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Collision Course II – February 18th 2009

While the first Collision Course hasn’t even happened yet, there are enough people being turned away (sorry people!) to warrant a second one. Unless we all end up doing some kind of Battle Royale thing, there’ll be a second and a third and so on. We might as well make this a regular thing. Some of the wrinkles might get ironed out by the next one too. It would also be good to see new faces at the second one. So if you’re a blogger, a PR person or someone in Digital Marketing then sign up in the comments for the next Collision Course.

If a PR or Marketing company wants to volunteer a space for 30 people or less on the evening of February 18th, let me know too.

www.Army.mil
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Marketing is the quick shag, PR is the long-term relationship

In doing a video interview with Niall I uttered something like the title of this blog post. He has promised to edit the video to make me look like a tool. Minutes in the editing suite so… I don’t know is that statement correct.

From what I can see people look at marketing in terms of campaigns, short sharp jousts with the world and then they’re over and done with. Cigarette time. Look at all those “micro” and “mini” sites that are out there from marketing campaigns and they’re just gathering web dust now. Such a waste really. It’s all lust with these interactions.

Then we have the idea of PR being about building relationships between companies and individuals or people with authority and/or influence. Building those kind of relationships takes more work and time but if we keep with the analogy, don’t a lot of long-term relationships become rather boring? Even when the lust turns to love? Will a mistress pop up from time to time? Will there be a divorce?

Surely though with the web and the always-on, always some kind of connection to people vibe, the fun and energy of the marketing jousts can be worked into something longer term and into relationship territory. I’m looking at the brilliant marketing concepts from Burker King of late and again and again they bring something fun out and people are anticipating them. Yet, where is the central hub for fans of Burger King campaigns? They could actually gain super fans if they so wanted by creating that hub. What powers Apple fans and the anticipation of a new product could actually be applied to BK’s odd marketing and bring it under the wing of PR.

"Lingua" by Jim Sanborn
Photo owned by dbking (cc)

You’re all media companies now Dave

A recent Times article pretty much was a copy and paste job from a blog post from Facebook. Who needs to send out press releases when you know a blog post will get the attention of the world? Steve Jobs did it last week too.

If you’re going to be doing business, you’re going to have to have an online element. No matter who you are, no matter what your product. This doesn’t mean that you have to be a newspaper-type organisation or do podcasts or videos but your current and future clients expect interactions that are more than a dull brochure-like website or a phone call or a replied-to email. With the current masses expecting more interactivity and a more personal relationship with who they buy from, it’s time to gear up.

Brick code
Photo owned by hiler2002 (cc)

You’re going to have to do Online Marketing and you’re going to have to do Online PR but perhaps you’re doing this and unaware that what you’re doing has a name. You’ll have to create content in various formats, be it blog posts, video tutorials, Flickr uploads and you’ll have to engage with people not just in the short term but over the course of your business life. This is how you’re a media company. When customers want to ask you something they should be able to find you where they are, not just where you are. As important, if not moreso though is that their peers that they ask should know your company and products and do the work of marketing on your behalf because they have some kind of relationship with you already.

Yes it means more work or maybe it just means you have to be cleverer with your existing resources. The payoff though is that you’ll have broader reach over space and time. Do you need to do it? I think yes but then you don’t need to be in the Golden Pages or have a phone either and you might still keep going.

Again, being a media company now doesn’t mean being a content producer, you can get others to do that but you do need to know that you are in the media, you are the media, you are working with the media.

*You’re my wife now Dave comes from The League Of Gentlemen

The Definitive list of “influencers” in Irish Blogging

It’s all of them!

Well it is.

White Bread, 1964, oil on canvas by James Rosenquist
Photo owned by cliff1066 (cc)

There are a few ways of measuring “influencers” in Irish Blogging.

You could measure using traffic.

Though right now unless people open up their stats (My personal blog over on Mulley.net has public stats, see bottom of the page) you can’t get accurate stats. Niall has opened up his too. Sites like Alexa might help. Paul created a list of 179 Irish blogs and their traffic estimates using Alexa so this might give you a snapshot.

Google Trends for websites can help out there too or even Google Adplanner.

You could measure using Technorati.

Ye wha? Technorati is a bit of a blog search engine and a blog ranking thingymajig. I’m not sure that it knows what it is anymore but it does rank blogs by the numbers of links that they have and gives you a rank compared to others. If a lot of websites link to you then this is a measure of value, a rough one but a measure. Google started off with the idea that links were quite important and still basically believe that.

You can use Technorati to compare the rank of one blog to another, the lower the rank, the more “powerful” the blog. Justin Mason created a handy resource a while back for Irish Blogs that allows you to see a list of the best ranked Irish Blogs. It’s here.

But in a democratic world…

Influence online is about getting your voice heard, not how loud the voice is. The truth will out, all comments trickle down, out and up eventually.

At the recent IIA Social Media Working Group feedback forum on their Blogging Whitepaper I believe someone suggested (I tuned in via Twitter) that you check out those blogs talking about you and if a response is needed (I guess if someone is complaining about your service) then create a response plan based on their Technorati influence. Picking the most influential ones to respond to and cutting off the rest. That’s oldschool thinking there.

