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4th October, 2012

Last Tuesday, I chaired an event for the PRCA looking at the relationship between PR and SEO. If there is one key theme that came out of the conference, it was that Google’s recent updates (think Panda and Penguin) bring SEO very much into the domain of what you might term ‘traditional PR’ activities.

For the last week or so, the digital marketing community has been buzzing about a new ranking factor, called AuthorRank. Google is expected to roll AuthorRank out very soon and, for me, it once again shows how the boundaries between traditional PR, digital PR and SEO are blurring.

Last year, Google launched its authorship programme. You’ll have come across this in the Google searches you do on a daily basis – where pictures of the author of a particular article appear next to the listing. Ever since this launch, there has been speculation in the digital marketing community that soon, Google would start to use authorship as a determining factor for rankings.

Last week, writing on SEO community site SEOMoz, Mike Arnesen gave the strongest indication yet that this time is nearly upon us. The idea of an AuthorRank makes a lot of sense and, for Google, is part of a much larger, long-term strategy.

Put simply, AuthorRank is how Google will take the authority of an author into account when determining search engine rankings.

Why authors?

Traditionally, Google has looked at the web as a series of websites and webpages and there’s always going to be a place for that.

Google uses a ranking algorithm called PageRank to give different webpages an authority ranking. But what this fails to take into consideration is that, increasingly (in part due to the rise of social media), when you are looking for ‘authority’ around a particular subject area, it’s often the individual content creator that has the authority rather than or in addition to the website, publisher or brand.

A site like Techcrunch has authority in the tech start up space because of the individual writers it has. AuthorRank is an attempt by Google to recognise this and give specific authors their own ranking which will in turn influence the overall ranking of a website.

What is the best way to know if a piece of content is trustworthy? If it is written by someone that has authority in a certain area.

How does this work in practice?

If you want a clear idea of just how fundamental Google+ could be and how much importance Google is placing on it, then look no further than AuthorRank.

When you see someone’s mugshot appear next to a search engine ranking, that is because they have linked their Google+ account to the piece of content they have created – no matter where it is on the web. You can find out more on how to do this (it’s not as scary as it might sound) here.

This is an example of how the impact of Google+ exists far beyond just the platform itself. It extends throughout the internet, giving Google valuable information about an individual and their footprint across the web. Google can then start building up a picture of that person’s influence in specific areas.

Influence you say? Does this have anything to do with PR?

Yes it does! Ok, so there is a bit of technical know-how required (though Google is trying to make things easier and easier). But the idea of building influence for a specific person around a certain subject area is a concept PRs will be incredibly familiar with. It’s called thought leadership and we do it every single day.

Yet again, the types of behaviour that Google is now starting to reward with ranking boosts – content, authority, social sharing – are all things PRs do daily. With a little bit of technical knowledge, PR can have a massive impact on your search rankings.

How does Google define authority?

It’s unclear at the moment exactly the factors Google will use to create AuthorRank and – as with all things Google – we will never know the exact make-up of the algorithm. But, over at SEOMoz, Mike Arnesen has compiled a list of the most likely candidates:

  • The average PageRank of an author’s content
  • The average number of +1s and Google+ shares the author’s content receives
  • The number of Google+ circles an author is in
  • Reciprocal connections to other high AuthorRank authors
  • The number and authority of sites an author’s content has been published to
  • The engagement level of an author’s native Google+ content (i.e., posts to Google+)
  • The level of on-site engagement for an author’s content (i.e., comments and author’s responses to comments)
  • Outside authority indicators (e.g., the presence of a Wikipedia page)
  • YouTube subscribers and/or engagement on authored videos (speculation: multiple-attribution author markup for YouTube videos coming soon)
  • Any number of importance/authority metrics on social networks that Google deems trustworthy enough (Twitter, Quora, LinkedIn, SlideShare, etc.)
  • Real world authority indicators like published works on Google Books or Google Scholar

What are the next steps?

