One message but many messengers
When Apple's iPhone was launched in 2007, the online furore as people debated the pros and cons of the new gadget was immense. The online noise about the iPhone - whether good or bad - served only to heighten awareness of it, both in cyberspace and real life. And although most industries do not always attract quite the same passion for their products, it is possible for any to harness what communications experts term 'social media', using multimedia press releases.
Multimedia press releases are web-pages which feature a range of multimedia attachments including text, company logos, high-resolution photos, pdf downloads, video, Powerpoint and audio. They can carry hyperlinks to company or other websites, and links to social media outlets such as Twitter, Flickr or an RSS feed, where bloggers and other consumers can search and comment on them if they wish. Video can be added and uploaded into video portals such as YouTube to gain maximum exposure.
The main benefit of using multimedia in press releases is a two-and-a-half to three times increased user engagement. In the ongoing downturn, while newsrooms are squeezed more than ever before, it is beneficial to save journalists time and effort by including all the resources they may need within one press release.
But it is not just a journalistic audience you can attract with online tools such as this...
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Multimedia press releases are web-pages which feature a range of multimedia attachments including text, company logos, high-resolution photos, pdf downloads, video, Powerpoint and audio. They can carry hyperlinks to company or other websites, and links to social media outlets such as Twitter, Flickr or an RSS feed, where bloggers and other consumers can search and comment on them if they wish. Video can be added and uploaded into video portals such as YouTube to gain maximum exposure.
The main benefit of using multimedia in press releases is a two-and-a-half to three times increased user engagement. In the ongoing downturn, while newsrooms are squeezed more than ever before, it is beneficial to save journalists time and effort by including all the resources they may need within one press release.
But it is not just a journalistic audience you can attract with online tools such as this...
read more >>
6 Steps to valuable content
Valuable content is the right way to engage customers. But how to create valuable content ?
After a decade and a half of evangelisation by the likes of Seth Godin and those who followed in his footsteps, Marketers are now finally waking up to the idea that pre-formatted communications aren’t the right way to engage with customers.
So now is the time to hone these story-telling skills and write valuable content for the Web. Content that brings value to your visitors, which could possibly initiate discussions, questions and comments.
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Social media lessons from the Obama campaign
“Barack Obama is 3 things you want in a brand. He is new, different, and attractive. That's as good as it gets.” [Keith Reinhard chairman DDB Worldwide]
The Obama campaign was innovative on a number of dimensions, particularly with the use of social media and the effective leverage of committed volunteers. There’s been some good reporting that captures the ground truth of what the campaign actually did and some early efforts to make sense out of these facts in a way that offers lessons for those of us interested in their relevance to broader organizational and enterprise needs.
read more >>
The Obama campaign was innovative on a number of dimensions, particularly with the use of social media and the effective leverage of committed volunteers. There’s been some good reporting that captures the ground truth of what the campaign actually did and some early efforts to make sense out of these facts in a way that offers lessons for those of us interested in their relevance to broader organizational and enterprise needs.
read more >>
Corporate blogger: angel or demon ?
Corporate bloggers are faced with a unique challenge. They must simultaneously speak the voice (and the message) of the organization while also "fitting in" with a community of real people. How can you stay authentically human in an online environment that can be highly rewarding and highly political?
There is ongoing tension between what the organization wants and the community, which in addition to employees is made of customers/prospects, special interest groups and partners. The most effective corporate blogs brave the delicate balance, build a community, and most of all, let the blogger come across as smart without getting called into the boss's office (for the wrong reasons).
Social media and blogging create the potential to (1) go from B2B and B2C to P2P (peer to peer); (2) talk to entire groups (niche or otherwise); (3) learn to present content that is appealing to customers.
So is it about content? Is it about interaction? Or is it about commerce? Regardless of what *you* think, it’s about how blogging and social media - executed well - create a personal connection. Once you open that door, there is no turning back. Here’s an excellent presentation by Valeria Maltoni.
read more >>
There is ongoing tension between what the organization wants and the community, which in addition to employees is made of customers/prospects, special interest groups and partners. The most effective corporate blogs brave the delicate balance, build a community, and most of all, let the blogger come across as smart without getting called into the boss's office (for the wrong reasons).
Social media and blogging create the potential to (1) go from B2B and B2C to P2P (peer to peer); (2) talk to entire groups (niche or otherwise); (3) learn to present content that is appealing to customers.
So is it about content? Is it about interaction? Or is it about commerce? Regardless of what *you* think, it’s about how blogging and social media - executed well - create a personal connection. Once you open that door, there is no turning back. Here’s an excellent presentation by Valeria Maltoni.
read more >>
