A critical component of any successful public relations, branding or marketing campaign is research.

In a down economy, businesses attempt to cut costs wherever they can. Surprisingly, one of the first items offered up for the chopping block is research. Research can be costly, but it’s a critical item.

1) Would you give an industry or customer presentation with zero preparation or important details?

2) How about purchasing a car without knowing the first thing about the brand or model you are about to fork over $30,000 for?

The answer to both these questions is probably no, but we’re amazed at the number of business leaders that propose limiting or completely eliminating research from their project budgets.

Most often these decision makers feel they already have a complete understanding of their target audiences and what they want. Others don’t feel it is necessary to thoroughly look at what the competition is doing. And the scariest of all are the ones that don’t think there is any value in the research process.

Without research you are essentially operating in the dark. Good research, both primary and secondary, gives you a baseline from which to measure success. If you skimp on, or all together eliminate, this critical campaign component you are setting yourself up for failure.

Research is never a waste of time or money. Even if the results of your research confirm what you already know, it is validation well worth paying for. Chances are you will learn surprising things you weren’t expecting. And sometimes the results can be downright dramatic.

What is your take on research? Is it fundamental to all your marketing efforts or have you done without it successfully in the past?

There is much discussion about the death of the press release. In a world of 24-hour news, fragmented media and self-publishing galore, the impact of the traditional press is greatly diminished.

However, in the world of Web 2.0 the press release has found a new beginning and it is doing something it couldn’t do 10 years ago – taking on a life of its own. Today’s press releases can live online for days, weeks, months and even years past their release date.

The press release as a mini-portal
In a 2.0 world press releases can be loaded with hyperlinks, search engine optimized-keywords, interactive content, and more. When distributed through news feeds, these 2.0 add-ons greatly enhance the online visibility and longevity of key messages.

Press releases constructed for a 2.0 world should be thought of as mini-Web portals into an organization. Use them as a tool to not only generate news coverage, but to raise online viability.

Think like an outsider
When writing a 2.0 press release, the tried and true rules of news writing still apply (after all the press is still the first and foremost audience of your release). Think and write like a reporter – not a marketing executive, salesperson, corporate lawyer or C-level executive.

• Understand what is truly newsworthy and only put out real news – information that outsiders, rather than you and your employees, will find relevant and interesting.

• Approach your press release as though you didn’t work in your company or its industry. Eliminate corporate jargon,
  industry acronyms, esoteric explanations and corporate minutiae.

• Be a stickler on grammar, spelling, punctuation, AP style and
  factual accuracy.

Understanding the role and power of a press release in a Web 2.0 world can open up a whole new channel for awareness. Long live the press release 2.0!

Over the years, many sources have asked the dreaded question: Will I get to see what you write before it’s published?

In almost every instance, the answer is no. That’s the rule at most publications. But it’s the damage the request can do to a relationship with a reporter that should make you think twice about asking.

Why? The request implies a lack of trust. I may take offense when I hear it and be less likely to call you as a resource again. (I may, however, give a free pass to new companies, whose owners may ask out of innocence or because they’re unaware of the protocol.)

But it’s the timing that upsets me most. Without fail, the question gets posed at the end of a wonderful, in-depth interview.

Why end it on an awkward note?

Reporters and editors are like those elusive crushes you had in high school. You try to communicate with them every once in a while, but they just won’t give you the time of day. That is, unless they want something from you.

Your high school crush may have wanted help with homework – or worse – to cheat off you during a test. Reporters and editors have similarly selfish intentions. They’ll want your information if it’s A. truly newsworthy — a scoop they can put on page one and one-up the competition; or B. something that’s going to fill their news “hole.”

Feeding the monster
Depending on their editorial cycle, reporters and editors feel the pressure every day, week or month to fill their pages with print. Pitch them at the right time, and – as long as the story is substantive, interesting and not overly promotional – they just might bite. As precious as they are, these opportunities, however, tend to be few and far between. More often, you’ll feel as if you’re pitching to a vacuum.

If not now - sometime
Don’t despair. Though reporters or editors may not respond right away, their silence doesn’t mean they haven’t filed away your idea on their computers – or, more likely, in their heads – as a possible future story. So keep the pitches coming. A constant stream – but not bombardment – of relevant information is the only way to cement your company in the minds of the media.