desk ohhing and ahhing. It wasn’t long until everyone’s desk was rising higher.

Ryan also possesses the smallest carbon footprint at Miller Public Relations. He rides a Brodie cyclocross bike 9 miles round trip to work, rain or shine. He has yet to encounter crazed Texas drivers on icy roads. Good luck on that, Ryan.

Jumping in on our clients’ causes, Ryan has been attempting to grow a moustache for Movember, a prostate cancer awareness fundraiser. If you get a magnifying glass, you can see his moustache in the thumbnail. You can donate to the cause at http://mobro.co/RyanMustachinger

Our staff has been pleased to teach Ryan the subtle nuancesof American culture, with recent efforts including a full explanation of  Thanksgiving. About his new state, Ryan says, “Everything is bigger inTexas, trucks, hair, and strip malls, and it is always sunny here.” Welcome aboard, Ryan.

Michelle Davis is a Miller Public Relations medical illustrator and animator. As well as being a consummate professional, Michelle is also generally considered a frontrunner for the Nicest MPR Staff Member crown. I recently sat down with her to gain insight into a few of her favorite things.

Hometown: Plymouth, MN
Best thing about where I grew up:So many lakes!
Favorite recent book: Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande
Next book I want to read: The Help
Favorite dessert: chocolate mousse pie
Favorite food or restaurant: Kibbie from Terra
If someone gave me 3 million dollars I would: invest a lot, donate a lot, and buy a lifetime supply of grass-fed beef and free-range chicken.
Bucket List item done: eaten steak tartar (wasn’t bad!)
Bucket List item want to do: hang gliding
Something interesting few know about me: I’m a sucker for ugly animals like hairless cats.
Dream vacation spot: Australia
Pet Peeves: DFW traffic
Other MPR staff I could probably vanquish in arm wrestling, or if not that, in thumb wars: Ryan and Tammie
Previous jobs: A lot of education

Favorite part of my MPR role: Getting to make the stereotypically gross insides of the body pretty and engaging to look at, and knowing that patients benefit and learn from the imagery.

Michelle Davis | LinkedIn |

Thanks for taking the time to share a bit of your life with us, Michelle.

MPR local in-office detective, Jordan Fowler

While this might be a helpful offering, particularly for the under-employed or unemployed, patients and potential partnering physicians need to consider key questions surrounding retail based healthcare before jumping in with both feet.

Will patients’ care become fragmented?

Patients often use a retail health provider for self-diagnosed conditions they view as minor, reserving a trip to their General Practitioner for “serious matters.” This practice bifurcates the patient’s medical information prohibiting both the retail medical practice and their General Practitioner from having a comprehensive picture of the individual’s health. There are times when supposedly benign symptoms coupled with previous patient medical information can raise a red flag of a more serious condition. This problem can be avoided if the patient was willing to make a retail provider his sole primary care physician, but this has, thus far, not been shown to be the typical patient pattern, as 65 percent of consumers agree they are worried about retail staff qualifications and missed diagnoses. Because of this perception, retail based healthcare providers follow a seasonal, flu based preventative trend of patient volume.

Will Walmart’s continual demand to drive down vendor cost result in diminished care?

The big box retailer is notorious for hammering vendors to continually reduce costs. If this same model is applied to their healthcare partners, will Walmart become the “big brother” of which treatments the doctor recommends based upon their profit margins? While this practice would assuredly not be official policy, it has the potential to creep into the treatment model doctors select when a highly revenue vs. expense retail overseer is involved. This continual cost diminishing mindset might easily slip towards a “cattle call” model, where patient volume becomes the all consuming metric of profit and doctor success. Such a model would likely include a higher percentage of patients seeing physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

“Maybe Walmart can deliver a lot of this stuff more cheaply because it is an expert at doing this with other types of widgets, but health care is not a widget and managing individual human beings is not nearly as simple as selling commercial products to consumers,” says Ann O’Malley, a physician and senior health researcher at the Center for Studying Health System Change, a nonpartisan Washington think tank.