AuthorRank doesn’t seem to be influencing searches yet, but it could be just around the corner. So here are some steps you should take to benefit:

  1. Set up your author profile on Google+ 
  2. Link it to any content you have around the web (here’s our quick, handy guide)
  3. Create great content – it sounds obvious, but if you aren’t creating lots of content already, you need to start. It’s all about quantity AND quality. Gone are the days when you could whack anything up and Google would give you credit. Now it’s all about great content that people want to read and share (did I mention how PR was increasingly important for SEO?)
  4. Use Google+ – a quick look at the list of factors above shows how important Google+ is becoming. So post regularly, circle influential people in your industry, +1, comment, check-in, make sure your profile is complete and that you have a good photo

continue reading: Google AuthorRank and why it’s huge for PR...

20th September, 2012

A few months ago, I gave a presentation at a PRCA breakfast seminar focusing on social media analytics. The slides from the presentation are embedded below.

The central theme running through the talk was how to effectively put together a social media PR analytics programme that would accurately and meaningfully measure success and results.

In my mind, there are five very important steps to ensuring you have a social media PR analytics strategy that is effective. The five steps are as follows:

1. What does success look like?

It might seem obvious, but how many agencies and businesses fail to really think about the reasons for embarking on a social media campaign in the first place. The only way to properly analyse is to ensure you know what you hope this activity will achieve in the first place.

There are many different reasons for investing in social media and there will likely be different benefits. But knowing the ones that really matter to your company is vital.

2. Establish KPIs

Once you know what determines success, you can begin to think about the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will give you clues as to whether your objectives are being reached.

Again, it is clear to see how the importance of the first step is again underlined here. When it comes to KPIs, less is most definitely more.

One of the biggest benefits of digital PR is also one of its biggest weaknesses; we have so much data at our disposal, understanding the data that is important to a specific campaign can be hard.

It is clearly tempting to measure everything but that is a recipe for disaster (or at least very long nights). Take each objective and identify the KPI that will give indications of results.

3. Select your tools

One of the biggest mistakes of any analytics programme is to select tools first: “we have purchased Radian6, therefore we’re going to measure XYZ.”

Actually, again, the opposite is the best approach. You need to identify what data you need first (to measure your KPIs and your business objectives) before you begin to search for the tools that will accurately let you capture that data.

4. Turn analysis into action

Analysis for the sake of analysis will not get you very far. If KPIs aren’t delivering results, you need to identify why this is and put in place changes in your strategy to see if that has an effect.

If analysis doesn’t lead to action, there is no point doing it in the first place. Another great advantage of social media and digital PR campaigns is that, because data can be collected in real-time, it is also possible to make changes to strategy in real-time too. Don’t leave it to the end of the campaign to measure, measure all the way through.

5. Rinse, wash, repeat

Building on this last point, an analysis programme never ends. Constant analysis and constant tweaking of a campaign will ensure that final goals are reached.

Nothing should be set in stone. KPIs and even objectives can change depending on the results of your analysis. It’s a cyclical process that allows you to measure and improve on an ongoing basis.

Social media analytics in black and white

View more PowerPoint from Danny Whatmough /  Originally posted on the EML Wildfire tech PR blog

continue reading: 5 steps to measuring social media PR campaigns...

19th September, 2012

Why do some companies make it so hard for you to do business with them?

I thinking about broadband or mobile phone providers that make you jump over hurdles to switch provider. Gyms that tie you into long contracts. Or websites that make you fill in a form before giving you access to their price list.

There’s one reason, of course: they want to sell more stuff. Historically, this approach has been one that brands have used. Stamp out competition, tie people into long contracts and they will literally be forced to give you their hard earned cash.

Sell, sell, sell

Consumers have never liked this approach and, now, they can voice their dislike in a highly vocal way.

Technology levels the playing field and, when it comes to brand affinity, simple awareness is not enough. Having a product or service pushed down your throat is also no longer a winning strategy.

The ‘hard sell’ is seen for what it is; desperation. That’s why savvy companies are starting to move from  ’always selling’ to ‘always helping’.

With the diminshing effetiveness of push marketing and a move towards positive brand engagement, ‘being helpful’ might sound trite but it can be incredibly powerful.

