5 Ways Apple’s iPad Will Impact B2B Marketing

I really liked this take on the Apple iPad launch which comes from socialmediaB2B.com blog. It looks at the impact of the device for maketers and sales from a B2B perspective, rather than the much preferred consumer perspective. I really didn't have too much to add, so have reposted the article in full. Hope you enjoy it too:

5 Ways Apple’s iPad Will Impact B2B Marketing
Posted: 27 Jan 2010 04:57 PM PST

Before you come through the computer and smack me, yes, I am adding to the endless amount of blog posts all dedicated to Apple’s newly released iPad. With this tablet device Apple is trying to create a new category of portable computing device. How will this device impact your planning as a B2B marketer?

Initially this device won’t be a major factor to B2B marketers, because even if it is very successful, it will take 6 to 12 months to have enough devices in use to warrant attention. The device, which won’t even be out for a couple of months, offers users the ability to consum all types of media on the go using a software interface that many people are accustomed to due to their use of iPhones and iPod touches. Starting this summer B2B marketers need to begin looking at their web analytics to determine how many people visiting online sites are using this device, as well as the iPhone.

5 Potential Impacts Of The iPad On B2B MarketingNew device and adoption aside, in the future this device, or one similar, could have several important impacts on digital B2B marketing. Now is the time to think ahead and position for these possible changes in your business.

1. Improve Product Demos – The iPad will likely be most utilized in the business world for demonstrations. If you are a B2B company, especially a software company, this will be a great device to show off products and demonstrate new features. The iPad’s ability to display keynote presentations will also make it easy to shift from up-close demos or product sheets to slide presentations. I could see sales teams using this type of device to go over pricing and calculating business impacts of a product in real-time.

2. Trade Show Info Capture – Speaking of sale people, I would imagine that we will see iPads in the hands of savvy B2B sales people at a variety of industry tradeshows. A device like this removes the need to get people into a booth and have them in front of a computer to get their contact information into a CRM tool. I can see companies developing internal applications for the iPad that can easily add people into remote CRM systems and enter them into giveaway contests at the booth.

3. Less Flash Ads – An issue that some people have about this device is that it does not support Adobe Flash, a software that enables us to view many of the videos and advertisements on the web today. If devices without Flash like the iPad increase in popularity, it could motivate B2B marketers to produce less flash advertising, as it would be invisible to iPad and iPhone users.

4. More Multimedia Content – Regardless of its success, the iPad reinforces a trend that shows the way people consume media is changing. People are becoming more accustomed to a multimedia experience. For example the New York Times on the iPad includes video clips in articles that are viewed on the device. As B2B marketers strive to remain effective story tellers, becoming multimedia focused will be key.

5. Need For Customized Customer Experiences – With this new category of device, Apple has create yet another user experience to go along with the iPhone and traditional personal computers. The ways in which people interact with information on this type of device is different. Subsequently, B2B marketers need to plan digital experiences that are different for each device.

Cool new gadgets don’t replace boring online content. Take time to ensure you are telling a compelling story online now, because as digital information consumption changes, so will your marketing executions.

What do you think about the role of tablet computers in B2B companies?

Is PR giving ‘Social Media’ a bad name?

Here is my article that was published in the December / January issue of Marketing Magazine.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts!

The bell has rung: social media play time is over.
Digital media is now a way of life for most, becoming a fundamental element of brand reputation management, yet the PR industry is still having trouble getting to grips with some of the fundamental basics. Play time is over and the industry needs to recognize the importance of digital communications.

Given that PR people have always been experts at building advocates, much more so than other disciplines, this creates a huge opportunity for PR agencies. However, agencies must upgrade their staff skill sets if they are to capitalize and survive in the future. Agency bosses must take digital communications seriously by investing in the right staff and training existing staff so that social media is ingrained into the fabric of the agency.

