apt blog

Forget the tools

Just because the tools are still shiny and new doesn't mean that the core messages, the brand proposition, the products, the services, the whatever should take a backseat. No sireee!

In fact, now that most companies are particpating in conversations via Social Media channels, the tools have become secondary again...which is how it should be.

We're done with Social Media being seen as a differentiator. So, back to basics then. Get your offering right, get your brand right and be truthful.

The Social Media environment rewards open and transparent companies. It also craps all over those who don't respect this code!

Worth noting (without becoming paranoid) that everything you say will be indexed, searched for, found, analysed, re-hashed, regurgitated and (potentially) used against you!

Oh wait, I feel a Mark Twain quote coming on. Seriously, this illustrates the point: "If you tell the truth you won't have to remember anything." :-)

Survival of the fastest

  

Flicking through Marketing Week's info-packed 'Search & Social Media' supplement I found the article: 'speed ahead in a slowdown'. It says speed, rather than size, will be the key to companies navigating the recession. This sums it up...

"The businesses succeeding are those, regardless of sector or size, displaying the same hunger and agility as the smallest start-up. It is companies that ignore the trends and act conservatively that are finding their markets eaten into by nimbler, hungrier rivals."

I agree completely. To emerge strongest in 2010...11...12...or whenever you believe we'll come out of this recession, companies MUST open their eyes and MUST make changes. Anyone out there still need convincing? Take a look at some of the stats they use to back up the article...

• Over 60% of UK internet users aged 16 to 54 have created a social network profile
• Social networking via mobile is predicted to reach 910 million users by 2012
• 15 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every...wait for it...minute!

Staggering eh? Oh, and check out the survival of the fastest YouTube channel too :-)

To tweet or not to tweet?

 

Ah, the seemingly unstoppable force of Twitter. With the huge momentum Twitter has gained and the attention from mainstream media, everyone seems compelled to join in.

The job then, isn't one of convincing clients they should get on board, more an educational job in telling them how they can use it.

The question then: can all businesses positively leverage Twitter? The simple answer is yes. The more complex answer involves another question: what do you want to achieve?

Twitter, as I see it, is a networking tool. And - as with the best forms of networking - it's about forming and fostering long-term relationships.

It's not a quick fix and never will be. It's not even about making sales, not initially. It's about identifying the community surrounding your business and engaging with them.

The benefits are far-reaching. From market-testing to competitor analysis, from customer service to brand-building. This young platform is still finding its feet and so are its users.

Where we can help is in setting out a framework, planning content, devising attraction strategies and, most importantly, channelling energy into the right activities.

The Social Media conundrum

I've been putting together Social Media plans for existing and potential clients, plus some general packages as a starting point. This got me thinking about the whole SM proposition.

There are some fairly obvious start-up measures and training on functionality etc which is quite easy to cost-up, simply in terms of time taken.

The difficulty comes with the ongoing support. Whereas trad-PR will always require ongoing work, SM as a genuine and transparent practice should place the burden with the client in the long-term.

So, an ethical question: should we relinquish the power and let our clients loose, or keep our cards close and ultimately dilute the impact? I think I know the answer to that one :-)

For tweets sake!

 

OK, so we've been bad. We haven't kept our twitter account up-to-date. We've been making sure our clients do but not us :-( Anyway, busy though we are, we had to share our thoughts on Twitter. We may not practice what we preach but we still like to talk 'tweets'.

Twitter's a great tool, with a rapidly growing number of users and a stack of mass-media mentions, which surely mean it has gone 'mainstream'. I think it's great that something with such potential (particularly for businesses) is being brought to the masses, I really do.

However, if I hear "yeah, it's like Facebook but..." about Twitter once more I think I'm gonna...or "Stephen Fry has a million followers"...or "people just say what they had for breakfast"...AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!!

Suffice to say, please, if you must pass comment, at least USE Twitter before you do. Do not simply regurgitate these dumbed-down tidbits and soundbites in the hope of looking knowledgeable.

Right, back to work :-)

Amazing twignorance!

