06/ 08/ 2005
by Dee Rambeau and Jason Keller, Managing Directors of DVCO Technology
In today's virtually-connected world, first impressions mean everything. Whether you're creating a Web site or making e-mail contact with a potential client, the first impression you convey of your business is a lasting one. When you’re creating your image, and crafting your impression, keep in mind the people to whom it will matter most: customers, investors and business partners, and the media. These are the key players in your business – you want to keep them informed. A great way to do this is through an online media room.
What is an online media room?
An online media room is a "mini-site" or section with seamless access to and from a company's main site. The media room is primarily dedicated to communicating media-specific information to reporters and journalists, but it is also a valuable resource for accessing company information. Today's media rooms are two-way communication vehicles that allow businesses to provide information to and solicit information from their key stakeholders.
Building your online media room
At the very least, you should build separate pages off the corporate site that include basic information on your organization. Consider the assets you have – corporate boilerplates, fact sheets and past press releases are ideal for a media room. In addition, management bios and photos will go a long way to paint a picture of your organization.
Once you have an idea of the assets at hand, consider how you will display this information.
Each and every page of this section should include contact information for your public relations representative. Additional suggestions for a top-notch media room include:
- One-click access from the home page
- Up-to-date, current information. Breaking news posted immediately.
- News release archive
- “In the News” section showing recent news articles in which your business is featured
- Links to industry articles and other useful information
- Case studies and testimonials
- Opt-in e-mail for journalists to request interviews or for anyone to request additional information
- Print–quality image gallery
- List of awards and honors
- Search functionality
Also, remember to make your information quickly accessible and easy to comprehend. Consider that the following could discourage your users:
- Too much flash animation, complex Java applets and advertisements
- Poor navigation
- Too many password-protected areas (forced to register)
- No immediate contact information
- No print-quality images, downloads
The most time-consuming aspect of creating an online media room is the technology involved. Very often the content is there, but many small businesses do not have the internal resources dedicated to building this presence. You may need someone with technical expertise to help launch a new area of your site.
There are also third-party services that can help you to achieve this goal. Each one offers something different, so be sure to shop around before you make a final decision. Any time you are considering integrating a vendor solution into the rest of your existing Web site, you’ll want to know the answers to these kinds of questions:
*Ask if the solution you’re considering will enable you to update, edit and publish content immediately.
*Will the information appear in the same look and feel as your company’s Web site?
*How will the transition and integration take place?
Make sure you understand all the steps before you take action. Then, whether you decide to build a solution on your own or go with an outside vendor, you’ll be well-informed.
Dee Rambeau and Jason Keller are co-managing directors of DVCO Technology. DVCO Technology, a Denver-based online communications technology firm, partnered with PR Newswire in October 2004 to create MediaRoom, a tool to control the media room area of a Web site. For more information or to request a demonstration, send an e-mail to dmr@dvcotechnology.com or jason@dvcotechnology.com.