The social media pie is still relatively small in terms of revenue, but the pie is growing and clients are seeing it as a priority. A recent Forrester study, entitled ‘Global Social Media Planning Survey’, found that 53 per cent of marketing managers globally plan to increase their investment in social media. Bear in mind this was during a recession year! Furthermore, research conducted by Weber Shandwick across six major European markets, entitled ‘INLINE Communications’, found that online advocacy – defined as online user reviews and recommendations – has replaced recommendations from friends and family as the most influential source of information. Anectodal research confirms that Asian audiences are also relying more and more on internet dialogue for their information(while this isn’t Asian focused research, Weber Shandwick is working on this!). Therefore, creating an environment where conversations about your brand is encouraged and rewarded can play a key role in building your brand reputations.

Social media smoke and mirrors?
There is a great deal of hype without any real social media proof points within the industry. Part of the blame lies with those agencies that have no expertise but pretend they do. Sadly, social media expertise is increasingly being ridiculed coming a bit of a joke as so- called ‘experts’ do not understand the relationship between social media and a brand’s business outcome. The ‘fakers’ are making money consulting brands about engaging customers and brandishing buzzwords like ‘transparency’, ‘authenticity’ and ‘blogger engagement’. But they are failing to demonstrate how social media channels can really help businesses achieve theirits goals, and as a result, causeing serious damage to the reputation of our industry.

In addition, advertising, digital, media purchasing and PR agencies are all vying for ownership of the space. Of course, different disciplines will approach social media from different angles, but we need to consider which tactic/tool/platform/application in our toolbox will best help the client achieve its objectives. Agencies from different disciplines need to work better together to clearly define the use of social media for different objectives – whether it is to drive brand awareness, build communities of advocates, internal communications or to drive sales. By ceasing the bombardment of noise about social media and better aligning it to the overall strategy, clients will be clearer about how it will benefit them.

Digital communications should not be about campaigns or projects, but an approach that requires long- term planning and commitment. The real benefit of digital communications is that you can build communities of advocates that genuinely like a brand. These advocates have their own network of communities that in turn learn about a brand in an organic way, which may influence them to become customers and advocates themselves. Most importantly, as advocates for a brand, they are engaged and are not just viewers.

Social media in PR
From a PR standpoint, social media should not be considered in a silo, but rather an additional weapon tool in our PR arsenalkit. We should not be talking about an online or offline approach, but rather an inline approach; a strategy that utilizes tools and tactics that best helps a business achieve its goals, whether it is online or offline. By adopting a response-oriented and lead generation approach to social media, we can help brands build communities of advocates, increase their customer/follower database, increase search traffic and, thus create more brand awareness, thought leadership, and all those things that help make brands exceptional.

However, to do this, the PR industry as a whole, needs to build its own credibility to convincingly own its share of the pie. Agencies must develop expertise in PR and Digital – they are not mutually exclusive.! This year saw PR agencies taking the first step on the ladder by recruiting digital specialists. But this is just the first step. Agency bosses must continue to embed digital communication skills into the fabric of the agency, ensuring PR consultants are sufficiently trained in the new skills available to them and helping them to consider integrating digital channels as part of the work they are already doing. For example, let’s say a team is working on crisis communications on behalf of a client. Rather than just using traditional methods, they should also be thinking about the impact of online media and how social media channels can be used strategically.

To all those PR agency heads, here are three suggestions you may wish to adopt as your New Year’s Resolutions:
- Eat more pie: Build the agency’s digital communications expertise to better consult clients
- Be more truthful to clients: Don’t be a social media faker. It harms the credibility of the industry as a whole, not just your agency
- Invest in staffHelp my staff more: PR as it was will be no longer.! Arm employees with the knowledge and skill- sets they need to consult clients in this ever evolvinge new world of communication

Happy New Year

This is my first blog post in five months, and for this I am both ashamed and apologetic. I won’t be making any excuses, but rather will say that this year I will try much much harder.

The second half of 2009 was very interesting, wasn’t it? Social media related enquiries continued to soar from all sectors and some were even spending some marketing dollars on it. Traditional PR programmes started to embrace digital communications, with many organizations now incorporating an element of social media tactics into activities. On the other side of the fence, bloggers and social media platforms became more savvy and better understood the potential influence they have for brands and as such changed the way they work.

