What is Web Savvy PR? I’m Cathy Larkin, and I’ve added social media tools to the traditional Public Relations (PR) toolkit to help small businesses and entrepreneurs; bloggers, authors and speakers; and non-profits, travel/tourism sites and museums, build their businesses; extend their reach; connect with customers, clients and members; and enhance their brand.
I’ve taken the last few years and have steeped myself in social networking, social media & social networking (facebook, Twitter LinkedIn and other sites), web 2.0, organic search optimization, blog design, and social bookmarking. With 20 plus years of Public Relations (PR) experience behind me, an avid curiosity about technology, and love of connecting people to cool things, I’m having a blast creating this online PR firm.
I’ve been developing connections and a network on the Social Networking site Twitter. In March, 2009, one of my messages to a Wall Street Journal reporter was quoted in her follow-up story about Twitter. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123698752538825795.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
I’ve been helping clients to build their businesses; attract people to their destination / attraction / museum; set up and grow their blog’s audience; and enhance an individual or organization’s online branding, presence and visibility. How? By adapting my traditional PR toolkit to integrate social media into their PR plans, and take advantage of social networking and “new” media tools, in a way that is upfront and respectful of both bloggers and journalists. I help you, and your audiences, connect the social media dots. Not every business needs to use every social media tools or site out there, but they need to find the ones that fit their business needs/goals and learn ot use it in the right way to get results.
I also love words and writing – so I help some of my clients write or tweak/update initial blog landing page contents so their potential clients, customers, audience can find the right information there (and so that search engines can find there site more easily as well). I do keyword research to help build organic search optimization into their posts and post titles (using the actual words your customers would type into a search engine to find your site in the text of your site/posts).
I also speak English, as well as “Technoease/Techtalk,” so if needed, I can explain geeky things in a non-geeky, easy-to-understand way, but also chat with the company tech staff too. For example, one definition of a blog is that it is an on-line “magazine.” An RSS Feed (that funky symbol – a dot in the lower left, and curved lines radiating above and to the right of the dot – often in orange) stands for “Really Simple Syndication”), but is really is just a way to subscribe (for free) to that blog or “online magazine” using free online software. An RSS feed automatically brings new blog posts as they are published to your feed-reading software (like Google Reader) – creating a free “magazine rack” of your favorite online bloggers all in one place. This saves you from having to visit 5-10 blogs to find your favorite stories.
I’ve also been creating blog PR strategies for clients – crafting a plan to ensure that they are not just setting up a blog and hoping “if I build it, they will come,” but I sift through the many tools and sites out there and select the things that will work best for their needs. I discuss and suggest what will best help them connect to their audience, their potential customers and clients, and show them how to use those tools. I can also do the basic setup of the blog, and work with partners to customize it if needed, then step back in and train individuals or staff how to use the blogging software; WordPress makes it easy; no HTML needed anymore!
I also handle the traditional PR tasks of writing press releases, researching the right media contacts, creating a “hooks” or story pitches, and following up in ways that will entice an editor, journalist or writer to say, “yes, I think I’ll run that story.” The biggest mistake many publicity folks make is in not doing their research – and in not following up (politely/properly) after sending a release. This skill translates for working with bloggers and podcasters too. Before I pitch something to a blogger I check it out and read the blog, I make sure the story or product I’m pitching is the right fit, and I let them know that I’m pitching a client’s story.
This should give you a clue about who Cathy Larkin is and what I do at Web Savvy PR (or www.WebSavvyPR.com). Feel free to contact me at Cathy [dot] Larkin [at] WebSavvyPR [dot] com. (sorry for not making it a link – this helps protect against SPAM; captial leter sare not needed – I just use them to make it easier to read my website name) or 484-802-7576.
