Online Marketing for Emergency Online Marketing for Emergency ServicesServices

Praetorian Executive Marketing Seminar:

Praetorian Group, Inc.200 Green St., Ste. 200San Francisco, CA 94111(415) 962-8324

EMS1.com NetworkEMS1.com Network

• 155,000 unique network visits per month

• 43,000 registered members

• Online video community site: ParamedicTV.com

• 25 industry expert columnists

160% Growth Over the Past Year

Who’s The Praetorian Group?Who’s The Praetorian Group?

• Online marketing solutions for public safety companies

• Network of more than 15 Web sites

• 10 years in the first responder market

Mission: To provide resources and cutting edge information that help first responders stay safer, become better informed and more effectively protect their communities.

Who’s Alex Ford?Who’s Alex Ford?• Co-Founder and CEO of The Praetorian Group

• B2B marketing in public safety for 10 years

• Has grown website traffic from 60,000 unique visitors to 1.6 million in 6 yrs

• Active in social media: Facebook, LinkedIn

• Author of a series of online marketing articles for public safety

Online Marketing for Emergency ServicesOnline Marketing for Emergency Services

• EMS is Moving Online• Step 1: Identifying Your Marketing Objectives• Step 2: What You Can Do on Your Own

– Search Engine Optimization– Press Releases/Contributed Articles– E-Newsletters– Cost Per Click

Cont.Cont.• Step 3: Working with a Media Partner

– Video– Banners– E-Blasts– Product Content Sponsorships– Microsite

• Step 4: Evaluating your Marketing Strategy– Key terms to help you speak the language

• Beyond the Banner• Q&A

Emergency Services: Emergency Services: Moving OnlineMoving Online

More People Online then EverMore People Online then Ever• People are Online

• 71.4 %of the U.S. population is now online• 126 % growth since 2000

• Researching and buying product?• More than 50% of U.S. consumers have bought a product

online• 60% of U.S. consumers use the Internet to do product

research

• More and more companies are online• $140 billion spent online in 2007

Emergency Services Moving OnlineEmergency Services Moving Online

• Estimated 72% of First Responders are online

• EMS market Web sites receive an estimated 550,000 unique visitors per month

• Fragmented, technically specified products, current events focused, mission critical

Pre-existing media channels unable to deliver depth,

interactivity or timeliness

What First Responders are Doing Online:What First Responders are Doing Online:

• Share Information/Best Practices

• Networking

Community InteractionCommunity Interaction

• Product specifications/ advice

• Find Manufacturers/ Distributors

Product ResearchProduct ResearchTraining/ ResearchTraining/ Research

Stay InformedStay Informed

• News/latest industry events• Video• Analysis of current events

• Tips, training materials lesson plans

• Research topics/issues

Seizing the Online Opportunity:Seizing the Online Opportunity:

A step by step guide to match your marketing objectives with online

solutions

Step 1: Step 1: Identify Your Marketing ObjectivesIdentify Your Marketing Objectives

• Brand Building• Thought Leadership• Interacting with Your Customers• Driving Traffic, Leads or Sales• Launching/Differentiating Your Products• Gathering Market/Customer Research• Educating the Market

Step 2: Step 2: What You Can Do on Your OwnWhat You Can Do on Your Own

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)• Write Press Releases and Contribute Articles• Create your own Newsletter• Purchase Cost per Click ads

Search Engine Optimization (SEO):Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

• Search engine optimization (SEO) simply refers to taking steps to make sure your site appears high in non-paid search results on Google, Yahoo and MSN

Objectives Addressed Driving Traffic, Sales or Leads

SEO FrameworkSEO Framework

Page Structure External Linking

UnderlyingTechnology

Content

Top 5 SEO TipsTop 5 SEO Tips1. Browser Titles Matter: “EMS1” vs. “EMS Products”

2. Use keywords in your URLs – www.EMS1.com/EMS-products/apparel

3. Search engines don’t index flash or picture – Be careful of using text in either

4. Use Google Webmaster Tools – submit sitemaps, view inbound link statistics, content analysis - www.google.com/webmasters/tools/dashboard

5. Reciprocal Linking – Get listed in directories & authoritative sites

Press Releases/Contributed ArticlesPress Releases/Contributed Articles• Press Releases

– Write and distribute press releases whenever you have news – Many media entities will post for FREE – Communicates news and also generates search engine value