I won’t try and pretend I know what will happen in 2010, but a few things are clear in the world of PR. Below are my top three observations on the way things are moving:

1. Any agency or PR consultant who still does not want to, or cannot, embrace social media to some degree will be out of the job within 5 years (probably less). PR is about creating, communicating with and influencing advocates and more than ever this is moving towards digital.

2. Any journalist who does not, or cannot, embrace social media to some degree will be out of the job within 5 years (probably less). Most of them already have done, using social media platforms for research, networking, raising their profiles etc.

3. Any media outlet that does not, or cannot, embrace digital communications will cease to exist within 5 years (probably less). Most publications now have some sort of online presence whether it be a standard website or a fully fledged online only version, but some smaller publications are still in the dark ages, and for them I fear.

On a final note, I just wanted to say that my background is in traditional PR and I hoped my blog would reflect this. But more and more, I write about digital communications. This is due to the way my role has been evolving, but I have not forgotten my roots!

Till next time….

Rogue Traders

A quick search for social media consultant (or something similar) will bring back page after page of self proclaimed digital media experts on Twitter, Facebook and blogging platforms. Since the beginning of the year, I have noticed that there has been a surge of people describing themselves as experts or gurus in this space. This is no surprise given the proliferation of social media as a legitimate communication channel for brands.

There are numerous online guides and presentations detailing how to ‘brand yourself on Facebook’ or ‘Get real RoI from Twitter’. Most of which are very slick and would have me reaching for my wallet!

What concerns me is that a handful of these ‘experts’ have more resemblance to the dodgy plumber who will do the job at half the price than a seasoned professional. Yes, they have a Facebook profile. Yes, they have a Twitter account. Yes, they have a blog. Yes, they may even dabble on a few discussion forums from time to time. But is this all that is required to counsel brands on building their online brand reputation or manage an online crisis situation?

Some of these rogue traders are selling digital PR campaigns to clients via a slick presentation that demonstrates their agency is on the pulse with the latest platform or application, but when it comes to the execution of the work, they don’t know where to start. This ultimately leads to clients and industries becoming even more skeptical about digital PR and whether it is really worth investing in.

I regularly talk to real social media / peer media / digital communication experts and they very rarely call themselves experts. Yet, they have worked with household brands, executed creative and effective campaigns and learnt their trade. They have gotten their feet wet by actually executing campaigns and, sometimes, learning from their mistakes. More action less talk!

The industry (and clients) needs to be aware of these rogue traders. They are giving the real professionals a bad name. They are slowing down the adoption of a legitimate communication channel. They are holding back the potential of digital communications!

Rant over!

Social media in Asia

It's been a long time since my last post. The reason is that the sheer number of social media related enquiries I have been received over the last few months has increased dramatically. This is good, not only from a business stand point, but also from the fact that social media is being seriously considered by organisations in various sectors.

However, see below for a Q&A interview about social media in Asia that I conducted with Media Magazine that may be of interest.

(1) Which are the key social media tracking tools (paid and unpaid) that you use, and why? How do they compare in terms of (a) price, (b) functionality and (c) ease of use.
We have always advocated the combined use of paid and free tools. Radian6 is one paid tool that is used globally by our agency, in conjunction with free online tools such as Technorati, BlogPulse, Twitscoop amd Twitter Grader amongst others, depending on the objectives and country. Each of the mentioned tools have their strengths and weaknesses and play a part in our monitoring process, however there is no one single tool that is able to meet all our requirements. For instance, many free online tools do not have double-byte functionality that allows us to track Chinese language.

Radian6 is one of the most sophisticated tools available, and Weber Shandwick has a special partnership in which we’re working very closely to make it even better. For example, we recently added Asian language capabilities.

(2) What are the challenges and pitfalls involved in using the tools described in (1) to track social media?
Each country in Asia has its own set of unique user characteristics, which can vary as much as the countries themselves. For instance BBS sites are very popular in China, discussion forums dominate Hong Kong while blogging leads the way in Korea. So, clients interested in their online presence or reputation across Asia will need to understand local nuances before embarking on a project.

