Le Meur’s video branding series. 30 videos, 30 days

September 2nd, 2010

The founder of Seesmic and LeWeb, Loïc Le Meur will be releasing 30 videos over the next 30 days via YouTube and iTunes as a podcast.

The videos will be focused on building an online brand and related subjects.

“After many presentations on social networking around the World, I found myself getting the same questions all the time so I decided to share everything I learned in a series of 30 HD videos. They aren’t aimed at experts but rather anyone who would like to learn from scratch how to make the best from social networking and building their brand”

Below is the first, second and third of his 30 HD video series. The rest can be found over the course of the next month via his YouTube Channel http://loic.tv/

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Blog comments and dates

September 1st, 2010

As part of my job at Liberate Media, I am constantly reviewing blogs, online news outlets and similar for our clients and Liberate’s own ongoing R&D.

Two things really annoy me!

First is the huge amount of effort that some blogs/news outlets make you go through to add a comment. It’s really off putting!

To read more on this subject check out the Tamar’s excellent post entitled, Dear bloggers – if you want interaction, make it easy…

There are some great blogging comment solutions out there which are incredibly easy to use and install, so there are no excuses not to have one, i’ve included a few below:

Disqus

Intense Debate

Echo

Cocomment

I feel commenting should be a simple three-step process.

1. Add your details such as:Name, website and email address, all of which should be displayed only if you give permission, or alternatively sign in with Twitter, Facebook or via your LinkedIn profile.

2. Add your comment, preferably through some sort of WYSIWYG editor, and post.

3. Your post goes into moderation and is then added to the site. SIMPLE!

The second thing that really annoys me is:

No dates on posts.

It’s incredibly frustrating when you have searched for a blog post only to land on it and discover it has no date, this makes it hard to work out how recent it is.

Personally speaking, if I find a blog post that isn’t dated I will avoid it in favour of a dated version, I wonder if that’s a turn-off for others reading similar blog content as well?

Is there anything that really annoys you when reading a blog post or commenting on one? Please let us know via the comments section of this post.

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Got your A-Level results? So how do you get into PR?

August 19th, 2010

As you’ve all no doubt seen, A-Level results have been announced today in England, so conversation around qualifications and careers are rife.

On a day like this it certainly takes me back to my own experiences of education, and the path I took to reach my current career. Today though, things are tougher than ever. According to today’s Guardian A-Level students are facing one of the most intense battles ever seen to get into university, simply due to a higher number of students looking for a decreasing number of places. In fact, the total number of places at English universities this year is 365,000, and each University will face fines of £3,700 per student if they exceed their limit.

This means that knowing what you want to do, and getting the correct advice on how to get there, is perhaps more essential than ever.

That got me thinking, how would I advise a student looking to get into the PR sector? To be fair this is a question I have been asked many times, and to be honest I always struggle to answer it with clear and straight-forward advice. Fundamentally, that’s because there is no single, clear and straight-forward route to success.

In my case, I started out in PR 12 years ago, and crossed the divide into social media around 2006. My degree is in Business, but to be honest I had no idea what I wanted to be when I applied or left University, in fact I stayed on at University to add an honours to my degree just to get another year of student life. However, the day finally came when I had to start my career proper, and again, if I’m honest I only took a role as an account executive at a PR agency because I thought PR sounded interesting, not much in the way of career planning there!

Back to the current situation, if graduates or students ask me how to get into PR or social media or hopefully even both, the simple truth is there is no guaranteed method. Having taken my own straw poll of colleagues throughout my career, I would estimate that less than 20% did a degree relevant to PR, now of course you could argue many degrees are relevant to PR, and you would be right, but I’m talking marketing, PR courses, etc.

Why is this the case? Well I would argue it’s simply because in the PR industry everybody starts at the bottom, you learn your trade from the ground up. It used to be the case that a degree was just a pass to get an interview, from that point on it was down to you, your qualifications counted for nothing.

In the past, and in my experience being an interviewer for various agencies, the issue with PR degrees is that the course doesn’t keep pace with the industry, although I’m now assured this is improving. I also realise this is a common complaint with many industries. Therefore, when I am recruiting, I don’t particularly give any advantage to those that have done a PR degree over those that have done History, Geography or English, for example.

