Something exciting happened at Norfolk Botanical Garden late last night, long after employees and visitors had gone home. The Norfolk, Virginia based attraction is annually home to a pair of endangered bald eagles that build their nest in a large pine tree on the 155 acre preserve. Last night, they welcomed a new addition to their brood and, thanks to a webcam strategically placed by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the whole world had the chance to witness the event and watch the chick in its first day of life.

This excitement was coupled with another surprise; visitation to the sites hosting the webcam and blog skyrocketed, and the story was picked up on the wires. WVEC.com, the local ABC affiliate which hosts the EagleCam video feed, received more than 10,000 hits overnight. NorfolkBotanicalGarden.org publishes the Eagle Blog and also reported increased visitation.

Some valuable PR lessons can be taken from Norfolk Botanical Garden’s unique approach. First, make the most of those chance occurrences that come your way. Norfolk Botanical Garden exploited this unplanned event to the fullest extent, even offering discounts (such as two-for-one admission) to those visitors interested in seeing the eagles. Secondly, don’t underestimate the impact that simple technology can have on your business. Webcams are relatively inexpensive and easy to use and, as in this case, can give a lot of bang for the buck. Lastly, find worthy allies. The approach taken by the Botanical Garden utilized the resources of the local government and the local news media, ensuring a more extensive audience. A suggestion from Goldman&Associates would be to get some of the video onto sites such as You Tube, MySpace, Revver, Digg, etc., so that it has a chance to go viral, further increasing media exposure.

This account clearly shows that, regardless of the size or location of an organization, those firms who are savvy and nimble enough to take advantage of technology can reap rewards in excess of effort.