I am not aware of any single tool on the market that allows us to automate the dissection of data to meet client needs. Most tools are able to track conversation trends, capture conversations from different sources and measure share of voice but clients often need more than this rudimentary information. They often require sentiments specific to products, and insights into key influencers, their sentiment and who they are able to influence.

That said, social media tracking tools are in their infancy and monitoring companies continue to invest heavily in the development of advanced systems that meet increasingly complex business needs. Weber Shandwick remains close to these developments and we continue to look for the best possible solution to meet our own clients’ diverse and very specific needs.

(3) To what extent can you really automate tools? How important is the human element and can you provide any examples of this?
Human intervention is crucial to any accurate and in-depth analysis. Whilst automated tools provide content, it is the human element that provides context. It is precisely for that reason that firms like Weber Shandwick are engaged to both source and interpret data in a way that allows us to define a strategic approach to stakeholder interaction. For example:

Data searches will often contain inaccuracies due to strength of key words, industry terminology and variations in vocabulary. Without it you simply won’t garner insights and understanding of the data;

Automated tools can only present raw data. It requires industry expertise to provide in-depth analyses and insight when interpreting the conversations. Clients require content rich analyses and strategic counsel on how the online conversations are affecting their brand, which only comes from consultants with an understanding of the client or industry. Clients in healthcare, technology and even financial services all have their own terminology that may seem alien to an outsider.

For example, our Hong Kong office recently conducted an online landscape audit for a healthcare client in the dialysis industry. We simply would not have been able to provide the in-depth analyses and counsel without consulting colleagues in that industry. This makes agencies with a deep bench across industries very important.

(4) Recent research (from Weber Shandwick) reveals that Asian CEOs are considerably less concerned about their online reputations. Why is this finding of concern - and why is social media monitoring important in this context? Do you have any specific examples?
This issue needs to be looked at in the wider context. I understand from the research that Asian CEOs are not ‘unconcerned’ with their online reputation, it’s that there is a lower level of ‘realisation’ compared to some Western countries. According to commScore, 35% of the social networking population is based in Asia, and CEOs here are quickly realising that this entire area will play a large role in their future success.

So you could say that Asian CEOs are quickly coming around to realising the potential of the online medium and they are amongst the most prolific users in terms of using the internet to measure reputations of competitors and business partners. There is a slight disconnect between what they think is happening and what actually is happening. But, it would also be fair to say that globally, all communications specialists are on a steep learning curve regarding the significance and potential impact of digital communications on brand perception. Which is why business intelligence has, and will continue to, become so profoundly important to clients.

(5) What are the key things for a client to remember when:(a) selecting social media monitoring tools?(b) determining how best to put a monitoring plan into action?
When selecting tools, do not underestimate the resource required to achieve quality and accurate analysis. To my knowledge, there is not one tool capable of delivering quality, in-depth and accurate analyses on its own. Like traditional media monitoring, the larger your target pool, the more resources it will take to get the job done well. There are companies out there who offer good services that can help companies shape their online strategy.

When embarking on a monitoring programme, companies should be realistic of what is achievable with the available resources and determine the objectives from the offset. This will help them deliver on set criteria and allow measurement of the programme.

(7) How can social media help a brand's reputation - do you have any specific examples?
Social media is as important to a brand’s reputation as traditional media. We know that some online personalities have as much influence as the most respected newspapers, magazines and broadcast programmes. To ignore the communities that are advocates—or badvocates—of your brand, product or service would be a huge mistake.

In an era of transparency and authenticity, companies can use social media to build relationships and engage with brand advocates. Some brands have even turned potential crisis issues into a positive interaction with the end user via social media. No longer can brands hide behind a façade, like any great relationship, listening and communication is key.

Examples of brands using social media to preserve, manage or build animage vary from the likes of Barack Obama (one of the most recognized global brands today) using Facebook, Myspace, YouTube and Twitter to win the presidential election, to Dell selling millions of dollars worth of products via Twitter.

