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Optimizing Press Releases: SEO is Now About Natural Writing, Social Sharing & Interesting Content

Case Study: CHS, Inc. Utilizes PR Newswire’s MediaRoom to Drive Communications with its Media and Consumer Audiences

Background:
CHS, Inc. is a Fortune 200 company that supplies food, grain and energy products around the world. It has one of the fastest-growing convenience store chains through its Cenex® energy brand and is one of the leading U.S. grain exporters. Given the company’s broad industry and geographic reach, CHS is a sought-after source for journalists reporting on its various business efforts as well as the sectors it serves. CHS welcomes the interest it generates from the media and general public, however managing the numerous inquiries can be a time-intensive effort for its communications department.

Challenge:
CHS recognized that its corporate web site (http://www.chsinc.com) was the primary destination point for reporters and investors who were seeking information on the company. After careful review, CHS determined that the best approach to keeping the media and public up-to-date on its activities was to develop a section on its web site dedicated to providing the latest news and product information from the company. Previously, CHS had tried a number of ways to manage the media information on its web site, but none of the approaches were successful.
 
Solution:
The CHS corporate communications team has been a PR Newswire client for approximately 20 years. Over that time, CHS has successfully utilized a host of PR Newswire communications technologies, including its global news distribution platform, eWatch (PR Newswire’s media monitoring solution), and MEDIAtlas (PR Newswire’s online global media database).
 
Confident in its relationship with PR Newswire and the strength of PR Newswire’s technology offerings, the CHS communications team decided that PR Newswire’s award-winning online newsroom solution, MediaRoom, could be the ideal tool for creating and managing the media portion of its corporate web site.
 
MediaRoom is a hosted web site service which enables communications professionals to build and update entire online newsrooms that in turn provide a gateway for media and other audiences to navigate, view and download information on the company.  Key to the functionality of MediaRoom is the control it affords corporate communications teams in managing the site without the need for IT staff or technical knowledge.  The structure of the site itself and the availability of content, such as electronic press kits, press releases and multimedia assets, can be easily modified on a 24x7 basis via MediaRoom’s password-protected online platform.
 
Outcome:
Working with PR Newswire’s MediaRoom specialists, CHS was able to rapidly launch an online news site featuring a dynamically updated news release archive; video, podcast and image galleries; a database of CHS’ print and broadcast advertisements; and comprehensive information on CHS’ annual shareholder meeting including its annual report and downloads of CHS executive speeches. In addition, all content on the CHS MediaRoom is shareable through more than 200 social networks.
 
With automatic posting of CHS news releases to the corporate home page and CHS MediaRoom, as well as email alerts and RSS feeds, CHS can now keep media, investors and other audiences up to date on its news. For other content, the corporate communications team can quickly and easily make updates to the web site without having to involve the IT department. Since the launch of the CHS MediaRoom, CHS has seen tremendous growth in the number of press clippings and traffic to the media section of its web site.
 
Throughout its 20 year relationship with PR Newswire, CHS has taken advantage of the continued growth of PR Newswire’s tools and integration, using its ever-expanding news distribution network and extensive global media database, effectively tracking media results through eWatch and delivering content through MediaRoom. 
 
Quotes:
“PR Newswire is the foundation of our ability to disseminate our messages and track our results.”
 
“The integration of all of PR Newswire’s tools is excellent. It really is a one-stop shop.”
 
“We have a long relationship with PR Newswire that continues to deliver results. The innovative technologies for delivering and tracking our information combined with professional, knowledgeable, dedicated staff can’t be beat.”
 
Lani Jordan
Director, Corporate Communications
CHS Inc.