Recently, Marx Layne and our client Walmart teamed up to provide more than 50 personal hygiene kits to the Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO) Tumaini Center in Detroit. We also provided personal care items and new clothing for this homeless shelter that provides warmth and a place to stay on cold winter nights.

We would like to thank Lindsay Huddleston, Chris Coffman and the Taylor Walmart for their generosity and assisting us with this donation.

Technology has changed the way public relations agencies do business.  Long gone is the time when agencies would disseminate a press release to radio, television and newspapers, place a follow-up call and seek to position clients for interviews. The end result was a one-way conversation.

Digital marketing now requires an entirely new way of doing business—blending interactive thinking and digital integration.

At Marx Layne, we have a thorough understanding of digital media and the two-way dialogue it demands.  We implement interactive thinking for our clients by working digital capabilities across all marketing campaigns every step of the way.  Our social media, digital marketing and communication team embodies an interactive mindset to meet the needs of daily success in social networking.

For example, in the past, where we may have written, designed and published a brochure for a client, we now find ourselves creating video content, designing a website and creating a social media campaign that enables us to engage our clients’ stakeholders in dialogue.

Marx Layne has made a full commitment to Digital Innovation by hiring digital thinkers and people with expertise in digital capabilities.  We’ve made investments in both people with technology backgrounds, as well as the hardware and software to get the job done.  There’s an agency-wide commitment to education and knowledge sharing.  Hiring interactive leadership, starting with the agency’s Digital Architect, Matt Schuler, has allowed Marx Layne to further educate both our account team and our clients.

Our strategists are among the early adopters of social networking sites Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  They keep vigilant watch over the changing trends in social media by monitoring websites like Mashable and TechMeme for significant impact.

Establishing a social media strategy is essential for businesses that want to connect to customers, clients and employees in a more human way.  Delivering and managing your online reputation is a key part of the process for our team.

Our approach is specifically tailored to meet the needs of particular products, services and brands.  We can track, measure and optimize the “buzz” that is being generated as part of an effort to respond and engage audiences using digital media.

Marx Layne’s digital marketing and communication practice can assist your company with:

• Social Media Campaigns – Identify and establish a presence on social networks that builds customer relationships and drives visibility for brands
• Social Conversation Monitoring – Create and monitor the social network conversation with advanced analytics software
• Website Optimization – Design websites with optimization for search engines ensures that your first impression online can be from a high-ranking website
• Content Generation – Integrate widgets, gadgets and apps into website and social networking properties adds uniqueness and feel while reducing bounce rates.  Script and film videos for distribution online
• Internet Advocacy – Developing messages and media training so that you can drive the online dialogue with positive messages and create grassroots communities online
• Online Reputation Management – Monitor the Internet reputation of your brand or business, with the goal of mitigating negative mentions, or pushing them lower on search engine results pages to decrease visibility
• Content Marketing – Create or share content for the purpose of engaging current and potential consumer audiences, while working to deliver high-quality, relevant and valuable information to key stakeholders to help persuade decision-making

As social media continues to grow in importance, and two-way conversation and dialogue strategies advance, the role of our public relations agency continues to expand.

There has been a lot of debate and conversation as to who is most capable to lead a social media strategy.  At Marx Layne, we believe that public relations agencies are the managers of a brand’s key messages and know how to best respond to sensitive dialogue online.

Marx Layne is actively managing social media campaigns for numerous clients, including a chain of 35 luxury retailers in the Caribbean, a publicly traded pharmaceutical company based in Cincinnati, and a leading transportation company serving the state of Florida.

Our ongoing social media work for clients includes: writing and posting compelling content, actively engaging in two-way dialogue, creating and leveraging video and photos, optimizing website back-ends for keyword-rich search engine optimization (SEO), and the drafting, self-publishing and distribution of articles with keywords to generate maximum exposure. We’ve managed, designed, created, written and disseminated emails to targeted lists of thousands.

We capture and grow social media audiences by beginning an ongoing dialogue with our clients’ stakeholders.  Based on the dialogues we conduct, we can use analytics to better gauge consumer response and thus create new and more cost-effective marketing strategies.