This issue is now further complicated by the digital skills required to perform the roll of a PR. Or if you want to go into a specific career focusing on social media, you need to choose how you approach it, i.e. from the comms side, the technology side, web development side or creative side, and ideally with elements of all of the above.

In terms of choosing PR as a career, the number one issue in my opinion is the false reputation PR has developed among graduates, and in fact the general public, as this piece in the Independent proves, and I quote: “Why PR? Because PR is glamorous. You get to go to launch parties and meet interesting people and talk to celebrities.”

Anyone coming into PR with that opinion soon gets hit square in the face with a 2×4 of reality. But then I guess the reality for anyone starting out in PR is a little off putting - terrible pay, long hours, hard and demanding work. However, you will learn a whole host of new skills including many that will set you up for life, and your value, both of self and as an employee, will rocket.

So, to get into PR do you need to do a PR, or PR relevant, course? I would still argue no, but it should help to give you a more realistic picture of the career you have chosen.

Should you try to get work experience before leaving University? Yes, this is something that employers look for, and again it will give you a more realistic picture of the job at hand.

Do you need digital/social media skills? (there are plenty of social media-type courses around ) Yes, I probably would value this, as an introduction, because I’m part of an integrated agency.

I’m certainly not envious of those starting out at University today, well, okay I am envious of the 3-4 years of student life and all the fun that comes with it, but the jobs market and eventual value of the qualification, plus the debt we all come out with, are not attractive at all.

Those that invest time to develop a real picture of the careers options open to them will in my opinion succeed. Again when I was at Uni, careers advice basically came down to ‘what do you want to do when you leave?’ but today there are better options.

Many students take the opportunity to embrace the social web and ask advice from those in the industry, do their research and try to get involved while still studying. This is a smart move; most of us in the industry remember how difficult it was and will help out where we can.

There are also new careers services and guidance available, one of which we are involved in that will be launching soon called WYGU, (When You Grow Up), which is a social careers guidance and mentoring platform that aims to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together to get real information about careers from real people who are in those careers. Take advantage of these services as they offer invaluable advice that you just don’t find elsewhere or through official channels.

In summary, the PR industry is changing, which means the skills required are also evolving. The opportunities to get involved, if you can offer some of the skills mentioned above, are probably better than ever, but be warned if you thought a PR had to be an all-rounder before, it’s stepped up another level, there’s much more to learn.

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Social Media Board Games

August 10th, 2010

With the recent Social Media Monopoly Board Game doing the online rounds I wanted to find out if any other examples existed.

Back in December, the Liberate Media team created Social Media Snakes and Ladders, the Board Game. The game consists of an interactive downloadable pdf including the snakes and ladders board, and the counters (players) who we referred to as social media tutors. Pick your tutor and let him/her lead you around the board climbing up the well known social media platforms (ladders) or falling down the slippery snakes to become the winner. The board and its contents are A4 in size and can be easily cut out via the guideline.

Other examples include the Social Network Board Game by AIM Product Design Group, which claims to “bring on-line understanding off-line”

According to a recent survey conducted by Blockdot, a firm specialised at Interactive Entertainment and Advergaming technologies, it was revealed that Traditional board games are still one of the most popular gaming genres, with 88 percent of females and 80 percent of males confirming they had a positive intent to play these games.

Which begs the question, what next?

Social Media Scrabble?

Social Media Game of Life?

Social Media Cluedo?

Do you know of any other social media games? Let us know in the comments.

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Social Media is not a separate channel

July 19th, 2010

Felix Wetzel, Group Marketing Director for Jobsite, has posted a blog on The Wall, voicing views that are often overlooked as part of the social media debate - and it’s refreshing to see a senior in-house marketing professional lay his social media cards on the table in such a direct way.

Felix says: “Social media needs to be implemented in the relevant functions and not built as another separate entity. If it’s a separate entity it will fail and will only always remain as another communication channel. Social media has to become part of the DNA, not another add on. Which leads me to one additional point: Any communication agency with a separate social media arm misses the point completely and waves a big sign that reads: ‘We jumped on the band wagon, but we don’t get it!’”

