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The Digital Bus

Online Public Relations - The Digital Bus Podcast Ep3

April 23rd 2008 Posted in marketing podcast

 
icon for podpress  Online Public Relations - The Digital Bus Podcast Ep3: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (173)

Ross Johnson, CCO of Ingenex Digital Marketing and Derek Mehraban, CEO of Ingenex Digital Marketing give their thoughts on Online Public Relations.

Show Notes:

  • What is online PR?
    • Explain Traditional PR
    • Explain Online PR
  • Who / What are you targeting with online PR?
    • online news sources
    • online publications
    • bloggers
    • forums
    • Twitters / Microblogs
    • Comments on FlickR / etc
  • Why use online PR over traditional?
    • Different crowd
    • More conversation, engagement, interaction
    • More people online
    • Trust online more then traditional media (really?)
    • Lower barrier to entry, larger audience in some cases
  • How might you use online PR?
    • track, monitor, engage in converstations about your brand / products / service
    • pitch bloggers, online publications to write about you
  • market research
  • SEO
  • Exposure
  • Tools for online PR

  • Blogger Outreach Etiquette

    • Take time to find the actual name of the blogger

    • Clearly disclose who you are and where you work in the outreach

    • Offer comments on the blog to show that you are reading the bloggers content

    • Thoroughly check the blogs preferences and advertising sections to make sure that no indications have been made by the blogger that they do not want to be solicited

    • If there is a specific way they wish to be reached, reach them that way

    • Connect with each blogger individually

    • Indicate that you know/have read topics they frequently write about

    • Establish a tone in the outreach emails and keep it consistent

    • Indicate communication is encouraged; private or public comments and suggestions are welcome

    • Include a call to action in addition to the trial

    • The blogger outreach email should include a link to the code of ethics for blogger outreach

    • Offer an “opt-out” link in the email so they may choose not to participate

    • Make a list of those who have blogged about the company in a specific time frame

    • Keep track of the bloggers to whom you have solicited

    • Subscribe to the feeds of the blogs that you have commented on

    • Draw a conclusion to the trial/process

* Comments(2)

The Good and Bad of Ford Motor Company

April 21st 2008 Posted in digital marketing

Seth Godin today talks about Henry Ford and the assembly line. The assembly line revolutionized our manufacturing process, and changed the world forever. As Seth points out though, it also brought us to where we are today, a country trained for blue collar work that is overpaid and struggling to stay alive in the global auto industry.

Being from Michigan and growing up in a Ford family, the Ford brand is near and dear to my heart. Watching Ford fall from a great company, to a company barely hanging on has been a difficult thing for me. I feel that Ford has the cars today to compete. They have improved their quality, their designs are nice, and they have many options for a young family man like myself.

Ford has even managed to get through 30 years of some of the worst advertising I have ever seen. Plus bad ideas, like having every car name begin with the letter “F”. That is the silliest thing I ever heard. Ford has survived in spite of themselves.

Ford is a company that could benefit from Digital Marketing. I know they are making some efforts. However, I don’t know if they are fully connecting with consumers. Or fully utilizing their Iconic brand. For example, how could they let me go from being a Ford owner to now a two Honda car family? It was far too easy to leave Ford. And I am not being asked back.

My guess is there are a whole wave of 30-something people who are moving away from Ford. Despite new traditional advertising attempts to bring them back in. I don’t pay attention to TV advertising. And what is Ford doing in Digital? I don’t know. I don’t see it. It’s certainly not anywhere I am spending time.

This company that I LOVE. Hear that, LOVE. Needs to revolutionize the industry again. So what’s next Ford? You gave us the assembly line, about 100 years ago. What can you give us now? I challenge you to change the game - again.

* Comments(3)