When it comes to being helpful, content marketing really comes into its own. Especially when we consider the B2B sales process. Here, buyers are making decisions about where to invest. Now, more than ever, we are unlikely to make a quick purchase without fully investigating all the options.

Help, help, help

Rather than pulling the wool over the eyes of prospects, it’s much more powerful to help them in their decision making quest.

Give them product comparison tables, answer their questions, supply them with whitepapers and other collateral that can help them justify their purchase to senior stakeholders.

And create communities where they can discuss needs with other customers and prospects.

If you have a great product or service, don’t go with the hard sell, but help your audience discover this greatness for themselves. The emotional bond will be far greater too.

Making life difficult, whether through a clock and dagger approach or with a website where it’s impossible to send an enquiry without filling out War and Peace, just won’t work.

Don’t make it difficult, make it simple. Stop selling, start helping.

picture credit / Originally posted on the EML Wildfire tech PR blog

continue reading: Why clever companies stop selling and start helping...

18th September, 2012

Do you find yourself lying awake at night worrying about the sheer amount of information that exists on the web?

No? It seems as though you’re not alone.

A recent study from Northwestern University has countered standard thinking around the ‘threat’ of information overload.

Generally accepted wisdom dictates that, with more information being churned out every second on the web, staying on top of all that content is tough.

That’s why attempts to ‘help’ manage information, whether through search or Facebook EdgeRank are seen as not just a nice to have but a vital solution in the securing the future of the web.

But the study, which was lead by Eszter Hargittai, an associate professor of communication studies at Northwestern, interviewed 77 people from across the US and examined their approach to accessing information.

Give me more

It found that, rather than being overwhelmed by the amount of content available, respondents actually liked the fact they had more to consume.

What’s more, it appears we have adapted to the situation we find ourselves in, have developed better skills to help us cope and feel incredibly positive about being more informed:

“We found that the high volume of information available these days seems to make most people feel empowered and enthusiastic. People are able to get their news and information from a diverse set of sources and they seem to like having these options,” said Hargittai.

Other key findings were:

  • TV was still the main way respondents accessed information but online news was viewed more positively.
  • Respondents were almost entirely enthusiastic about new media.
  • Trivial social media updates and opinion pieces from overly political pundits were sources of frustration when looking for information.

So what does that tell those of us working in digital PR and other areas where content marketing is increasingly important?

1. Content consumers are increasingly savvy

Those that reported difficulties with information were those with less advanced ‘internet skills’.

That tells us that we need to worry less about whether people will find our content. Create great content and they will come.

2. Quality matters

Perhaps an obvious statement, but it is worth underlining this fact.

Quantity is no longer a solution. The days of spewing out low quality content to help push search rankings just won’t cut the mustard. This approach has probably never ‘tricked’ anyone into consuming your content apart from search engines anyway.

Don’t post for the sake of it, post because you have something to say.

3. Make content easy to digest

I’m fed up of reading long, turgid blog posts that are hard to read and say nothing.

If you want your content to be read online (and this is even more important when it comes to mobile) then you need to write in a way that works for your audience. Of course, this doesn’t just apply to blogs. The web gives us the opportunity to create engaging content in a multitude of different ways.

Before you put together your next 100 page whitepaper, think about whether there might be a better way to present that information.

4. You need to provide more content (in certain situations)

This study shows that rather than feeling overwhelmed, we feel empowered by having more information.

I’ve written before about how providing the right content at the right time can significantly assist your sales funnel – whether B2B or consumer. When making a buying decision we increasingly expect content to be provided to help us. If content isn’t provided by the vendor (and even if it is) we’ll just look elsewhere.

Work out what information your customers need to help them buy and give it to them.

picture credit / Originally posted on Econsultancy

continue reading: License to create? Information overload is no longer an issue...

17th September, 2012

Content marketing is the buzzword du jour for businesses these days. And, in many ways, the hype is entirely justified. Content should form a central part of most PR and marketing campaigns (some would say it always has) and, now more than ever, with the growth of social, digital and search, content marketing can contribute towards significant ROI for your PR campaigns.