These may seem like brave words to some, but in a climate where too many companies still tend to rank discussions about Social Media in the ‘know we need to, but not 100% sure why’ file, which often leads to implementing social media as a box ticking exercise alone, I would argue it’s necessary to have this debate.

Felix’s key point, that ‘appointing a Social Media manager will hinder the harnessing of the social web’s true potential‘ is valid in my opinion, simply because that job is too often focused on creating a silo where listening, conversation and communication are contained, rather than about opening up these crucial elements to the rest of the business and of course the wider community.

If organisations think that hiring an individual to take care of social media for the whole company is ‘job done’ then it’s a sure route to failure.

If social media strategies are to succeed, they need to be an integral part of the organisation. Social Media isn’t just about marketing, nor is it a tactic, it’s a different way of approaching your business, moving real conversation, reputation and usefulness to the centre of the business, while addressing some of the fundamental issues that businesses of all types face on a daily basis.

You can follow Felix at Felix Wetzel.  He’s also the author of the ‘People, Brands, & Random Thoughts’.

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BBC Radio 4 You & Yours – forensic approach behind the daily consumer programme

July 15th, 2010

The BBC’s You & Yours consumer affairs programme has just covered research findings by our client, the search and social conversion agency Tamar. The patient process involved in getting that five-minute interview with Winifred Robinson (my vote for radio Voice of the Year) was another reminder of how much respect the Beeb has for its listeners.

I began talking to the producer/reporter Kevin Mousley months ago about the YouGov survey commissioned annually by Tamar – Search Attitudes. Kevin is a straight up professional who does not waste your time or his so the fact that we were able to continue the discussions was a big bonus for me.

Kevin prised apart the data, reworked the ideas and came back several times with detailed, probing questions about the value, relevance and legitimacy of the Search Attitudes series, as well as the current study. He then worked on the detailed outline script, which was revised and assessed by his team before discussing the question-set and interview flow with Neil Jackson, Tamar’s Search Strategy Director.

Kevin then arranged for studio time in London so that Neil could be interviewed by Winifred via direct link to the Manchester studio where You & Yours was being produced.

Put that all together and we’re looking at least a couple of days’ work, for five-minutes of focussed Radio 4 airtime. I was mightily impressed!

You can hear Neil’s interview and learn more about You & Your team here as well as review the Tamar research, blogs and news on its website.

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What can Bellwether actually tell us?

July 13th, 2010

As you may have seen on Monday, a one-off supplement to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the IPA BDO Bellwether Report, was released this week.

This of course includes comment from agency sage, and Über marketing/ad sector financial commentator Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP chief executive.

His quotes include the fairly obvious: ‘The overall share of traditional areas such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, outdoor and cinema has declined - in favour of consumer insight, PR and public affairs, branding and identity, healthcare, and specialist communications (which embraces direct, interactive and internet).’

Plus a reflection on the move toward integration: ‘Clients want more for the same money and that often means integrated solutions. Different specialities must be brought to bear coherently on a campaign. More and more clients are asking us to put together bespoke teams from across WPP, drawing the best talent from the group’s many renowned company brands.’

So, while it’s good to have these points backed up by the figures, I don’t think this is entirely new news for most of us in the marketing agency sector.

In fact, I would go as far to say that the positive and negative elements of the Bellwether report focus on very similar issues, simply because it is based on financials. This means the conclusions are accurate and trustworthy, but at the same time it also means that the conclusions are retrospective, rather than forward facing.

However, it’s still a good indicator, so what do the figures say? Well, according to PR Week; the ‘all other’ category, which includes PR and events, recorded a -7.9% downward revision in the second quarter of 2010. This revision was a significant drop from -3.5% in Q1.

‘Budgets for nearly all main Bellwether categories were revised down in Q2, with direct marketing and internet the exceptions. The findings suggest that the UK economy is now entering a phase of slower growth.’

