SEO: Albany PR, Gramercy Communications, Tom Nardacci

"SEO: Albany PR, Gramercy Communications, Tom Nardacci" by Thomas Nardacci

I am learning that effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) takes time, energy, consistency, and creativity. This sounds like effective PR.

Two years ago, I opened my Albany, NY PR firm. Part of my marketing strategy involved developing a basic “storefront” presence on the internet. One tactic was based on my assumption that many people prepare for or follow-up on a meeting by googling you or your business. So, I decided early on that it was important to help my search engine optimization when people did simple searches. Terms such as “Tom Nardacci,” “Thomas Nardacci,” “Thomas A. Nardacci,” “Gramercy Communications” “Albany PR,” “Albany, NY public relations” “public relations in Tech Valley,” “Tech Valley communications,” “public affairs in Albany,” etc. now took on a new meaning.

There are web marketing companies that specialize in SEO, and I could probably do much better to drive traffic to my site by hiring someone. But, part of the reason to personally undertake the effort is to help me to fully understand the concepts that I learned in my digital communications class at Columbia.

Public relations has grown dramatically in the past 5-7 years to include the internet. Distributing press releases online is now nearly as relevant a part of the Strategic Communications Plan as cultivating relationships with beat reporters. PR firms, including those in smaller markets like Albany, NY are increasingly including online efforts as part of their strategy and as a measurement of their success. Also, there are now online tools that actually measure your press release for "optimzation." The tools rank the strength of terms and words and make suggestions on edits that could be made.

(As a side note, I have found it amusing that so many PR firms are now espousing their knowledge of and belief in “social media,” yet in some cases their senior execs don’t have a MySpace or Facebook page; maybe they have written a blog entry or have a Linked In page? Facebook is clearly the leader today of social communications revolution. It was difficult for me to comprehend these mediums until I developed my own pages. It takes time and effort to keep them relevant.)

In order to keep your SEO fresh, you need to review your web statistics. Monthly reviews help to understand what people are searching for. It’s a little eerie when someone searches something specific, such as “Thomas A. Nardacci Gramercy Communications Albany” or “Gramercy Communications firm that moved from New York to Albany.”

Also, it is important to pay attention to typos. “Grammercy Communications” is one that comes up every month for me, so in the future I may want to embed that term in the html code for the webpage.

It Just Takes ONE - Update

http://www.troyrecord.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=18224852&BRD=
1170&PAG=461&dept_id=7021&rfi=8

Volunteers needed to fill non-profit gaps
The Record, Editorial

“……In Albany, a tremendous outpouring of help has come from volunteers themselves: All of the members of the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany have pledged an average of $1,500 each to the club.

It is part of the "It Just Takes ONE" fund-raising appeal, a national response to the continual loss of funding that local clubs have faced from federal, state, and local government and agencies.

The $32,000 total is nearly half of the $65,000 goal for 2007.
It is unfortunate that institutions such as Boys & Girls Clubs that do so much for thousands of disadvantaged youth in the area must rely so heavily on their own volunteers for funding.

But the truth of the matter is that these organizations can no longer rely on the government support that they received in the past. It just isn't there anymore, and right or wrong, the organizations must become creative within the private sector to survive.

The "It Just Takes ONE" campaign is one tool clubs are using to reach their goals. Tom Nardacci, owner of Gramercy Communications, a public relations and marketing firm based in Downtown Albany, is heading up the 2007 ONE Campaign. Jeff Thomas of WeatherGuard Roofing is Honorary Chair. He already donated $20,000 to the clubs last year for a new van.

With community volunteers like these who actually put their money where their mouths are, it's only a matter of time when the $65,000 goal for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany is reached. We salute all those who have shown support and also the volunteers to make it happen every day.”

The marketing brilliance of Altoids

"The marketing brilliance of Altoids" by Tom Nardacci

How would you feel if someone with an Altoid tin took a piece and popped it in their mouth, but then put the tin away without offering to share?

Successful package marketing can impact behavior. I was at a non-profit board meeting recently and watched as someone opened a tin of Altoids and proceeded to pass it around the table, even there were some twenty people in attendance. The act was second nature.

I've read a number of case studies and articles about the development of the Altoids tin, and the real brilliance of this product is that it was made to share. You really have to watch in admiration of the marketing genius, because when someone takes out the tin they have to share. It's become a social norm.

Gum manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon, as packaging is now more sharing-friendly with the introduction of brands such as Orbit. However, the sentiment isn't exactly the same – well not yet, anyway. A person can still reach into their pocket or handbag and produce a piece of gum without necessarily being noticed. The individual wrapping makes this possible. The Altoid tin makes this impossible, as you run the risk of spilling the loose mints everywhere. The act of physically removing the tin from a pocket or handbag, removing the lid, and taking an Altoid draws attention from surrounding persons. In other words, it gets the marketing ball rolling.

The person in possession of the mints then undoubtedly feels the need to offer them to others. These people may be thinking "I haven't had one of these in ages" or "I forgot how well these worked", and recall this information next time they're in the checkout line of their local drugstore or supermarket. This chain reaction increases Altoid sales without a cent being spent on advertising. Curiously strong? You bet.