Before everyone gets too excited, it is worth bearing in mind that content for content’s sake just won’t cut the mustard. Objectives, strategies and tactics all have to be aligned in the right way, from the start, to really succeed.

We recently published a new case study on the EML Wildfire site from one of our clients EPiServer, who achieved a 200% ROI on a recent PR campaign we ran. The campaign had content at it’s heart. With the aim of targeting UK marketers, we undertook research to find out how leading UK companies are using social media and online communities. The resulting whitepaper was downloaded 122 times with five deals closed as a result.

Here are six all-important steps that we believe are vital to ensuring your content marketing achieves ROI:

1. Tell a story

The most effective PR always tells a story. And content marketing is no different. For EPiServer, we were able to explain how and why current social media strategies aren’t working and what marketers need to do improve matters. Finding a story that will resonate with your target audience will ensure your content had the desired effect.

2. Have something concrete to reference

With the EPiServer example, we commissioned some research to base the content on. It’s always a good idea to have something to act as a hook, especially if you want to encourage the media to consider covering it. On the flipside, if you are doing some research, make sure you create content to support it – it’ll go a lot further.

3. Use different content to tell your story

Whitepapers or reports are great examples of content that really add value for your audience, especially for B2B campaigns. But there are plenty of other pieces of content that would work just as well in addition or instead. For example, you could create an infographic or a video to go alongside your whitepaper. Different content will work better for specific communication channels and different audiences, so choose wisely. There is a significant SEO benefit here too. Google is increasingly favouring multi-media content, so you might be able to give your rankings a timely boost.

4. Use all your communication channels

When you are ready to launch your content campaign, use every possible channel at your disposal. Using the traditional media and your owned social media channels is an obvious first step but why not add your latest piece of content to your company email signatures? Alternatively, you could create a banner for your website or run some targeted advertising. A multi-channel approach will ensure you reach as many people as possible. And, as with the previous point, the more your content is shared across different channels, the more SEO bonus points you’ll get from the search engines.

5. Build relationships

By this point, hopefully you’ll have lots of people engaging with and sharing the content you have created. It’s important to see this as the first step in your relationship with these people. To do this, you need to create some ‘sticky channels‘. For example, encourage them to sign up to your email newsletter or follow you on Twitter. You could even consider putting your premium content behind a data capture form or a Facebook fangate – just make sure you use this as an opportunity to send them more relevant content in the future.

6. Measure effectiveness

If all goes well, then hopefully you’ll want to run further content campaigns in the future. And, if you’ve set up a measurement framework for your campaign then you’ll be able to see what worked best first time round and make better decisions next time as a result, tweaking your strategy and tactics as you go. For example, you can use web analytics to see where the traffic to your campaign landing page came from. You could even use unique URLs.

When it comes to great content, we’re passionate about using this approach for our clients. But we eat our own dog food too – check out our latest report looking at how consumers are influenced to make technology buying decisions.

picture credit / Originally published on the EML Wildfire tech PR blog

continue reading: Content marketing: 6 steps to make your content go further...

13th September, 2012

In 2010, Apple live streamed two keynote events.

Many felt (and hoped) this would signal a change in the company’s approach to live coverage of its infamous product launches.

But no, when the iPad 2 was launched in March 2011, the option had disappeared.

Don’t give ‘em what they want

I’ve often been frustrated by the lack of a live stream. Some have suggested the live stream was pulled because of concerns over the appearance of an increasingly ill Steve Jobs. But I think the absence of a live stream for Apple keynotes is part of a master PR plan that helps the company create buzz (if anymore were needed) around these events.

Creating buzz is something that Apple excels at. Whether it is leaking certain details ahead of time or even taking the Apple website down in advance of a new announcement, everything is geared to getting as much buzz as possible.

And it works. Even when the product announced is disappointing, the sheer amount of media coverage that Apple achieves – good and bad – will ensure there are queues stretching out from Apple stores on launch day.

The lack of a live stream is just another part of this media savvy jigsaw puzzle. As a tech PR, I know better than most the importance of third party validation. Forcing us all to pop over to Engadget and Gizmodo to see their euphoria surrounding the latest shiny revelation is a lot more effective in building positivity around products.