Twitter-bashing seems to be all the rage at the moment. Collectively with other platforms, it's being blamed for pretty much everything, even exposing children to pornography and drugs! 

BBC blogger Rome Hartman is the latest to put the boot in, wheeling out the seemingly age-old 'what I had for breakfast' cliche. It's such a tired, one-dimensional argument. Really, what proportion of twitterers actually tweet like this?

The comments on the post contain some fantastically funny (and ignorant) criticism of the platform. I just had to share a couple...

"...anyone with a little expertise with Google anyone can 'eavesdrop' on what's being posted..." (Oh no! Lots of people will read my personal thoughts and insights. Err...isn't that the point?)

"Once folk begin to realise that life and real news is passing them by...they'll give it up." (Where exactly is this "real news" you speak of? Oh sorry, you mean in newspapers obviously. Silly me.)

So, why is it currently so popular to be negative about twitter? Personally, I think it's a mixture of lack of understanding and fear of the unknown.

We are in the middle of a communication revolution and people will have to get on board sooner or later. That is if they want to stay in business...or even stay in touch for that matter.

Picture courtesy of Geek & Poke

Busy, busy, busy!

   

We've been very busy bees (cue cute baby pic) here at apt towers! We haven't forgotten about our loyal blog readers though, no siree! Just to bring you up to speed...

We've been signing off some suitably fabulous campaign concepts for Fab Mash, one of our newest clients, ahead of their Cardiff store launch next week.

We've been putting the final gloss on a PR & Marketing campaign for a prize competition to win a bar and restaurant. Details coming soon.

We've set up numerous Twitter accounts over the last week. People are really starting to get on board with this social media stuff, which is great news!

We've been working out a pitch for a fantastically high-profile tourist attraction. Hush-hush at the moment, but fingers crossed...

All this, plus looking after all the PR & marketing needs of our other wonderful clients. Phew! Amidst this typically frenetic activity we somehow need to make time to blog :-)

Refreshingly Vay-ner-chuk

Energetic. Original. Inspiring. All words that have no doubt been used thousands of times to describe Gary Vaynerchuk, internet celebrity and star of Wine Library TV.

If you haven't yet caught one of Vaynerchuk's blasts of inspiration then you should. This guy practices what he preaches. And who can argue with him?

He's built up a his family business from a $4m turnover New Jersey liquor store into a $50m wine industry powerhouse. And all by the age of 30!

His unique brand of no-nonsense, in-your-face motivation may not be everyone's cup of tea. If you have the stomach though, it's a powerful and refreshing tonic.

Captain fantastic

Just found this article on the impact of social media following the recent US Airways crash-landing in New York.

The impromptu 'campaign' focuses on a fan page for the 'heroic' pilot Captain Chesley B Sullenberger. It could be argued he was just doing his job. Admittedly very well, but none the less...

Anyway, the stats are certainly impressive, with 350,000+ fans on the facebook page for a start. A good demonstration of SM's instant reach, achieved by tapping into the public consciousness.

So, will this bout of Social Media, sure to die down over the coming days and weeks, be good or bad for US Airways?

Well (as the article indicates) crash-related stories do not sit well with airline bosses, clearly, no matter how positive the outcome. Unfortunately for them, these kind of stories no longer disappear quickly.

One thing's for sure, Captain Sullenberger's personal brand has been elevated beyond what most could reasonably expect in a lifetime.

Stop feeding me, I'm full!

Just came across this interesting post from – the always inspiring, never predictable – Seth Godin, proclaiming that the internet is full! Seth jests of course but nevertheless he (very deliberately) makes a thought-provoking point.

Many of us are indeed full-up, or at least mildly fatigued, due to constant info-overload. With a depleting window of time and space to grab audience attention it’s becoming increasingly tricky to get your message across.

So, even more important that communication is concise, meaningful and targeted. This deafening noise also begs us to shift towards cultivating smaller communities, camped around specific products, services or brands. It also calls for the abandonment of traditional mass-marketing methods, once and for all. Unless you have money to burn that is.