The social media tools that are appropriate for a prestigious business-to-business law firm are totally different than the tools used to establish loyalty for a consumer brand.  At Marx Layne, we understand that social media campaigns should be specialized.  We work with companies to develop a plan that’s appropriate for each specific client.

During the past year, Marx Layne wrote, designed and programmed numerous websites for clients across several industry sectors, from upscale restaurants to a national leader in skilled nursing and rehab facilities.

Several clients who already had a Web presence have retained our agency to analyze the appearance of their website, provide a detailed analysis of the back-end of their HTML code, and apprise them of how the Google search algorithm has changed.

Your website is often the first opportunity you have to make an impression on potential clients, customers and other stakeholders.

At Marx Layne, we help our clients define the expectations of their audience and tailor websites to match.  You’ll notice each website integrates social media connections to encourage ongoing dialogue.  Our digital architects work for our clients to help them appear more prominently in search results.

Ciena Healthcare

Ciena Healthcare is a leading provider of skilled nursing and rehabilitation care.  On its website, visitors can find a detailed list of the dozens of Ciena communities.  On the community pages, visitors can read about the specific services offered at each location.   The website offers direct contact with communities through email, phone and property maps.

Pizzeria Biga

The Pizzeria Biga website was designed for convenience.  Dine-in and carryout menus are available with the click of a mouse and customers can even order online.  Wine and beer are also available for perspective guests to peruse.  There is a photo gallery of menu options and a library of videos too.

Jeremy Restaurant & Bar

Jeremy Restaurant sought to duplicate the fresh and casual, yet upscale feeling of their restaurant in a new website. Visitors can learn about Chef Jeremy Grandon, read critical acclaim from restaurant critics and make reservations instantly.

What was once called the “24/7/365 news cycle” is evolving into the “1440/24/7/365 news cycle.”  There are 1440 minutes in every day and news is breaking every minute.  An incident at your business can appear for worldwide scrutiny even before it hits the local and national media.  Being able to confidently and skillfully monitor and respond to traditional and online media has become increasingly important to our clients.

From the BP oil spill, to Apple’s “Antennagate,” to Toyota’s safety problems and recalls, 2010 was a year the Wall Street Journal declared “Public Relations Learned the Hard Way.”

Always in the mix, Marx Layne & Co. has provided specifically tailored media training to the largest health care provider in southeast Michigan, to the City of Detroit Mayor’s Office and department heads, and to numerous school systems.

Our agency has designed a comprehensive training program that demonstrates the most successful ways to work with the media during a crisis.

Members of the Marx Layne team have formerly held positions in the news media.  Based on their years of experience, they paired with a cameraman to work with clients on how to:

• Think like a reporter
• Anticipate the story angle a reporter is pursuing
• Craft messages to answer almost any question
• Interact with the various media types
• Be proactive during and after a crisis
• Understand the importance of online and social media during a crisis

Marx Layne senior vice president Alan Upchurch leads our media training team.  Alan spent 22 years as a producer and news director at WXYZ-TV.  Our team also includes former print and broadcast journalists who understand how the media works.  You can find out more about our team here.

More than ever, content is king.  Marx Layne regularly drafts and publishes compelling, concise and meaningful material for our clients.

We’re not trying to trick search engines with keywords.  Instead we are creating a meaningful narrative that will engage audiences while simultaneously finding value with search engine optimization, thus providing information of real value to existing and prospective consumers.

Our experience with professional and editorial-style writing helps our clients target their stakeholders efficiently and effectively with quality content.  The result for the user is not only a more meaningful experience but also increased visibility and higher rankings in search engines.

In the past year, the press release has evolved into more of a digital document.  With a social media release, we have the ability to combine the key information, good content and video into one package.  We provide stakeholders with the tools they need to easily share content with friends, family and colleagues.

The Marx Layne team is regularly retained to handle all aspects of numerous, high-profile special events conducted from Port Huron to downtown Detroit.