Keep ‘em hungry

The lack of live stream action is also another example of the power that Apple likes to wield over the media. By ensuring the only people that can publish real-time updates are those that are physically in the room, Apple can add or remove journalists it does or doesn’t favour. Bash the company and your access to keynotes (read: eyeballs) is massively impacted.

Secrecy is important for Apple. It creates intrigue and mystique. Of course products still matter and it is because of the revolutionary nature of its products that Apple fanboys ever appeared in the first place. But, from a PR standpoint, Apple perfectly stage manages the whole process to ensure as much noise as possible is achieved.

picture credit / originally posted on the EML Wildfire tech PR blog

continue reading: Why does Apple avoid keynote live streams? A PR masterstroke....

16th August, 2012

Much of the thinking that I’ve been doing around agile PR recently has stemmed from Google. So I’ve really enjoyed exploring a new little campaign created by Google entitled Agile Creativity.

There’s a great campaign site, an article in Think Quarterly and even a Google Hangout. It’s been put together by Google in association with leading US advertising agencies and, although the focus is on adland, many of the principles/tips would apply equally well to an agile PR setup. For example:

  • Increase collaboration
  • Embrace T-shaped talent
  • The minimum viable brief
  • Use real-time insights to constantly iterate
  • Beta testing with clients
  • Hackathon mode
  • Campaign prototyping

continue reading: Google’s take on agile PR...

31st July, 2012

Last week, Apple released the latest version of Mountain Lion. I was in two minds about whether to buy it. So I hopped onto Google, did a bit of research, read some reviews and asked my followers on Twitter. On the basis of this five or ten minutes of investigation, I took the plunge and purchased.

Does this process sound familiar?

We recently released new consumer research that looks at the different ways UK consumers are influenced before they make a technology purchase.

Just think back to the last time you invested in a new TV, mobile or laptop. What steps did you take? Chances are you didn’t just pop into PC World and grab the first piece of shiny tech on offer.

Chances are you talked to friends, searched the web and read reviews. If our research is correct, you probably did all this and a lot more. Friends and family play an important role, cited by 52% of those polled. However, there appears to be increasing significance of user-generated content, with 51% saying they trust user and consumer reviews 44% flock to expert reviews. Social media features too, but did not have as much of an impact as you might expect.

In a recent ebook, Google calls this moment ZMOT or Zero Moment of Truth. It’s the time before making a purchase that you spend researching and investigating:

“It’s a new decision-making moment that takes place a hundred million times a day on mobile phones, laptops and wired devices of all kinds. It’s a moment where marketing happens, where information happens, and where consumers make choices that affect the success and failure of nearly every brand in the world.”

For PR professionals this is a consumer trend that needs to be carefully assessed. Our report also found that only 12% cited brand loyalty as an influence on their buying habits. Loyalty goes out the window if a close friend tells you that XYZ brand sucks.

And, if that is not enough, the really scary thing is that you could invest significant budget trying to get someone to commit to buying a new product, only for them to then research and then potentially buy from one of your competitors.

So what can brands do to succeed in this world of the savvy consumer?

1. Understand your buyer – where do they go to get information? What sources do they trust? We found, for example, that different age demographics were influenced in different ways.
2. Be helpful – don’t make information hard to find. Realise that research is very important for the modern consumer. You might even want to think about spec sheets that make comparisons with the competition.
3. Don’t ignore traditional media – expert reviews were still an important source of information.
Reward and encourage advocates and evangelists – time and time again our research revealed the importance of word of mouth when making purchasing decisions. It will come as no shock to learn that we trust our friends and family. So an evangelist won’t just be a committed customer for life (in fact, with brand loyalty at an all time low, they definitely won’t be!), they will become a very powerful, unpaid salesperson for your brand.
4. Don’t ignore search – it’s no coincidence that Google wrote ZMOT. Search lies at the heart of much of this. Check now to see how your brand comes over when you go to Google and type in *your product area* plus the word ‘review’.
5. Content is key – related to the last point, content and the distribution of content is more important than ever; on your site, on social channels, on media or blogger websites and even offline.