(8) Do you have any other comments you'd like to add?
The entire social media and digital communications space is evolving at an incredible pace. Trends change and it is difficult to predict what the next big thing will be because it will be the people’s choice. We are in the business of monitoring human behaviour and aligning this with how our clients communicate to their audiences, while choosing the right communication vehicles to deliver these messages.

Also, remember that each country has its nuances. Cultural differences, languages, and preferences vary from country to country, so it is important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

PR in 140 characters (or less)

Below is a short article I recently wrote for the Weber Shandwick Asia Pacific newsletter:

No longer can brands bask in page-long text rich press releases, now, thanks to Twitter, brands need to communicate their messages succinctly in 140 characters or less. Although there are no official user numbers, it is rumoured that Twitter, the micro-blogging social media tool, has amassed around nine million users in its short existence.

The broadcasting of short messages to global followers is the latest explosion on the social media scene, attracting everyone from the tech savvy digerati to celebrities and government officials. It has pushed the boundaries of internet conversation, allowing you to interact with celebrities as if they were your best friend (I recently engaged with Will Carling and Stephen Fry!).

But beware, the darker side of Twitter enables viral word of mouth to spread faster than ever before – a crisis can now be communicated to a global audience in the time it takes to type 140 characters.

As a result, the communications industry has quickly pounced on the potential of Twitter as a tool for broadcasting company messages, creating communities of advocates, engaging with consumers and even an avenue for crisis communications. To bring this to life, here is one recent example of crisis communications involving PepsiCo and an ill-thought-out advertising campaign.

Huw Gilbert, communications manager for PepsiCo International, approved a Pepsi Max advertisement, which depicted a cartoon calorie committing suicide. Twitter users condemned the advertisement as insensitive to those affected by suicide and a raft of criticisms were posted. Gilbert soon caught on that Pepsi’s online reputation was taking a beating and “tweeted” the following public apology:

“We agree this creative is totally inappropriate; we apologise and please know it won’t run again.”

Several critics saw Gilbert’s tweet and one user responded:

“Thank you...for having the guts to get on Twitter on behalf of Pepsi and give us an update on the suicide ad.”

This example highlights how companies that have a Twitter account are better prepared to respond when something goes wrong. In an era where authenticity and transparency are vital to combat skepticism, this type of direct engagement can preserve online corporate reputation.

Other well known brands on Twitter include Starbucks, Amazon, Gartner and Dell. There are a growing number of brands using Twitter to communicate messages, promote products and provide customer service.

Another example is Bob Pearson, head of communities and conversations for Dell, who recently stated that his company had generated US$1 million in computer-related sales through alerts posted to Twitter alone.

The wonders of Twitter do not stop there. We, as communications professionals, can leverage Twitter as a news monitoring tool, a crisis early warning system, a sales channel, a broadcast channel and an audience engagement tool. I consider Twitter as a vital tool in my job and make it my first port of call on my journey to work. We should be ready to identify potential problems and opportunities to effectively counsel our clients in a way that may be outside of our comfort zone.

Social Networks More Popular Than Email

The latest data from Nielsen Online shows that two-thirds of the world’s Internet population visit social networking or blogging sites, accounting for almost 10% of all internet time. While search and destination sites remain the most popular online activities, social network and blog use exceeded that of e-mail, increasing their reach by 5.4% in the last twelve months.

So, for companies looking to target consumers and end users, digital communications should be considered an important element of the communications mix.

Other key findings include:

1. Time spent on social network sites is also expanding: In 2008, social network activity accounted for one in every 15 online minutes. Today it accounts for one in every 11 (In Brazil the average is one of every four minutes and in UK it’s one in every six minutes.)
2. The social network and blogging audience is becoming more diverse in terms of age: The biggest increase in visitors during 2008 to social networks came from the 35-49 year old age group (+11.3 million).
3. Mobile is playing an increasingly important role in social networking
   Nielsen found UK mobile Web users have the greatest propensity to visit a social network through their handset, with 23 percent (2 million people) doing so, compared to 19 percent in the US (10.6 million people). These numbers are a big increase over last year – up 249 percent in the UK and 156 percent in the US.