Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - (Page 17)

Heap, who recommends a focus on the ethical aspects of a project or the science behind it when submitting a story suggestion. Building Relationships Rombouts suggests those who are able to craft a good article themselves and are willing to take a strong opinion on a topic should consider newspaper opinion pieces. Studies have shown editorials are the most popular section of the majority of newspapers. An op-ed or editorial piece is a proven way to get the name of an executive and his or her company circulating in the community. “Companies will work within the regular editorial departments at newspapers, but they often overlook the opinion departments,” she said. Having worked in the mainstream media herself for eight years previous to her work in the public relations industry, Rombouts has learned from the other side of the phone that building relationships with reporters is critical. Pressed by constant deadlines, reporters will often turn to trusted sources for a variety of stories. In a business of scant time availability, opportunities are typically fleeting and many professionals don’t realize that delaying the return of a phone call by a day or even a few hours can mean missing a significant chance for some publicity. “Some of it is just taking opportunities,” she said. “You can’t plan everything.” Many businesses commit a critical error by not returning phone calls from the media, or are less than helpful when they do. Heap’s approach when talking to reporters or editors is to discuss the basics: what is quantifiable, what lessons were learned or is there a trend or hot topic? “Those are ways to help put the strongest dimension of a story forward for an editor’s consideration,” he said. Regardless of the target publication, Heap suggests staying focused on the topic while fulfilling the necessary re- quirements—tell the story, make it interesting, and offer specific value for readers. While a lot of firms still like the more traditional marketing approach of publishing a book, Rombouts questions how effective that is in terms of overall marketing efforts. Still, she doesn’t advise against the practice for those who want specialized publications at their venue or simply like the idea of that specific tool. Getting Online The Internet is no longer the new kid on the block in the public relations business. In addition to creating an easy-tonavigate website, many in the industry today recommend focusing substantial effort on search engine optimization - or getting a company name high on the list of links that pop up on sites like Google. That can be done by paying a straight fee to the site administrators, or simply through public relations efforts on a variety of fronts to get the company Circle 162 • or www.SLDTonline.com/webcard www.SLDTonline.com 17 http://www.SLDTonline.com/webcard http://www.SLDTonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008

Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 Contents Our Voice Editorial Board SLDT Resources The BottomLine Go Forth and Tread Lightly on the Land It’s About Name Recognition Managing Risk in the Sustainable Building Frontier Industry Spotlight Achieving Sustainable Land Development Worthy of Recognition Stormwater Wastewater Erosion Control Innovation Classifieds Advertiser Index Last Word

Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008

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