To be fair, this was probably expected with the emergency budget announced in the UK recently, combined with a bit or realism hitting the sector as the majority realise we’re very far from being out of the financial crisis that has dogged the industry for two years. It’s also true that the actions of our Government will affect the recovery, or lack of it, but what of the effects we’re experiencing on the ground?

Although it’s a sweeping generalisation, new business across the board seems to be on the up (at least according to the PR and social agencies that I speak to). We all seem to be getting many more enquires, and as far as I can tell, the conversion of these opportunities is good.

Furthermore, of the agency people I’ve spoken to, many point to the fact that there seems to be a lot of agency reviews taking place, which may not always be positive for the incumbent, but suggests clients are either looking for more from their budget, or perhaps something different.

However, although those agencies that I’ve spoken to are generally positive, they have also caveated their excitement with a sense of trepidation about the future in terms of the economy.

So where to go from here? Well, as Sorrell says, we’re in a period of change, a change that has been very necessary for the agency sector for years. As I’ve said many times before on this blog, the change has been accelerated by the ongoing financial challenges, which has made it more painful, but necessary all the same.

In the long term, I believe the focus on integration of services and a more open and conversational approach to communication is certainly the way forward. We have been held back far too long by the rigid agency specialist approach, combined with blind broadcasting of messages.

This should also bring the era of agencies marking their territory and defending it fiercely to an end, as this approach simply isn’t relevant in a multi-skilled environment, where just saying ‘that’s our turf’ doesn’t actually mean anything. The focus has switched to well researched strategies, the ability to deliver and proven experience, whichever sector you originally came from.

For further analysis analysis of the report, check out Mark Sweney’s piece on the Guardian.

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A new chapter for Liberate Media

June 21st, 2010

As you may have seen, I recently completed a deal to acquire the remaining shares in Liberate Media from my former business partner.

Since starting the company back in 2006, we’ve focused on integrating more traditional PR methods with social media strategies and approaches. It’s been a very successful time, and we’ve enjoyed living in a sector that has developed so rapidly, and exploded into the mainstream PR, search, digital, marketing and advertising spaces.

The lines between these disciplines are getting increasingly blurred, and although we all have our own opinions on how the future will take shape, it seems the communications sector in whatever guise it appears, will be a very different beast in the years to come.

At Liberate Media, much like our sector, we’re also changing, but it’s a change that I feel is important to position us for the ongoing development in the market. You’ll be seeing a few new focuses and developments in the near future, while maintaining our core expertise in communicating to brand audiences online, offline or where ever they are, but more on that another day.

When we started Liberate Media, I quickly grew to appreciate the advantages and disadvantages of working day-to-day with a business partner. However, in May 2009, when Wendy took a break from the business, returning earlier this year, I realised that my personal ambition for the company was to continue its evolution and focus on delivering a service that not only reflects the sector’s development, but also our client’s growing need. This will be our focus moving forward, and I hope to be introducing a few new faces along the way.

So, for now, please stay in touch and let us know what you think.

Posted in Blog, Blogging, Content, Digital communications, Digital media, Liberate Media news, PR, Social media, Social networking, Trends and research | No Comments »

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Tweasier review

June 16th, 2010

Tweasier the new Twitter management application, and brainchild of Chris Norton, launched last week. I’ve been having a play around and wanted to share my experiences with you.

First of all, what is Tweasier? Well, over to Chris to explain:

“The idea for Tweasier came from an idea after I started blogging specifically just about useful Twitter tools . The Tweasier blog started to grow in stature and popularity and I started to think that maybe a tool should be developed which has some really great features. I suppose you could say it’s because of you guys.

“The application is only in beta testing (so please be gentle) but we are hoping you guys (its users) will help us find the nasty bugs so we can eradicate as many as possible before we launch this tool to the world.”

So, what’s the difference between Tweasier and the other Twitter management applications? Surely Chris has missed the boat and been beaten to the punch by other Twitter clients? Well, no, Tweasier is much more than a client. Tweasier’s brilliance is in the features it offers, and specifically the analytics suite.