This is not to say that any of these potential problems are unique to retail primary care providers. Similar concerns could be had about established, office-based practices. Still, it remains to be seen if Walmart will treat medical care vendors like they do overseas TV manufacturers.

In 2007, Walmart changed their motto from “Always Low Prices. Always” to “Save Money. Live Better.” It seems they think living better involves being their customers’ doctor. This is an emerging model to watch.

Jordan Fowler
Sr. Account Services Manager

Many fail at this test. Why? Because the company is only cared about one thing – their own best interests. Remember, social media is all about caring and asking, “How can I help?”  Your social media content should be a resource to your customer, helping them by bringing value whenever possible.

Social media is not just about selling. Social media is about making people find, like and trust you, leading them to your products and services, and being there when they are ready to buy.

Would you click it?

The easiest version of the “So What” test is to ask yourself, “Is the content compelling enough for a click, comment, like, or repost this?”

Take, for example, this recent post by the Dallas Cowboys:

This was a joint promotion with Gatorade. The Cowboys could have opted to post, “We want to thank Gatorade for being an awesome sponsor.” That post would fail the “So What” test, for people are not that interested in the fact that Gatarode gave Jerry Jones money to be the sole fluid provider at training camp. What fans do want is to feel connected to the team.

Look at the results: 5,334 comments, 1,102 Shares, 23 re-posts. This is free advertising for Gatorade (and the ‘Boys) on their wall. All of this occured in the first three hours. I imagine these numbers will grow even higher in the coming day.

By asking a question, the post encouraged viewers to interact and guess. By declaring a winner the following week, fans will desire to return to the page. If I guessed 3,210 – I want to know how close I was. Genius.

You don’t need to be the Dallas Cowboys to use this strategy. If you are a local dentist, ask, “How many cavities did we fill this month?” A plumber? “How many joint fittings did we connect?”Get people to guess and be shocked.

You don’t always have to ask a question to pass the test. Check out this post from Sprinkles Cupcakes (a trendy cupcake joint):

Or check out this post from Eat This, Not That (a book about making healthy choices while eating out):

Those both pass the “So What” test. Here are some guidelines to seeing if your content passes the “So What” test:

• Does it make me think?
• Is it content I can’t get anywhere else?
• Does it shock me?
• Does it make me laugh?
• Does it make me angry?
• Does make me sad?
• Does it make me want to take action (and not just purchasing something)?
• Does it make me want to tell my friends?
• Would I tell this post to my friends in real life?

If you can answer “Yes” about a post to any of these questions, you will pass the “So What” test.

Troy Cole
Director of Account Services

Miller Public Relations gladly welcomes Jordan Fowler to the Team. Jordan is serving as Senior Account Manager with MPR. He holds a B.A in Humanities and Geopolitics from Stephen F. Austin State University and Master’s of Divinity from Southwestern Seminary. After realizing that his childhood dream of being an Olympic bobsled crew member was never going to happen (too tall and crawlingly slow), Jordan served as Creative Communications Director for a globally focused non-profit organization for thirteen years. There, he created marketing campaigns in diverse mediums including web, social media, print, radio, TV/video, apparel, outdoor, and display. Jordan has a passion for developing people, writing an award winning tips, tools and best practices blog on leadership and training 2,000+ young leaders.

Jordan is husband to Piper, and dad of three kids. He spends his free time ‘chillaxing’ with his family. He also enjoys reading, writing, and participating in endurance sports. Jordan has lost most of his hair in his attempts to keep his ‘I’m a stuntman in training’ son, Corbin, from breaking yet another bone, an important task considering Corbin has gone through more cast colors than some kids do karate belts.

Jordan is a bit of a Liverpool FC fanatic–that’s soccer for all you Americans–known to cheer madly in his man cave when the Reds score…especially against the much hated and feared Manchester United. MPR is glad to have Jordan on our team.

In short, the new Facebook Profile will be more like a chronological scrapbook of your life. That all fine and dandy for your personal profile, but what could these changes mean for brands? Let’s take a look.

