e!pr by david phillips

Innovative Internet MarketingTMInternet Marketing

Making Online Public Relations Work

David Phillips


Online PR – way to go

› Some thoughts› The five elements› Some examples› Mashing it up


Estonia and Europe Web 2.0

› With 64% households online (against 49% average across Europe), SIM card penetration among the highest and broadband adoption in the top quartile, Estonia has great for PR opportunities.

› Not either/or its both› Online PR is developing fast and has four big features

– Many channels for communication – and growing– Many platforms for communication – and growing– Not many true experts– Huge demand for strategic and tactical skills -

worldwide


Estonia is very switched on› Estonia– 100 megabit internet access covering the

whole of Estonia by the year 2015 – well ahead of rest of EU

– Estonia is 18th most connected in the World– Skype is the largest provider of international

calls.› We know this....– Estonia is a small country – so mass market

theory is not so relevant– Estonia has masses of media but no mass

media and they are under pressure

The opportunity beckons Viviane Reding Member of the European

Commissionresponsible for Information Society and Media

says:

“Web 2.0 and social networks are growing at viral rates. Popular social sites attract more than 120 million regular users. This is only the beginning as web 2.0 applications will be more and more used by businesses

“The emergence of 'enterprise 2.0' will bring about huge benefits to European companies and SMEs in particular.



People buy stuff online


The predictions all go one way


Taking another perspective


Differences and changes

› Estonia Online retail is up 6.3% this year – welcome to my world

• http://xrl.in/2g65

› Domestically and across the EU Online PR now needs to develop and become more pro-active in the domestic market.

http://xrl.in/2g65


The high theory› Traditional PR is still important› Basic PR skills remain critical– Identifying publics– Relationship management– Communication skills

› Online needs these skills but on steroids– User generated ‘publics’– User generated brand ‘values’– User mediated publishing


No one can be the complete expert


So, where to start?• What agencies can offer

– Strategy (integrated with other PR)– Rules of engagement– Auditing (important platforms and channels, audience profile, how to

engage, when to engage – what are the UG ‘market’ segments and UG ‘key’ messages)

– Content provision and authoring– Monitoring services

• Attention– Devote time to understanding

• Listen to FIR• Monitor top sector bloggers• Try things out

• Make or buy– You can’t do it all– Use service providers– Use specialists– Be transparent (I am far to busy to want to have your clients as well)


A simple (dynamic) audit makes the point about the range of expertise you need

http://www.netvibes.com/lindtonline#Lindt_in_Social_Media

http://www.netvibes.com/lindtonline#Lindt_in_Social_Media


What does this mean for you?

› Areas of expertise to develop1. Knowledge of the most significant (and relevant)

and fast developing platforms and channels for communication

2. Knowledge of, and a relationship with, specialists – you can’t know everything.

3. Strategy capability to identify best channels and platforms for client’s use and application

4. Skill sets in the application of channels/platforms5. Capability to sell effective solution to a client

base desperate for good advice


Knowledge platforms and channels for communication

› Follow the best in the business to see what they think and do.– Altex– eConsultancy - http://econsultancy.com/– For Immediate Release podcast

http://forimmediaterelease.biz/

http://econsultancy.com/

http://forimmediaterelease.biz/


Five principles

› Richness› Reach› Transparency› Porosity› Internet Agency


Rich content

› Get the basics right– Good website design– Good interactive content–More content


Reach› Getting the right audience

– At the right time– In the right context– To be involved through your service and products

› Achieved by– Clear view of community (which is your audience)– Good content for the community– Good SEO - – Effective interaction– ‘fess up if it goes pear shaped– Monitor web traffic like a hawk – where do you send visitors when

they have finished with your site?– Link juice magnets– Reasons to link to your site (e.g. Content like words, images,

videos, interactions)› Join YOUR/YOUR ORGANISATION’S communities with something it

needs or wants to know


Transparency› If you hide it, they will find it elsewhere› BUT – you share it with stakeholders AND

competition.› You thought it was confidential, behind the

firewall, subscription only? Think again – someone blogged it somewhere and added their own spin too.

› Need good (social media) policies for employees (they are Bloggers, Twitterers and Facebook fans too) – see IBM, BBC policies

Porosity › Organisations are porous › Information leaks out– Employees– Contractors– Commercial partners

› Mostly not malicious› Needs risk assessment› Needs contingency planning› Its good PR anyway



Agency› The internet acts as an agent› It can change content– Because of what people do– Because of what technologies do

› When the message is out there it WILL be changed


Reach is in the long tail› 20th century mass marketing is a mind set

– challenge it!› A small active online community will be

the focus of 90% of sales because they act like a magnet to consumers.

› Unlike old media relations, ALL the content that goes online is there (in effect) forever – with added opinions and information.


Why PR has to adopt online PR

› It is now a high proportion of social interactions

› Offline media is loosing its reach and power– Not the death of traditional PR – yet!

› Offline content is ‘Googled’ so has to be supported

› Not instead or but in addition to


What you have to do› Research and monitor current

developments from experts (and they are not all American)

› Try stuff out on yourself› Get close to experienced practitioners

– mostly they share their knowledge › Think about audiences beyond borders


What is the opportunity› For best practice PR folk, it takes very little time

to get really good – From a standing start 18 months ago Publicasity got clients like Yahoo! and United Biscuits – you can too.

› This form of PR practice is not free it takes up a lot of (chargeable) time

› We are all learning, there are no experts, it keeps changing, being aware of developments means you are worth more!

› Its global – your expertise, the tools you create, your methodologies can be exported to partners worldwide


Where will it all end?› Bad luck – it won’t!› It will evolve – faster and faster› Of 1.5 billion internet users worldwide 70%

add attention, content and interactivity. 1% add new technologies (hacks, programmes, software, facilities etc.)

› Stop the world, I want to get on.› A future view for FIR 2007


Future PR – a contribution to FIR


The Advert

Phillips, D & Young, P (2009) Online Public Relations 2ed

Kogan Page LondonPart of the CIPR PR in Practice series


Thank You

› Conversations?

› Email: [email protected]› Blog: leverwealth.blogspot.com

mailto:[email protected]

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