Yes, i know there are other free Twitter analytics packages, but Tweasier is well…easier. It’s an all in one package, and the Tweasier team has obviously put a lot of thought into exactly what the user wants from their Twitter application, including simple but effective search and suggestions features.

To offer you a quick rundown of the features, i’ll revert back to the Tweasier launch post:

The new Tweasier application is packed with helpful services, allowing Twitter users to do any of the following:

• Run, save and clone Twitter searches based on location, keywords and personal biographies so conversations can be monitored.
• Receive personalised email notifications informing the user about their activity within the Twittersphere
• Visit Tweasier’s fully equipped analytics suite - providing more than 30 different up-to-date statistics on any Twitter account. Some of the graphs and data can also be exported for use in future presentations or reports.
• Sort an account’s friends or followers by more than 20 different criteria such as: people that haven’t tweeted in the last 30 days, people that didn’t follow the user back and also prune your friends to clear an account up if necessary.
• Users can take a quick peek at Twitter conversations between two people to get both sides of the story.
• Users can read messages, tweet, direct message and even shorten long URLs using Tweasier’s dedicated Twitter client.
• Scheduled tweeting - users can write and save several tweets until later in the day
• Users can use Tweasier’s own in-house ranking system which easily shows whether a user is worth following or not

Take my advice, when you go to Tweasier, check out the Analytics package, and have a play. I think it’s a real triumph of useful data displayed in a simple and readable format. The dashboard offers 30 different types of stats, including network features that show who of your followers is most influential. Some stats can also be exported, which makes my life so much easier!

Tweasier is currently in Beta and i’m sure it will improve, but it’s already excellent, and although i’m sure the last few weeks before launch have been tough for Chris and his team, he can rest assured that it’s been worth it. I’ve already shown the package to a few clients and they all love it.

Well done guys!

Posted in Blog, Blogging, Content, Digital communications, Digital media, Emerging technology, PR, Social media, Social media site inspection, Trends and research, Useful resources | 2 Comments »

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Don’t fear the Ad guys, embrace integration

June 4th, 2010

If you’ve seen PR Week this week, you’ve seen the news that the Ad guys are coming, but what does that really mean?

The headline on the front page said it all: Top advertising agencies creep into PR territory as Karmarama has hired Shine Communications’ director Chris McCafferty to set up an integrated PR agency, and Beattie McGuinness Bungay is in the final stages of staffing up its in-house PR agency, BMB PR, not long after Resonate’s co-founder Graham Drew’s moved to sister advertising agency VCCP.

There’s also an interesting PR Week post on the subject from Adam Clyne.

So, does this mean the end for the PR agency, are advertising budgets stretched so far that Ad agencies are looking longingly at the comparatively small budgets awarded to PR agencies? Well no, I don’t think so. You can sleep safe in your bed PR boys and girls, for now…

However, what should be keeping you awake in your comfortable traditional PR world is that the rest of the marketing community is thinking bigger, much bigger. They are thinking integration.

Not just advertising with PR, but digital with PR and advertising, and marketing with digital and PR and advertising. This is far from a new move, and it’s certainly not the first time I’ve been banging on about it on the pages of this blog. The digital world has been going through this integration for some time, but this was just the beginning.

Yes, budgets are shrinking but I don’t think that’s the main force behind this move. Yes, the skills required to do our jobs effectively, whether that’s the job of an advertiser, PR, digital marketer or traditional marketer are coming closer together. And yes, the clients are working this out and developing briefs accordingly that call in a range of skills, but without the need for separate agencies that are expensive to hire and manage.

So, if you thought it was just the ad agencies that are after a slice of the PR market, I think it’s time to wake up, we’re all after a slice of each other’s market, not necessarily because of a strategic objective to take over another sector, but because the consumer doesn’t care where the message comes from. They’ll choose to consume the media the suits them best (and none of the above will cut it alone), the client doesn’t want to complicate agency management, or pay for it, and the bottom line is we should all have a range of skills that reflect the requirements of our clients and more importantly - their clients.

If you feel safe in your PR/Ad/marketing/digital environment enjoy it while it lasts, because like it or not, the move towards integration is coming, not just because of economic pressures, but because it simply makes sense.

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