• Contributed articles – These don’t mention your product specifically– Demonstrate expertise in a subject relevant to your product– Positions your company as an authority

Objectives Addressed Thought Leadership, Product Launches, Educate the Market

Email NewslettersEmail Newsletters• Create your own company newsletter• Collect customer emails (you should be),

and you have the foundation• Fosters loyalty and brand engagement• Engages your customers with the latest

company information and drives conversion

Objectives Addressed Interacting with Customers, Market/Customer Research, Launching New Products, Driving Traffic, Sales and Leads

Step 3: Step 3: Working with a Media PartnerWorking with a Media Partner

• Online Video• Banners• Email Blasts• Product Content Sponsorships• Microsites

Online VideoOnline Video

• Target users in a way that traditional TV can’t• Dramatically shortens the distance between viewer impulse

and purchase • Gives potential customers the ability to watch – rather than

read about – your products solving real-world problems

Objectives Addressed Brand Building, Product Launches, Product Differentiation, Interacting with Customers, Educate the Market

Choose Your Type and DistributeChoose Your Type and Distribute

• Product Promotion• Product Demo/Virtual

Tradeshow• Viral Marketing Videos• Testimonial

• YouTube and industry focused sites like ParamedicTV.com

• Company email footer• Media Partner sites• Your company website• DVD for customers

Where it Should GoWhere it Should GoWhat to ProduceWhat to Produce

BannersBanners• Billboards of the online world • Quickly created• Easily deployed• Can Be targeted to specific customer

segments

Objectives Addressed Brand Building, Product Launches, Product Differentiation

Email BlastsEmail Blasts

• Great way to reach a wide audience directly• Achieve the “big splash” effect with an announcement,

promotion or product launch• Make sure to ask about number of recipients and tracking

Objectives Addressed Driving Traffic, Sales or Leads, Product Launches, Gathering Market/Customer Research

Creating an Effective E-BlastCreating an Effective E-Blast• Create clear concise subject line• Include a border around the entire message for a cleaner look• Use vibrant colors (avoid black and dark shades)• Include core message early in the E-Blast and keep it simple• Include multiple links including; focus placement at the top of

the E-Blast• Include a call to action such as “Learn More” or “Find out

How”• Include a Toll Free phone number• DON’T send it yourself

Product Content SponsorshipProduct Content Sponsorship• Presence in a product research section connect the dots

between a product need and a product solution• Provides highly targeted exposure: People are genuinely

interested in purchasing or researching the product in these sections

• Associates your brand with the products people are interested in

Objectives Addressed Product Launches, Differentiating Your Products, Driving Traffic

MicrositesMicrosites• Narrowly focused Web site that addresses a specific

business problem and offers specialized information• Potential to reach customers in a unique, engaging way

with specific content that reinforces your marketing objectives

Objectives Addressed Microsites are so flexible, they can address any objective; particularly well suited for Thought Leadership, Product Differentiation, Educating the Market and Brand Building

Step 4:Step 4:Evaluating Your Online Marketing StrategyEvaluating Your Online Marketing Strategy

• Unique Visitor: A count of how many different people access a Web site over a given period

• Impression: Number of times a Web site visitor is exposed to your message, brand or company

• Click Through Rate: The number of users who clicked on an ad on a web page divided by the number of times the ad was delivered

• Conversion Rate: The number or percentage of visitors who convert content views or visits into desired actions

Beyond the Banner:Beyond the Banner:

The Bigger Picture of Online Marketing

Solving Business Problems

A Framework for Online MarketingA Framework for Online Marketing

Impression-Based Marketing

Direct Marketing

Educating the Market

IncreasingSophistication/

Impact

The Offline Impact of Online Ads

Source: Harvard Business Review, April 2008; comScore

A component of your marketing mix…

Best in Class MarketingBest in Class Marketing

FireRehab.com

Solving Business ProblemsSolving Business Problems

FireRehab.com FireGrantsHelp.com

$10 Million in grant requests this year alone

Key ConceptsKey Concepts• Emergency Services has moved online

• Accessing mission critical content, training information and researching products

• Significant opportunity for marketers

• Online marketing as part of a broader sales and marketing strategy

• Sophisticated marketers are taking advantage of the dynamic nature of the internet as a tool to improve their business and drive sales

Q&AQ&A