New Design
Mashable has mocked up some very interesting new design mock-ups (http://mashable.com/2011/09/29/facebook-timeline-brands/#271071987) for the new pages, utilizing the new layout possibilities.

While Facebook hasn’t confirmed the new look and feel will be coming to Pages, the magic 8 ball reads, “All signs point to ‘yes.’” While design will be an interesting aspect to the new Pages, there is another area most have overlooked.

Imagine being able to place key moments for your brand in the timeline? Personal pages will now have events like “Broke a bone” or “Married.” Why couldn’t brands have, “Opened a new location in Fort Worth, TX?” Even more powerful: allow people to tag themselves as working at that location for the grand opening. This allows customers to investigate how the brand came to be, a look into the past and a chance to connect with past customers and employees.

More ADD customers
One of the biggest changes Facebook rolled out is the new homepage layout. You’ll notice the page is made up of two main items:

Newsfeed: This is an algorithm-based feed, meaning Facebook decides to show you what is the most important. For example, you’re more likely to see that your best friend Jane is now engaged than to see your friend Tom’s like on a cartoon on USA Today.

Ticker: You’ve probably noticed the constantly-scrolling ticker on the upper-right hand corner of the website. Some have joked and called this Twitter in Facebook, but it’s really meant to share ALL of the information your friends are sharing. If you’ve looked at it recently, it’s probably full of the music your friends are listening to.

This is all part of Facebook’s quest to be the social glue that holds the Internet together. They want everything you do to be part of Facebook (we’ll ignore privacy concerns for the purpose of this blog post).

This means more competition for your customers’ attention on Facebook. There is now more for them to share. This means that your content is going to have to be even more interesting content and social by nature.

New Ways to Interact
Facebook is really focusing on users posting what they are doing – not what they’ve done. At their developer’s conference, they showed the example of a cookbook app. In this app, you’d select a recipe, it would display the instructions and there would be a button to broadcast that “(Insert Your Name Here) is cooking (Insert Impressive Dish Here)” to all of your Facebook friends. When your Facebook friends load up the app, it would show all of the recipes their friends have used – including your own.

They call this “Frictionless Sharing.” They simply want sharing on Facebook to be as easy as possible. The music integration is a big example – it automatically broadcasts all of the music you listen to from platforms like Spotify and Rdio.

For brands, we will have to continue to develop innovative ways for customers to experience, interact and socially share about our brand. I’m sure there will be all sorts of interesting applications of this to come in the very future.

by Jordan Fowler

It’s all a numbers game
Typically, here’s how the sites like Groupon work:

• Groupon works with you to create a great offer.
• Let’s pretend it’s the $100 widget you’re selling.
• A great offer would be purchasing the $100 widget for a discounted rate of $50.
• Groupon sends out the offer to their large subscriber base in your area via email, mobile applications and website, at no charge to you.
• The customer purchases the deal through Groupon.
• Groupon does a revenue share on the deal, typically 50-50.
• So, in this case, Groupon would keep $25 and would give you $25.
• In short, you’re getting paid $25 for a item typically priced at $100.

If you can break-even or make a little money on the deal, Groupon is typically worth it – especially if your product or service isn’t a one-time deal. For example, restaurants and businesses like salons, typically do very well with Groupons. If they can provide a great first experience, the customer could turn into a regular.

While there is not shortage of complaints of people who had an unsuccessful Groupons like this one who called it the single worst decision of her life, there are not shortages of business doing it right. Take The Rib Man, for example. He viewed his Groupon has a huge success – people spent more, tipped more and came back.

Will it work for me?
Ultimately, not everyone who participates in a Groupon will be successful. It’s a numbers game, but it’s also a preparation game. We have learned you need to be staffed appropriately and, if applicable, make sure you give customers a reason to come back. If you’re really smart, you’ll find a way to up sell them and get their information (email, text message opt-in or social media following) so you can stay in touch with them about all the amazing things happening in your business.