With decades of experience, we find there are several components necessary for a public relations agency to skillfully manage special events, including:

• Enough in-house professionals to staff an event, some special events we’ve worked have required more than 15 people
• The capability to handle media credentialing
• Coordinating on-site/in-station interviews
• Multiple-location presentations within a single event
• Skillful print, broadcast and online media relations
• The expertise to coordinate contractual arrangements with caterers, tenting providers, audio/visual companies, photographers and security services
• Firm grasp of both web/print design
• The ability to design and procure advertising
• A track record of recognizing and securing sponsorship opportunities

We are looking forward to our 15^th year of working with Arts, Beats and Eats, which has grown into one of the premier events in America.  We also are proud to have handled public relations for The Blue Water Fest, Motown Winter Blast and Mayor Dave Bing’s 2010 Inauguration Ceremony.

In January, Marx Layne opened 2011 in spectacular fashion, helping celebrate the national launch of Fruit & Maple Oatmeal at McDonald’s.  This new menu addition is made with maple brown sugar oatmeal and topped with fresh apples, plumb raisins, tangy cranberries and blended with a touch of cream.

We kicked off our local event on Jan. 12 at Campus Martius Park.  In just two hours, we served 300 commuters with a free breakfast—a full-size serving of Fruit & Maple Oatmeal and a small cup of Premium Roast Coffee, compliments of McDonald’s.  Playing off McDonald’s “Sweet Harmony” marketing theme, the Detroit School of Arts Jazz Ensemble and the Team du Coeur synchronized skating team were on hand to entertain the crowds.   Additionally, Marx Layne coordinated the logistics of preparing the venue from the ground up, including bringing in tents, all food and paper supplies, working with City of Detroit Health Department.  Marx Layne also provided promotion via traditional and social media outreach.

In January, Marx Layne also took part in the promotion of the first internationally televised HBO Boxing match hosted in the city in nearly a decade when undefeated junior welterweights Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley put their titles on the line in a match billed as “The Super Fight” at the Silverdome.  Assigned to work with the local media, we generated significant coverage in the weeks leading up to the event in the Detroit Free Press and The Oakland Press, which also published weekly diaries from both fighters.  The fight was also a big hit in the broadcast media with interviews that included renowned promoter Don King airing on WDFN-AM, WKQI-FM, WOMC-FM, WRIF-FM, WXYT-FM, FOX 2, WDIV-TV, and WXYZ-TV. Multiple interviews also aired on The HUGE Show, which is syndicated on 10 stations in west Michigan.

A team recently returned from the Chicago Auto Show, where we were representing Panasonic Automotive Systems of America and are proud of their launch of the new Fender Premium Audio System in the new line of Volkswagen vehicles.

Our team worked the early morning hours last week with Verizon to successfully launch the new version of Apple’s iPhone 4.  Gathering photographs, video and interviews, Marx Layne associates were able to deliver results for Verizon Wireless.

In Metro Detroit, the Marx Layne team successfully completed the seventh annual Motown Winter Blast.  Held in and around Campus Martius Park in Downtown Detroit, the event features value-conscious, winter-themed activities for children of all ages, including marshmallow roasting, a snow slide, ice-skating and more.

The Marx Layne team also put on the first annual “Touching Communities, Touching Lives” collegiate ice sculpture competition hosted by the MGM Grand Detroit at the Grand Garden.

Marx Layne & Co. is pleased to announce the addition of the following team members.

Matt Schuler, Digital Architect

Matt Schuler joined Marx Layne as its Digital Architect.  Schuler is in charge of online reputation management, search engine optimization (SEO), and online video production and content marketing. Schuler also develops comprehensive social media strategies for agency clients.  Before joining Marx Layne, Schuler was a producer, Web editor and technology columnist for WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids, Mich.

LaVonne Turner, Senior Account Executive

LaVonne Turner joined Marx Layne as a Senior Account Executive.

Turner is responsible for supporting public relations and digital marketing strategies for clients in the restaurant, retail, nonprofit and professional service sectors.  Prior to joining Marx Layne, Turner served as a freelance communications and management consultant. She worked with clients such as Real Times Media, the National African-American Insurance Association, and the Dave Bing Inaugural Committee. Turner has more than 25 years of marketing, communications and event management experience.

Talitha Johnson, Account Assistant

Talitha Johnson joined the Marx Layne team as an account assistant. She performs strategic public relations planning and outreach on behalf of clients in the restaurant, retail, automotive and B2B industries.  Before joining Marx Layne, Johnson was employed as a freelance writer, published in outlets such as Michigan Chronicle and Michigan Front Page. She also did freelance PR work.