Every single blog has the potential to be the next big player, the influencer of an influencer. If a blog has a single reader or subscriber or can be found on Google then they should get a response. Besides which, if someone takes the time to write about your product, it should be worth responding to no matter what. Naturally they are exceptions. Fools exist, giving them air wastes more air.

Someone suggested you wouldn’t have the time or resources to respond to all bloggers. Make some. Blogging is democratic and bloggers respect and enjoy opinions from other bloggers with all sizes of audiences. If you respond to the top 20 bloggers based on traffic or Technorati rank and no more, what about that blogger in the same niche you ignored? Are they subscribed to by an “influencer”? Then you’re hosed if they are, it’ll trickle up.

Anyway, surely if the world is talking about your product you’re either doing something really really good or really really bad?

Ketchup bottle, NYC, December 2008
Photo owned by mattkrause1969 (cc)

Obviously we don’t like the word “influencer”

But if it’s not responding to bloggers but working with bloggers, what should you be doing? Well, what area are you doing Online PR or Online Marketing in? Find Irish blogs that match that. You’ll find them by searching for keywords on IrishBlogs.ie.

Of course there’s a whole other blog post about the best way to work with bloggers and you’ll read it here soon but read this PDF as homework first. It’s from Shift Communications and is about the best one pager on how to work with and approach bloggers.

Facebook doubles in size in Ireland in 12 months – 400k in January 09

Using Facebook’s ad system we can now see that Facebook in Ireland has doubled in size in 12 months, going from just under 200,000 users in January 2008 to 400,980 Irish users in January 2009.

The growth pattern in numbers for Facebook users in Ireland:
January 2007 7,000 users in Ireland
October 2007 131,000 users in Ireland
January 2008 Under 200,000 users in Ireland
April 2008 – 224,820 users in Ireland
January 2009 400,980 users in Ireland

More stats:
400,980 users in Ireland

387,580 registered their gender
Male 169,280
Female 218,240

Relationship status: 223,520 registered their status
Single 80,060
In a relationship 75,960
Engaged 14,560
Married 52,820

Ages:
Age 21 to 35 – 301,140 75.1%
Age 25 and up – 275,660 68.9%
Age 30 and up – 148,320 36.9%
Age 18 and under 17,540 4.4%

Knowledge is Power – January 2nd 2009

Fred Wilson and Broadstuff talk about life in banner ads/display ads still. You don’t get brand recognition/reenforcement with search ads.

Things a company can’t and shouldn’t do on Facebook.

Here’s a wakeup call. The kids don’t care about cars anymore. How can you market to them now car makers?

You in PR? 51 not very technical things you should have a grasp of.

Ten Recipes for Persuasive Content.

Want to do video demos? Have a look at the Debut software. It’s freeware.

Their language. The BBC does something very clever. For a kids comedy show they have the kids improvise their lines. Letting the kids talk in their own language, not the dialog of older script writers. Who writes the copy for your ads? Who looks after PR for the kids products that kids buy? Mmm.

Richard did a great presentation on Web Architecture and SEO. Have a looksee.

“We could not have bought the results achieved with traditional media” – 31 Days of the Dragon

Found this via Kerry. HP did a clever campaign giving away 31 pieces of kit and the reaction was fantastic. Here are their slides talking about the campaign:

Word-of-mouth case study: HP 31 Days of the Dragon

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: word-of-mouth buzz)

Some blurbs from the slides:

  • “We could not have bought the results achieved with traditional media”
  • “We really know them at a personal level – we consider each other friends, not just cards in a rolodex”
  • “We spent over a year demonstrating that we were willing to do the right things for, with and by them and therefore earned their trust”
  • “They helped design the rules and manage and organise each other – this was more of a partnership than a program”
  • “By allowing the bloggers to design their own contest and then giving them a unit to give away, we removed a lot of the legal and internal approvals required for such a campaign”

Food for thought folks!

Knowledge is Power – December 24th 2008

No we’re not closed for Christmas. Did you not get our e-card that told you you’ve got a goat with your name on it in Africa? Shucks, sorry.

Emily Tully, previously of TodayFM fame is now running her own PR company and has uploaded her recent presentation on PR for startups that she gave at the Digital Hub.

Broadstuff reports on the recent Facebook Group gaming that’s been doing on. It’s not just groups, I know of a famous brand where their fan page wasn’t actually theirs and none of the half a million fans realised it.

Eolai sells more paintings rapidly thanks to Twitter.

Pat Phelan sticks it to the Social Media sharks. It’s unfortunate that this new business area is full of amazingly talented and genuine people but the snakeoil salesmen have jumped on board too. It took years for the SEO business to get tainted by all these people but it seems to have taken months for social media ninja coach strategists to come along.

Techcrunch does a breakdown on the Facebook and mySpace ad platforms and which are better.

Nice report on video gaming trends.

More links during the “time off”.

Random image of something not linked to this post but added for colour:
Welcome To ...
Photo owned by u07ch (cc)

Want press coverage? Now is a good time

Everyone is winding down now for Christmas with some PR agencies not back until the New Year but news still happens and newspapers and radio stations still need content. Some do shut their doors but the mains ones need to maintain a presence. Now is as good a time as any to crowbar your company or product into the media.

What might make it easier again to get some attention is something that fits well with the current zeitgeists. Recession, Christmas, banks, job losses. Something anti-gloom too might work well. Or a riot:

Protesting Clowns
Photo owned by pinguino (cc)