Originally published at http://wallblog.co.uk/2012/07/26/the-rise-of-the-savvy-consumer/#ixzz22EZqCPpT

continue reading: The rise of the savvy consumer...

19th July, 2012

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” – Muhammad Ali

Yesterday I went to a Facebook Marketing conference organised by Chinwag and Our Social Times. It was really good (and I don’t say that about conferences very often). There was plenty of food for thought and I may well share more on here in due course.

Flexible innovation

But one idea, from a talk by Maurice Wheeler from Doco, really stood out. Using some Black Swan reasoning (I’m a big fan, another post for another day), he put over the simple thesis that in a fast-paced digital and social world, where techniques and tactics can change from one day to the next, ‘big campaign’ thinking just doesn’t cut the mustard anymore.

The days when you would plan a big marketing or PR campaign for months and be pretty certain of the results, he suggests, are over.

Instead we need to be constantly innovating and trying new things to succeed. Quickly can the things that don’t work, do more of what does and have a more flexible approach to planning, strategy and execution.

I think there’s a lot to commend this way of working. It’s similar to the agile approach in IT development and is very aligned to the way embryonic startups work. It also slips nicely into a burgeoning trend of agile marketing that has been rearing its head more and more in the last few months.

Agile PR

Recently I’ve been thinking and experimenting with how this could work from a PR standpoint.

For this agile approach to work, you need to pay even more attention to processes, objectives and, of course, measurement. That’s going to be challenging for some agencies  but I think it’s really only the tip of the iceberg. An agile approach should go a step further – improved transparency, openness and a real committment to everyone ‘pushing in the same direction’ – both agency AND client.

So what could an agile PR agency approach embody?

  • Project teams that include client members
  • Project management tools visible by agency and client
  • Open brainstorming / idea generation receptors – e.g. we are using Facebook Groups with one client to do just this
  • Sharing ‘rough’ work or drafts
  • Focus on continuous brainstorming and trial and error
  • Rigorous measurement processes, reviewed weekly
  • Scrums involving people from across the agency and different client departments
  • Sprints – agressive deadlines to deliver bitesize parts of a programme or project
  • Daily stand-up meetings – every team meets daily (at least) to review yesterday and plan today
  • Streamline processes – ditch long meetings, action reports
  • Use technology to help pull together and outline ideas/activity/actions

Thoughts?

picture credit

continue reading: Agile PR: let’s move away from big campaigns and constantly innovate...

21st June, 2012

Cross-posted from the EML Wildfire blog

As part of my work with the PRCA’s Digital Steering Committee, I’m part of a consultation process that is trying to create a set of guidelines for the PR industry to help it better understand and interact with Wikipedia.

PR people shouldn’t touch Wikipedia. This is a common viewpoint amongst Wikipedians. And, considering the negative press that has often surrounded PR dealings with the encyclopaedia, and the bad practices that are all far too common, it is easy to see why.

Time and time again, PRs and PR agencies have become unstuck. So the CIPR and PRCA have both made efforts over the last few months to engage with Wikimedia and begin to develop a series of guidelines to help the industry.

Philip Sheldrake has been a chief advocate of this work and, on the latest issue of CIPR TV had some good advice for PR professionals. Essentially Wikipedia is a community and, as with any community, you have to abide by its rules. That might mean you don’t end up with the decision you initially were after, but that is just the way it goes. PRs in particular should be familiar with this type of relationship having worked with journalists!

Wikipedian David Gerard was also on the show and made the point that Wikipedia is not owned by anyone and all Wikipedians are striving for is a neutral point of view. If you don’t have a neutral point of view (e.g. PR), you shouldn’t edit. You should go to the talk pages and participate there. If that doesn’t work, then there are escalation procedures in place that can be used.

Get involved in the consultation

The consultation process is on a Wiki on the Wikimedia site and the initial phase will end this Sunday. I’d encourage anyone in the PR industry to get involved, share your viewpoint and think about how this might affect your own dealings with Wikipedia.

continue reading: PR and Wikipedia – let’s push for a better relationship...