By MATT SCHULER, Digital Architect, Marx Layne

As long as people enjoy writing more than a few sentences at a time, blogging will never die.

I’d contend that if blogging is dead, as this New York Times article suggests, then it’s living a healthy afterlife.

NYT’s Verne Kopytoff writes, “Blogs were once the outlet of choice for people who wanted to express themselves online. But with the rise of sites like Facebook and Twitter, they are losing their allure for many people — particularly the younger generation.”

I’m fully ready to admit that sites like Facebook and Twitter are immensely popular. They offer fantastic services, but there’s a limit on consciousness at each.  Twitter’s limit is 140 characters, while Facebook’s status updates limit you to 420 characters.

If I want to share something that’s more substantial, like for instance this very post, I have to look beyond Facebook and Twitter.  When I’m done writing, I’ll certainly post a link on each network and will probably try to get linked to the stories on Techmeme.

The tech world had the blogging is dead conversation less than two months ago with a flurry of posts on Techmeme. Look at how Anil Dash chimed in with “If you didn’t blog it, it didn’t happen,” which was itself a response to Clive Thompson’s Wired article suggesting “Tweets and Texts Nurture In-Depth Analysis.”

“I save the little stuff for Twitter and blog only when I have something big to say,” Thompson quotes Dash as saying.  Then Thompson sites another piece of research, a survey saying, “the most popular blog posts today are the longest ones, 1,600 words on average.”

There’s also the news from WordPress that it had over 6 million new blogs in 2010 with pageviews up 53%.

At the heart of the New York Times article is the suggestion that Facebook and Twitter are monopolizing the time that used to be dedicated to writing.  Kopytoff also makes concessions that blogging is changing.

He cites Lee Rainie, director of the Internet and American Life Project, as saying blogging is not so much dying as shifting with the times.

“The act of telling your story and sharing part of your life with somebody is alive and well — even more so than at the dawn of blogging,” Rainie is quoted. “It’s just morphing onto other platforms.”

Then there are the numbers at the end of Kopytoff’s article, “Among 34-to-45-year-olds who use the Internet, the percentage who blog increased six points, to 16 percent, in 2010 from two years earlier, the Pew survey found. Blogging by 46-to-55-year-olds increased five percentage points, to 11 percent, while blogging among 65-to-73-year-olds rose two percentage points, to 8 percent.”

I think it’s more proof that when you’re trying to share a message, sharing it as widely as possible is what’s important.  If you have something that can fit in 140 characters or less, share it on Twitter and Facebook.  But if you have a long, complete thought that won’t fit then write it out.  You can post the link on your social networks.

Matt Mullenweg writes similarly in his post “Blogging Drift”, in which he says “You don’t stop using the lighter method, you just complement it — different mediums afford different messages.”

Ilene Wolff asks the question “To blog or not to blog?” for PRSA Detroit.  She cites the work we do at Marx Layne to maximize exposure to our blog and drive people to our website. We use the complimenting services to shed light on what we’re writing on the Marx Layne website.

By MATT SCHULER, Digital Architect, Marx Layne

Google is mixing in more social elements to its search results, it announced this morning.

In a post by Mike Cassidy, Product Management Director, and Matthew Kulick, Product Manager, Google announced it’s “doing a little bit more to bring you all the goodness of Google, plus the opinions of the people you care about.”

This is an important step for Google, because the world is becoming more social as people look for information from their friends. It’s easier than ever to turn to a social network to get the best information.  Google is now integrating that in its search results.

As you can see Google’s picture, there are notations where someone you know shared something.  Google says it’s “enabling you to get even more information from the people that matter to you, whether they’re publishing on YouTube, Flickr or their own blog or website.”  It’s important to note, as Search Engine Land has, while there’s a lot of social integration as of now, your Facebook friends’ likes will be excluded.

As Google continues to refine its search results, it’s making it a more personal experience.  While optimizing results is still possible, people will be getting different results based on their personal input and preferences.

Google posted a video explaining the social search update. You can watch it embedded below.