by Paul Herring

Wikis and widgets. RSS feeds and releaselets. Viral marketing and vodcasts. Terms and phrases once considered techno-jargon have become common in households and boardrooms as digital communication catches on.

With more than 820 million people worldwide online at work and home, many outlets like the blogosphere have grown into an influential way of reaching a large audience. In today's energy environment?where the public wants to know the utility company's positions on everything from climate change to customer service?online conversations can be critical channels.

Get to know OEO

Targeting and reaching online audiences is most effective through "online editorial outreach" (OEO), an increasingly critical discipline of public relations and word-of-mouth marketing.

OEO represents an evolution of public relations into the digital world, which includes not only the Internet, but also mobile devices, interactive television, social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook and "virtual worlds" like Second Life. Think of OEO as the digital form of "earned media" versus "paid media" activity, like search engine marketing and online advertising.

The primary goal of an OEO program is to generate favorable online editorial coverage and word-of-mouth communications through relationships with digital publishers and influencers. Digital publishers and influencers include website editors, bloggers, online community leaders and traditional journalists who also publish online through blogs.

When developing an OEO program, it's important to recognize that, unlike traditional reporters who research and produce balanced stories, independent online publishers are able to take liberties with their writing.

Bloggers are typically motivated by personal or professional perspectives that, in some cases, can fall outside the standards of objectivity that journalists follow. This may mean coverage by bloggers is unbalanced or not thoroughly researched, but that doesn't mean their brand of journalism doesn't have online credibility with their readers. A well-placed niche story with an online influencer could have as much impact on the target audience as a traditional media placement.

The Dos and Don'ts of OEO

Want to start building online relationships on behalf of your company or organization? Here are some best practices to follow.

• Read what your target online influencers write. The better you know your target, the more appropriate your outreach will be and the higher the quality of your coverage.
• Approach content placements like a two-way conversation. Identify the types of information and people you have access to, should a target be interested.
• Create a digital news hub to house relevant content such as graphics, photos, audio soundbites, video clips, and downloadable documents. Online publishers like to dress up their sites with professional-looking content and materials.
• Be transparent and honest with your interaction. Always let your targets know who you are, what you do and the company you represent.
• Don't pitch. Bloggers don't like to be pitched in a sales sense, so always use a one-on-one approach. Never send mass e-mails or blast faxes.
• Don't send a news release. Context and personalization are key, so align your announcement or message with the online publisher's specific interests and conversations already taking place.
• Don't post a news release or promotional content into the comments section of a blog. Instead, use the comments section as a channel to engage the online community and spark conversation.
• Don't forget you're on the record. What appears online stays online forever.

OEO efforts should include the two "M's"?monitoring and measurement. From individual monitoring of the online media outlets, blogs, and community or message boards, to online services such as Technorati.com, IceRocket.com, and Blogpulse.com, capturing coverage and the buzz generated around content can help quantify and qualify your OEO results.

Measuring engagement through OEO should include an analysis of traffic, search engine rankings and viral capacity of coverage resulting in duplication of online influencer coverage in other sites and blogs. A key metric is participation in a specific action, such as survey completions, support for a company project, or the addition of new customers.

Embracing and influencing online conversations is more than an opportunity, it's also an expectation. According to a recent report by comScore, the number of visitors to social networking sites grew 34 percent in the past year to 530 million, representing two out of every three Internet users. If your company isn't online, it may be out of touch with customers and community members.

Make OEO one of the cornerstones of your communications campaign. Whether it's a green energy program or information about a new infrastructure project, OEO can be a powerful tool in reaching the right audiences in the right place with the right message.

Author

Paul Herring is senior vice president and head of the Southwest region digital practice for Fleishman-Hillard, a global public relations firm. You may contact him at paul.herring@fleishman.com or 214-665-1341.